U.S.-based NotCo has unveiled its Generative AI Fragrance Formulator, an expansion of its generative product development platform, Giuseppe, in partnership with Latin American flavor and fragrance house Cramer.
The platform reportedly taps Cramer's fragrance and flavor formulation database, as well as data points related to individual ingredients, to enable the development of premium, market-ready fragrances in seconds.
(Can AI replace perfumers? Or is it merely a tool to supplement human creativity and sensory artistry? Many in the industry tend toward the latter.)
AI-generated Fragrance Creation: Instantaneous & (Supposedly) Market-ready
The Generative AI Fragrance Formulator is capable of creating "unique scents that consumers have never encountered before," NotCo claims.
Just as the company did with flavor before it with its Generative AI Flavor Formulator, the new fragrance variant is claimed to offer a speedy alternative to conventional R&D/product development, which is founded on iterative processes.
Notably, the the fragrance platform leverages Giuseppe's purported ability to "evoke emotions through scents" (see below).
In a recent blind study, NotCo reportedly tested 13 generative AI fragrances (created with no human creative intervention) with Cramer's professional perfumers.
These experts evaluated and approved several AI-generated fragrances as “market-ready,” per NotCo, at the first iteration.
From New Markets to Reformulations: AI's Potential
NotCo’s AI platform also taps consumer insights to create market-ready products, comprising concept generation, testing and formulation. It can also reportedly be used for optimization of existing product formulations in tune with consumer trends.
As argued by the company, AI is able to develop products faster and cheaper. And, because the system taps trends in real time, it can also purportedly open new markets for brands.
Transforming the Fragrance Industry?
“While generative AI is typically associated with creating images, videos and text, it has limitless possibilities in other creative applications,” says Aadit Patel, SVP of AI product and engineering at NotCo. “We began testing Giuseppe’s ability to evoke emotions through scents and were amazed by the early results. Our partnership with Cramer, combined with their expertise in formulation and raw materials, has allowed our AI to learn at an exponential pace. This new formulator can craft bespoke fragrances in seconds; a process that traditionally took months and significant resources. This exciting new frontier for the industry makes novel, expert-quality fragrances accessible like never before for a wide range of product categories.”
“As we continue to build upon our generative AI flavor capabilities, we’ve envisioned AI transforming the fragrance industry, and with our new Gen AI Formulator, we’re now realizing that vision,” says Karim Pichara, co-founder and CTO at NotCo. “We’ve developed scents that evoke memories and emotions–such as the nostalgic aroma of Christmas, the freshness of a spring morning, the tranquility of a beach at sunset and the lively atmosphere of summer parties–pushing boundaries for companies.”
