In the modern world, we’re still mostly creating perfume the old-fashioned way. And while there’s merit and magic in by-hand scent creation, the tech world is fast becoming a major player in how we manufacture fragrance. With the advent of AI and an innovative scent printer, one company is ready to redefine how we create perfume.
Introducing Generation, the First AI-Powered Perfume House
Generation’s Olfactory Intelligence (OI) works in tandem with in-house perfumers to deliver intricate and creative scent combinations for a truly custom perfumery experience. But to get there, first, the company had to teach an algorithm to smell.
“We had to teach a computer to read smell like a map,” says Generation founder and CEO, Alex Wiltschko. “Because scents are made up of molecules, we had to transfer those molecules into data and then encode them in an odor map, or a map of smell.”
The idea is basically the same as a Zoom call. The image is created by light, becoming bits of data that are encoded and then rematerialized on the other end.
“For an image, you need three dimensions,” Wiltschko says. “For smell, you need 300 dimensions because it’s so complex.”
Once the scent is encoded into a map, the fragrance printer has to be able to decode those instructions to create that scent again. At the end of that process, you have a fragrance robot that can read the scent profile of a fruit or flower and use it as instructions to print that scent again.
“We’ve digitized scent,” Wiltschko says.
Creating My Custom Fragrance
Sitting down with Wiltschko and creating a fragrance was a lot easier than I anticipated. With a general vibe in mind (pistachio with a bold, maximal scent), the OI quickly considered potential scent combinations.
“We can get granular and make adjustments, or we can let the OI do its thing,” Wiltschko explained. “It can be as hands-on or hands-off as you want.”
About two weeks later, my scent arrived.
With pistachio at the heart, Generation’s OI and perfumers melded this creamy scent with earthy and leathery notes, creating an aura of “damp stone and electric air” that aligns with my desire for a bold, projecting scent. The connecting thread is really those woody and green notes, helping to create an overall story that innovates on the pistachio note in a way I didn’t expect.
And this was just phase one of the process.
Already, my head was spinning with ideas.
What if we added a sweet green tea note, layer in a hint of almond and vanilla to round out the core of the scent and then brightened the profile with a strawberry top note? What if we leaned into the creamy fragrance of pistachio and went for a whipped cream and frothy latte vibe? What if we went further into the earthy and woody scents, embracing moss and lemongrass for a clean, but rich profile? Each potential combination was an entirely different route, an entirely different fragrance.
And from this point, the options seemed truly endless. Wiltschko notes that this is just the first step in the process, which goes all the way to launch with the ability to produce hundreds of bottles.
The Next Stage of Scent
With scent digitized, what could possibly come next? Well, Wiltschko explains that all of their work is building towards a future where we can sample a scent on our phones. It won’t happen overnight, but imagine a world where you can test a scent without ordering a sample or visiting a store.
“I want you to be able to hold a device in your hand that can detect scent as well as a dog can and that can design and create a scent as well as a flower can,” he says. “We’re not there yet, but digitizing and printing fragrances is a major step along the way.”
