New digital methods of scent creation have been unveiled by two of the fragrance industry’s biggest players.
Givaudan has finally, officially launched its Myrissi technology, having acquired the scent tech firm back in 2021, while rival Firmenich announced the next generation of its EcoScent Compass to help develop more sustainable products.
Givaudan’s Myrissi offers an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered method of translating fragrance into colour patterns to help market fragrance to consumers via e-commerce without them having to actually smell the scent.
The Myrissi algorithm has been combined with Givaudan’s 35-plus years of neuroscience research to deepen the understanding of consumers’ emotional mechanisms.
It is claimed to decode the spontaneous olfactory connection with colour, modelled on a database of more than 25,000 consumer tests.
The technology drives product development, starting from either a chemical composition to predict the colour code association, or from a chromatic base to determine the appropriate olfactive affiliation.
It also generates a visual mood board to help with packaging and campaign storytelling.
“Myrissi represents a step change for the industry,” said Maurizio Volpi, President Fragrance & Beauty at Givaudan.
“As e-commerce remains the privileged channel for customers, we must answer their need of an olfactive digital experience, something impossible to address until now.
“With Myrissi, we allow consumers to ‘smell’ visuals and colours that elicit the same emotions as the perfumes they are facing.
“This technology also enables Givaudan to support impactful marketing strategies for our customers, by matching their product designs with their scent, making the consumer experience delightful and fulfilling.”
An enhanced eco approach
Helping companies better measure fragrance sustainability, meanwhile, is Firmenich.
The Geneva, Switzerland-based fragrance maker originally launched EcoScent Compass in 2018 as an industry-first tool designed to measure the sustainability of its fragrances in a bid to appeal to eco-conscious consumers.
And its new EcoScent Compass Next Generation is said to enable a higher degree of precision in sustainable creation and understanding.
The updated version boasts 45 fragrance claims and 20 ingredients claims, and advances the ability to communicate sustainable progress with consumers by translating numbers into claims and proof of impact.
Firmenich perfumers can formulate responsibly by optimising fragrance designs at the beginning of the creative process, with more than 80 data points for each ingredient and three key pillars: circular creation; climate and nature; and impact on people and community.
The additional data points, said Firmenich, support a more precise and complete sustainability view of the fragrance.
“The availability and management of accurate, verifiable sustainability measures are essential to achieving corporate ESG metrics and shared global goals,” said Michal Benmayor, VP for Global Perfumery Sustainability at Firmenich.
“Companies must not only use tools to record, report and act on sustainable business data within their operations, but also share it across their networks of suppliers and partners to unlock the potential for positive impact at scale.
“Challenges are evolving and what needs to be addressed today are the major concerns on carbon emissions and biodiversity.
“With EcoScent Compass Next Generation, Firmenich is enabled to take the lead.”
