Osmo Harnesses AI For Custom Perfumes

AI has already rewritten the rules of dating, dieting, and even decorating our flats. Now, it’s got its sights – and sensors – set on perfume. And yes, things are getting complicated.

Meet Osmo, a fragrance tech startup on a mission to rewire your nose. From its sleek lab in Manhattan, it claims to create perfumes in under 48 hours using AI that digitises smells. No, really. One of its breakthrough moments? Turning the scent of a summer plum into data. In a world where traditional perfumes can take over a year to craft, Osmo is offering fragrance at Prime delivery speed, explains The Verge.

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But fast doesn’t always mean flawless. When one independent perfumer handed out Osmo’s plum fragrance at a scent conference, it caused a stir. “Too medicinal, too clean,” whispered one nose. “Where’s the bruising, the rot – the heat?” asked another.

Osmo isn’t the only player. Four major fragrance giants – DSM-Firmenich, Givaudan, IFF, and Symrise – already weave AI into the products lining your bathroom shelf. Whether it’s shampoo, room spray, or your signature scent, odds are an algorithm had a say. As Frank Voelkl, principal perfumer at DSM-Firmenich (behind hits like Santal 33 and Glossier You), puts it: “These tools are tremendously helpful in resolving technical issues so I can focus much more on the creative part… It’s like a clerk.”

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For Gen Z perfumers, AI isn’t just a helpful tool – it’s part of the process. “Most, if not all my classmates, have used AI for every project or question,” says Heather, a perfumer-in-training. Meanwhile, old-school noses like Pierre Vouard wonder what’s lost when we stop compounding by hand. “But is it crucial?” he muses.

Not everyone’s convinced. Michael Nordstrand, a seasoned perfumer, warns that startups are “circumventing professionals” and using hidden datasets. Osmo, for example, won’t reveal what powers its scent engine, other than confirming it’s “still currently developing the system.”

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Founder Alex Wiltschko has big goals: “There’ve only been about 100,000 fragrances ever made. I want there to be millions.” But at what cost? When asked about environmental impact, he claims the energy use is “vanishingly small” – though Osmo doesn’t actually track it.

Add in deepfake founder videos, unauthorised AI likenesses, and the increasing sense that we’re being algorithmically spritzed without consent, and it’s easy to feel a bit… synthetic.

Fragrance, once defined by time, rarity, and raw ingredients, now risks becoming just another button to press. As Nordstrand says, “It’s like Jurassic Park. We were so busy thinking about whether we could, no one stopped to ask if we should.”