4 July 2025

Can you digitise scent? According to Japanese tech innovator SCENTMATIC, the answer is yes—and not only that, you can describe it, quantify it, and even emotionally map it. At the heart of the company’s breakthrough is KAORIUM, a pioneering AI platform that “mutually translates between scent and language,” bridging the sensorial and the semantic.

Unveiled recently in London at a launch event for the luxury fragrance brand THAMEEN at Selfridges, KAORIUM captured the attention of Europe’s fragrance elite. The system enables consumers to explore perfumes through a language-based interface, using descriptive terms to discover olfactory profiles and vice versa. "It visualizes elusive scent impressions with words and identifies scents linked to specific emotions and language," SCENTMATIC said in a statement. The experience, the company claims, stimulates both hemispheres of the brain—bridging logic and emotion, analytics and intuition.

From Tokyo to London: A Tech Company Rethinking Scent

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Tokyo, SCENTMATIC was born from the belief that our relationship with scent is deeply underexplored—and ripe for innovation. At its core, the company is developing tools to enable what it calls "emotive computing": using AI to decode and translate human emotional responses. KAORIUM, its flagship product, is built on a database of thousands of human scent associations, derived through partnerships with perfumers, neuroscientists, and linguists.

The system uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to associate specific fragrance molecules with user-generated descriptors. For example, a user might type “fresh linen” or “nostalgic springtime,” and KAORIUM will suggest perfumes aligned with that sentiment—or, conversely, analyse a scent and provide descriptive words tailored to the user's vocabulary and cultural context.

While Japan remains its innovation hub, SCENTMATIC is aggressively expanding into international markets. Europe, with its deep-rooted heritage in perfumery and a fast-growing premium scent sector, is a strategic first step.

The Business of Smell: A Multi-Billion-Dollar Opportunity

The global fragrance market is booming, driven by consumer appetite for luxury experiences, identity-driven products, and wellness-linked aromas. Europe remains the industry’s largest and most mature market. The UK fragrance market alone is projected to reach US$2.82 billion by 2033, according to industry forecasts.

In this landscape, digital tools like KAORIUM could become essential. As retail becomes more immersive and e-commerce continues to challenge physical sampling, brands are searching for new ways to help consumers discover, compare, and emotionally connect with scents—especially online. For fragrance houses, AI-powered scent language could unlock a new era of product discovery, marketing, and customisation.

And it's not just about perfume. SCENTMATIC sees broad applications across education, hospitality, dining, and retail. Imagine restaurant menus designed not just by flavour but by scent associations. Or educational tools that teach vocabulary through olfactory experiences. The goal, the company says, is to “add emotional value to all human experiences”—by transforming how we perceive, discuss, and share scent.

KAORIUM in Action: THAMEEN Collaboration

The recent collaboration with THAMEEN, a niche UK fragrance house known for its jewel-inspired, long-lasting extrait de parfums, offered a compelling showcase of the technology. During the Selfridges launch, consumers were invited to interact with KAORIUM through a digital display. They selected emotion-driven keywords like “confident,” “mysterious,” or “euphoric,” and were guided to fragrances aligned with those descriptors—without relying solely on traditional notes like sandalwood or musk.

For THAMEEN, this meant not only a more personalised customer journey but also a deeper emotional connection between the brand and its buyers. For SCENTMATIC, it was proof of concept in one of the most competitive and influential fragrance markets in the world.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Scent AI?

While digital scent technology remains a niche within AI, it's gaining traction. Companies like SCENTMATIC are leading a movement toward “sensory intelligence”—AI tools that go beyond sight and sound to engage the full spectrum of human perception. With global brands looking to differentiate through storytelling and emotion, the ability to translate scent into words—and words into products—could become a major asset.

Backed by multiple patents and research partnerships, SCENTMATIC is continuing to develop KAORIUM's capabilities, with hints at future integrations in e-commerce platforms, wellness apps, and even mental health tools.

In a world where personalization is everything and data drives discovery, SCENTMATIC is betting that scent—the most ancient and emotional of senses—might be the next frontier in digital experience.