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“Phantom”, Paco Rabanne : the crossroads of AI and Perfume

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been at the forefront of many of the most groundbreaking innovations in the fragrance industry recently .

Last July, it is the famous brand Paco Rabanne, part of the Puig group, who decided to launch their first innovative perfume, “Phantom”, born from the collision between high-tech and high perfumery. Scent is said to be the sense most intimately linked to memory and emotions, so Paco Rabanne ran with this concept and decided they would create a scent which would entice positive emotions. Being a true olfactive lover, this news first came to me as a mix of surprise and confusion, as I failed to understand how algorithms could replace the creative process based on intuition and inspiration, making the perfume a true work of art.


I therefore decided to dig deeper into the topic, and understand how this new strategic process could positively impact the brand.


Paco Rabanne integrated technology from the perfume bottle to the actual creation process of the fragrance. Not only is the perfume’s metal bottle chromium-plated and shaped like a robot, but the designers had also the futuristic idea to incorporate a chip inside the spray bottle. This chip allows users to download entertaining filters, personalized playlists, and interactive games to their smartphones, giving the consumer access to the “Phantom Universe”. Sounds very fun doesn’t it ?

Paco Rabanne is reinventing the perfume as an interactive tool rather than just a “bottle”, and this fits perfectly with their brand image which is innovative and avant-garde.


This new fragrance for men, destined to “boost their confidence” and make them feel “positive emotions” was imagined by four IFF perfumers who carefully picked the ingredients at first. The human brain would have dosed what it judges wise, whereas AI has the ability to amplify the dosage of the ingredients, all by using a very specific algorithm.

The algorithm used for the creation of Phantom managed to identify the components most likely to be included in the perfume, claimed to increase self-confidence, thanks to a program called the “Science of Wellness”.

This program specifically details the impacts of raw materials on a the human being’s emotions, and the fact that AI is capable of concocting such recipes made me want to understand more about it…

I discovered that the IFF Science of Wellness program is a full range solution that incorporates 40 years of human conscious and unconscious measures, neurosciences, artificial intelligence, and IFF components. Its goal is to accompany, and guide the perfumer during the scent creation process.

For Phantom, the computer never got the better of the four composers; instead, it acted as a super-assistant perfumer, pushing them to their limitations. Rather than artificial intelligence, perfumer Juliette Karagueuzoglou, who coauthored this men's fragrance, prefers to talk about "augmented creativity". The computer supports the creator, suggesting new associations and avenues of work. Anne Flipo which I interviewed ended up by saying that nothing could ever replace them, as humans.

However, she also mentioned that working with AI was inevitable, and that it was important to adapt and stay open-minded. Indeed, in this case, the perfumers are boosting their ability to meet growing customer demand for wellness solutions by combining research, ingredients, and technology into one program.

By Clara O'Mahony

29/11/2021


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