Givaudan sniffs out consumers’ fragrance preferences with AI olfactive tool DigiPulse

20 Oct 2021 --- Givaudan has launched DigiPulse to decode consumers’ online spontaneous comments about fine fragrances. The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology is marketed as the first olfactive social listening tool.

“When we conceived DigiPulse we were thinking of a super powerful eye able to read, collect and decode all consumers’ online spontaneous comments about fine fragrances they have tried, experimented or bought,” Arnaud Guggenbuhl, head of global marketing, insights and image, Fine Fragrance at Givaudan, tells PersonalCareInsights.

“Not only what they prefer but also sensations the fragrance give to them, how they describe it, their feelings and their technical evaluation of it, but also what they don't like. For us what was the most important part was to be able to collect their perceptions with their own unbiased spontaneous language that is more true to their deep emotions.”

It is designed to collect the voices of consumers using a special algorithm that captures and analyses their views with a focus on olfactory-driven perceptions.

Givaudan perfumers and creative teams then use the decoded olfactive data to tailor their fragrance creations to consumers’ desires.

“DigiPulse is a digitally strategic way of capturing feedback from consumer’s online posts on their impressions of fragrances they have used or experimented with in their everyday lives,” says Guggenbuhl.

“The new olfactive tool will allow us to gather instant, unfiltered consumer feedback. Most importantly, it will enrich the way we craft perfumes that will continue to inspire consumers around the world.”

DigiPulse collects the voices of consumers using a special algorithm that captures and analyses their views.DigiPulse is currently only being used in France. It will be launched in the US in the following months, with a global roll-out expected in 2022.

Data-driven perfumery
DigiPulse categorizes more than 2.5 million online comments across a range of social networks. Its customization allows Givaudan experts to analyze the data gathered to identify consumers’ olfactive perspectives and preferences.

The data is transferred to the company’s creative teams to analyze the responses to traditional and established fine fragrances, as well as new launches.

The most differentiating element of the tool is its ability to focus on the olfactive data, revealing insights on different aspects of the fragrance itself, on top of more comments around packaging, marketing and advertising.

Givaudan says its olfactive social listening tool can lead the industry in identifying the success of iconic and fresh new fragrances with information directly from the consumer experience.

“The intel will allow us to integrate consumers’ immediate responses related to a fragrance or to specific ingredients directly into the creation process, which is crucial for brand development and scent innovation,” the company says.

Scent of digital innovation
With e-commerce rising fast, digital solutions are increasingly entering the mainstream, with virtual pop-up stores and online interactive programs boosting personalization.

The fragrance space is also exploring this, with Givaudan also having launched Carto, which uses AI to help perfumers achieve better results. This intuitive and interactive system functions like a game.

Givaudan perfumers will use the decoded olfactive data to tailor their fragrance creations to consumers’ desires.Firstly, the perfumer uses a wide touchscreen to select which raw materials they wish to mix. A special robot then produces an instant sample, using real ingredients and the best possible formula, at a speed that would be impossible using traditional methods.

In 2019, the company opened its first Digital Factory in Paris. Located next to Station F, the largest start-up campus in the world, the aim of the Factory is to accelerate digital transformation.

It brings together Givaudan’s experts, partners and customers from all over the world to explore new ways to drive business forward. Carto features in the Factory’s Computer-Aided Creation program.

Recently, Givaudan Fragrance & Beauty invested CHF 75 million (US$81 million) in a new extension to its Pedro Escobedo production facility in Mexico to promote its growth in Latin America.

This move came right before the company reported significant sales increase in its Fragrance & Beauty segment for the first three quarters of 2021, despite COVID-19 complications.

Advancing perfumery
The fragrances sphere is booming with exciting NPD as companies seek to innovate scents that will capture consumer attention. Recently, Estée Lauder unveiled a range of eight new scents that boast mood-boosting properties. The range is formulated to allow each scent to last up to 12 hours after a single application, thanks to Estée Lauder’s exclusive ScentCapture Fragrance Extender technology.

Meanwhile, International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) introduced its Science of Wellness program, which is built on over forty years of research in fragrances and their impact on consumers’ emotions and well-being.

By Kristiana Lalou

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