L’Oréal previews olfactory art experience and expands in Saudi Arabia

Dataland, the world’s first omni-sensory Museum of AI Arts, co-founded by Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç, in collaboration with L’Oréal Luxe, is set to open in Los Angeles, US.

The Museum of AI Arts, with five galleries spanning 25,000 square feet and boasting 1.5 billion pixels, will debut with its inaugural exhibition, Machine Dreams: Rainforest, on June 20, 2026.

Through the joint partnership with L’Oréal Luxe, Dataland will present 12 unique avant-garde olfactive imprints. The art will be experienced as “living scents,” emitted in response to the artworks and each visitor’s presence.

In another highlight from L’Oréal, it is expanding its Saudi Arabia operations with a new Jeddah office. The move is designed to enhance the company’s workforce plans, sustainability, and women’s empowerment strategies. 

Bridging technology with human emotion

The alliance between L’Oréal and Dataland is said to be the ultimate expression of L’Oréal Luxe’s initiative Culture de l’Écart: the drive to think differently, and bridge high-performance technology with raw human emotion. 

Dataland, the world’s first omni-sensory Museum of AI Arts, co-founded by Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç, will open in Los Angeles, US, in June 2026.In a convergence slated as a “world-first of visual art and responsive olfactory,” the Museum of AI Arts is positioned as a new paradigm of polysensorial experience. 

While media artist and Dataland co-founder Anadol uses advanced computing to visualize billions of data points, the L’Oréal Fragrance Métier relies on its olfactory expertise to craft captivating scents.

Anadol calls the collaboration “a fascinating breakthrough… pushing the boundaries of what art can be.”

“By combining artwork with a unique fragrance model, we are no longer just visualizing data; we are breathing life into it. I am thrilled to share this unique dialogue between human sensory experiences and machine intelligence with the world.”

Twelve olfactive imprints

Drawing from Anadol Studio’s Large Nature Model, L’Oréal Fragrance Métier leveraged its fragrance model to craft the twelve olfactive imprints. 

Among them, Scent of Data blends clean musks and aldehydes to replicate the algorithmic pulsation of code. 

Meanwhile, Scent of Rain delivers a hyper-realistic atmosphere of humid earth after rain, featuring the characteristic petrichor accord and earthy patchouli facets.

These scents will be diffused through Dataland’s innovative smart-diffuser devices that react to the artworks and the visitor’s presence. In the living museum, touch, taste, sight, sound, and scent amplify each other in a continuous, omni-sensory dialogue, in an effort to trigger emotions and memories.

“I am incredibly proud that L’Oréal Luxe is collaborating with Refik Anadol, placing olfaction at the very center of the museum and pushing the boundaries of Fragrance creation,” says Cyril Chapuy, president at L’Oréal Luxe. 

Karine Lebret, Fragrance Métier international director atL’Oréal Groupe, believes that fragrance is “the ultimate language of emotion, a direct bridge to the soul that transcends reason.”

“Our L’Oréal Fragrance Designers have shattered traditional boundaries to craft unfiltered sensory truths. Within Dataland, we unveil the technical precision of our Métier through ‘immersive scents’ to leave a powerful, indelible emotional imprint,” she says. 

Last month, Personal Care Insights reported that L’Oréal outpaced the global beauty market with strong Q1 2026 growth and market share gains. One of the main drivers of growth was its fragrances category, with double-digit gains in key divisions. 

L’Oréal’s Saudi Arabia growth plans

In another highlight from the multinational cosmetic and beauty company, it has strengthened its presence in Saudi Arabia with a new office in Jeddah and expanded initiatives in workforceFor this fragrance and olfactory art collaboration, L’Oréal Luxe makes history as Dataland’s founding olfactory partner.  development, sustainability, and women’s empowerment. 

This move was announced at the second edition of the L’Oréal For The Future summit, where the company recognized Saudi Arabia as a key growth market in the SWANA region (South West Asia and North Africa).

By the end of 2026, L’Oréal plans to double its workforce in Saudi Arabia, which is now the largest beauty market in the Gulf and a major contributor to regional growth. 

The company also unveiled its fifth professional hairdressing academy in partnership with local universities, aiming to certify over 1,000 women by 2029. 

L’Oréal’s operations generate SAR3.2 billion (US$852 million) for the Saudi Arabian economy, supporting over 8,700 jobs. Additionally, the company is expanding its sustainability efforts with refillable beauty products and broader ESG commitments under its L’Oréal For the Future program.

This expansion further aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals, supporting economic diversification, sustainability, and women’s employment in the kingdom.