Unilever opens US fragrance lab to accelerate scent innovation and personalization

Unilever has opened a fragrance lab in Connecticut, US, to speed up scent development by combining digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI), and consumer insights.

The lab aims to boost product appeal by developing personalized, trend-driven fragrances for North American consumers.

“This milestone strengthens our local expertise in a key market and equips our teams to move faster, combining cutting-edge science, digital technologies, and consumer insight to craft more meaningful brand experiences with fragrances that truly resonate,” says Paula Campos, associate director of Unilever’s US Fragrance Creative Center.

The move is part of Unilever’s strategy to expand its global fragrance innovation. The lab is housed in the company’s existing R&D facility and ties into the company’s broader €100 million (US$115.5 million) investment to develop in-house scent creation capabilities.

With its new infrastructure, Unilever aims to strengthen control over fragrance formulation, improve speed to market, and foster deeper collaboration between perfumers, scientists, and product developers. The lab will operate alongside Unilever’s existing partnerships with global fragrance houses.

The opening follows Unilever’s first in-house fragrance release, featured in the Dove Rose Berry Bouquet range. The launch demonstrated the company’s capacity to oversee the complete fragrance development process internally, from design to consumer testing.

Regional relevance at scale

Unilever’s US fragrance lab signals a change in how the company develops scents, bringing more of the creative process in-house while still working with long-time fragrance partners.

The facility features a full suite of fragrance R&D infrastructure, including a blending and compounding unit, evaluation booths for performance testing, and dedicated spaces for olfactive assessments.

The location allows fragrance creation to integrate with product development pipelines.The location in Connecticut allows fragrance creation to integrate with product development pipelines more efficiently. This may translate into quicker adaptation of scents for regional launches or rapid response to emerging consumer trends in North America.

Digital-first innovation

The lab embeds end-to-end AI and data modeling in the creation workflow. Digital modeling tools and predictive analytics can help optimize olfactive profiles and streamline product testing.

While Unilever has not disclosed specific technologies or platforms, the company does emphasize that AI will support formulation, design, and evaluation processes. This includes modeling consumer preferences and predicting how different scents perform before physical testing begins.

This approach reflects a broader industry shift toward digital R&D in beauty and personal care, as companies look to shorten product development cycles with AI, while maintaining quality and sensory performance.

The company also highlights the lab’s collaborative nature. It brings together perfumers, scientists, and marketers in a single space, enabling multidisciplinary teams to co-create fragrances with faster feedback loops.

Unilever’s US Fragrance Lab builds on the company’s earlier integration of AI across R&D. The company recently disclosed that it has implemented more than 500 AI-driven capabilities globally, using data science, machine learning, and robotics to accelerate its timelines.