KAORIUM, an innovative experience created through fragrance and language

Cosmetics, food, detergents...We are constantly exposed to a wide variety of scents. And each scent affects our bodies and minds differently, such as by enhancing our mood or soothing our spirit. However, fragrance is one of the most elusive stimulants for the senses, and people often find it difficult to describe what scent they are looking for.

As a business that tackles such problems, SCENTMATIC Inc. developed KAORIUM, an AI system that converts scent into words and vice versa. SCENTMATIC is also actively promoting its products in overseas markets, such as by participating in international cosmetic ingredient trade shows.

Toshiharu Kurisu, CEO of the company, developed various services in the telecommunications industry before launching SCENTMATIC Inc. Rather than focusing on a "negative to zero" service that increases convenience, he wanted to create new value that turns "zero into a plus," and he decided to focus his attention on fragrances, for which the market in Japan has remained small.

Kurisu and his team started by conducting a study of fragrance-related startup businesses over the past 20 years. The common denominator they discovered in all these businesses was that consumers have yet to adopt fragrances into their daily lives, and analysis showed that this was due to consumers' concerns about not being able to choose or know the right fragrance for them. KAORIUM was created to solve such problems and expand the range of fragrances.

KAORIUM provides value in two ways. First, it supports consumers when they are purchasing fragrances and food products. When several fragrance bottles are lined up and read by the sensor, words associated with each scent, such as "clean" or "sophisticated," appear on the touch panel. When the consumer touches a word that matches their desired scent, KAORIUM presents them with a recommended fragrance. By repeating this process several times, they can discover the perfect scent and verbalize their preferences. In addition to attracting consumers who are new to the world of fragrances, the system has been shown to increase the effectiveness of sales promotions by making it easier to select cosmetics and other products.

Additionally, KAORIUM offers the chance to acquire big data on consumer preferences for fragrances and words. This can be applied to product development and word choice in marketing.

Having used KAORIUM to solve fragrance problems in Japan, SCENTMATIC found that the same problems exist all over the world. This led the company to exhibit in March at in-cosmetics, a global cosmetic ingredients trade fair. Despite the event taking place in Europe and the United States, where the fragrance market is much larger than in Japan, KAORIUM drew significant attention, and several companies expressed interest in collaborations.

However, issues were also identified with using KAORIUM in overseas markets, such as in some unnatural wording being displayed. Going forward, it will be necessary to address language accuracy while utilizing the big data produced.

Nevertheless, a broad global reach for KAORIUM will likely usher in the next stage of the international fragrance purchasing scene, which has not seen significant change in decades.

Kurisu is also looking ahead and working to meet the needs of overseas visitors. The sake sommelier AI KAORIUM for Sake puts into words the flavors of sake, which are as difficult to verbalize as fragrances, and makes it easier to select sake according to any preference, such as one that may arise from a specific mood or situation. In the two years since its release, the AI has been so well received that the number of stores using or preparing to introduce the product has expanded to 300.

KAORIUM is looking to expand its product line beyond systems for fragrances and sake in the future. Some companies are considering using KAORIUM for their e-commerce sites as it can provide consumers with a more detailed image of a product. Kurisu's goal is to provide a selection axis based on fragrance and flavor. KAORIUM, which has endless possibilities in terms of where and how it can be applied, may just breathe fresh air into our world of experiences.