Global beauty company L'Oréal has partnered with Emotiv, a neurotechnology company, to help consumers make accurate and personalized choices around their fragrance desires. The partnership combines an Emotiv neurotech device with proprietary scents and algorithms by L’Oréal.
 
“We are constantly developing innovative, personalized experiences for our consumers,” says Guive Balooch, head of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator. “This partnership promises innovation for the entire beauty industry as this is truly the first time that consumers will have access to a state-of-the-art, in-store experience that uses neuroscience to provide personalized, precise fragrance advice.”

Using Neuroscience to Decode which Fragrances are Best Suited for Consumers

Created by L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator, luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent, and a team of fragrance experts, alongside Emotiv, the unique fragrance consultation experience connects neuro responses to fragrance preferences through a multi-sensor EEG-based headset.
 
The headset uses machine learning algorithms that interpret EEG, while consumers experience proprietary scent families, to provide the ability to accurately sense and monitor behavior, preferences, stress, and attention in real-world contexts. According to L'Oréal, the experience helps consumers determine their perfect scent suited to their emotions.
 
“Together with L’Oréal, we hope this partnership provides unique insights into how consumers feel about fragrances and about how scents make them feel through an unbiased lens,” says Tan Le, CEO of Emotiv. “We’re simplifying the decision-making process by connecting emotion and scent through technology – in a way no one has done before. Rooted in science and powerful insights, this technological breakthrough will help consumers decode what fragrances are best suited to their needs.”

Matching Fragrances to Preferences and Moods

More than three-fourths (77 percent) of consumers say they want their fragrance to bring them emotional benefits. Through a blind test, L’Oréal also found that people connect various emotions, including happiness and relaxation, to their scent preference. More than half of consumers ages 12-34 say they choose a fragrance based on their mood.
 
“There are thousands of fragrance options, and we know it can be challenging for consumers to navigate the vast number of scents and make a choice that’s right for them,” says Stephan Bezy, International General Manager at Yves Saint Laurent Beauté. “Through this immersive system, we were able to get 95% of people the right fragrance personalized to their needs and desires, which is enormously higher than without this technology.”
 
The experience will be available worldwide in Yves Saint Laurent flagship stores in multiple countries later this year and through 2023.