How to Find your Future’s Fragrance

I’m a keen collector of fine fragrance, with a collection spanning genres, geographies, and generations. At this year’s Dubai Future Forum at the Museum of the Future , I was curious to discover an innovative concept: automated creation of custom perfume. Standing in front of an impressive machine with an arrangement of bottles, conveyor belts, and a friendly guide adding a human touch, I scanned a QR code to launch the process. To create a custom scent, I filled in an online questionnaire about my personality and olfactory preferences. A few moments later, the machine set to work, measuring out quantities of ingredients to create three unique formulae just for me. They smelled great.

How does a futurist pick a perfume?

I’m also a futurist. This experience got me thinking: is this the future of fragrance? What does this expression of personalisation, connectivity, automation, and instantaneity reveal about the times we live in? What can we learn from perfumery about how we experience the future? And how does a futurist pick a perfume?

These questions took me back to some research I did many years ago into perfume as a manifestation of modernity in Paris. Perfume is the spirit of science, technology, economics, society, and art that made the city what it is. Each bottle of perfume carries within it the essence of the time in which it was composed. Perfume is more than a fashion accessory or a way to make things smell nicer: it is a cultural artefact that reflects the era of its creation.

Let me take you on perfume’s journey, showing how it became what it is today, and what it shows us about times past, present, and future. We’ll look at three major emerging currents:

• Extractions: how science, technology, and innovation produced natural essences and chemical compounds used as ingredients
• Transactions: how society and economics created a market and industry
• Abstractions: how perfume went from efforts to imitate nature to an expression of human creativity

I’ll conclude with something for you: five tips on how perfume can inspire us to think more wisely and creatively about the future—and how to use the future to pick out your next signature scent!

Extractions

Perfumery owes much to the ancient Arab craft of extracting oils and fragrances from natural ingredients like flowers, spices, and woods. These scents were not only used for personal adornment but also played a significant role in religious and social ceremonies. Ancient civilisations developed intricate methods of distillation and infusion, techniques that were revolutionary for their time and greatly influenced the global evolution of perfume-making. Their skill in creating complex, lasting fragrances set the scene for the modern perfume industry, showcasing a blend of artistry and science.

Science is the foundation upon which modern perfumery is built. In the 19th Century, French chemists like Theodore Gobley transitioned from the mystical traditions of alchemy to the precision of modern chemistry. It was during this time that vanillin, the compound responsible for the vanilla pod's sweet aroma, was first isolated. This was a game-changer: perfume was no longer just about extracting essences; it was about dissecting and reconstructing aromas, and then later even synthesising new ones not found in nature. These lab-created molecules not only reduced production costs but also provided a consistent and uniform base for perfumers to work with.

Advancements didn't stop at the laboratory door. The industrial revolution introduced technology that revolutionised how perfumes were made. Mechanisation allowed the large-scale production of fragrances, making perfume affordable to far greater numbers of people. The invention of the assembly line enabled perfume houses to meet mass demand. Perfume factories could now produce thousands of bottles each day, making fragrances accessible to a much broader audience than ever before.

These technological innovations also brought consistency and quality control to perfumery. The introduction of concretes and absolutes—highly concentrated plant extracts—also meant that scents could be more complex and last longer on the skin.

Transactions

Perfume's journey through society and economy is a narrative of culture and commerce too, reflecting the shifting tides of social change and economic ambition.

In the societal sphere, the rise of the bourgeoisie in Parisian culture significantly impacted the world of perfume. As women gained more independence and financial power, they also became key players in the marketplace. Perfume became a statement of identity, a way for people to express their status and individuality. The consumption of fragrance grew from an exclusive hobby of the aristocracy to a daily ritual for the middle class.

Perfume became a statement of identity.

In economics, the perfume industry manifests the capitalist notion of progress. The shift from small-scale artisanal craft to global enterprise highlights the changing economic landscape. Perfumers like François Coty capitalised on economies of scale, enabling much greater production and wider distribution of perfume. This global expansion wasn't just about revenue; it was about creating a brand, and making perfume a widely desired commodity.

Moreover, the perfume industry navigated the delicate balance between luxury and accessibility. While fragrances like Chanel No. 5 maintained an aura of exclusivity with their high price tags, they also tapped into mass-market appeal. This democratisation of luxury allowed perfume to be both a symbol of opulence and a widely enjoyed product, embodying the modern concept of ‘luxury for the masses’.

Abstractions

The artistic aspects of perfume reflect the spirit of innovation and expression that characterised the modern era, particularly in Paris, the cultural heart of the avant-garde.

As modern art movements like impressionism and art deco broke away from traditional forms, perfumery paralleled this evolution. Perfumers became olfactory artists, blending notes to express ideas, rather than just imitate nature. The turn of the 20th century saw perfumes that captured moments, memories, and sensations. For instance, fragrances like Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue bottled the intangible mood of twilight, while Chanel No. 5 encapsulated the boldness of modern womanhood.

The artistry of perfume also embraced self-criticism, a concept central to modern art. Perfumers began to reflect on the medium itself, exploring its potential and boundaries. They recognised the unique qualities of fragrance—its ephemerality, its interaction with the wearer's body chemistry, and its ability to evolve from the initial top notes to the deep base notes over time. This introspective approach led to bold, contrasting combinations, like the amber and bergamot found in Coty's Chypre, which would define an entire genre of scent.

Artistic innovation in perfumery mirrored the shifts in contemporary visual and performing arts, embracing individual taste and interpretation. Just as modern art was characterised by movements that redefined the role of the artist and their relationship to the subject, modern perfumery redefined the role of the perfumer and their relationship to scent.

The Essence of An Era

The significance of relationships and interpretations is where we pick up on the future. The future isn’t about what lies ahead, it’s about what’s in your head. Futurists understand the value of narratives and experience in surfacing deeply held beliefs, and painting a picture of unreal worlds. We communicate ideas through many means, such as visuals, sounds, and dialogue. Scent is an overlooked yet powerful device for creating and communicating times to come.

When you vaporise a perfume, you are releasing an idea into the world. It creates an effect, evolves, and vanishes, leaving a lasting memory. It tacitly brings the science, technology, society, economy, and culture of its time to the mind of anyone who pays attention. It can be profoundly evocative, and maybe even provocative. In this sense, fragrance is something like foresight, and it may contain some lessons for us.

Considering everything that perfume carries, it’s worth the time to think about what goes into it.

Here are my five tips on how we can use perfume to learn about the future, and how we can use the future to find the right fragrance:

1. Make it noticeable but not overpowering. We know the cliché about learning outside your comfort zone, so it can be good to explore something strange. But ideas can be overpowering for some people at certain moments. It’s important to take fragrance and futures only as far as someone can go without getting overwhelmed. A little goes a long way.
2. Consider the effect over time. Sometimes the best way to communicate an idea is to subtly infuse the air with it and let it develop, rather than blasting it all at once. Sense when to hold back, and don’t wear perfume on a plane. Just don’t.
3. Remember it’s about the person, not just the product. There’s no objectively best perfume for everyone, and there’s no objectively best set of ideas about the future that we should all discuss. Consider not just the quality of the idea, but also the fit with the person, and the context where it will be applied.
4. Go beyond the superficial. Ideas are composed of the ‘top notes’ that you notice first, but which wear of quickly; the ‘heart notes’ that carry the main logic; and the ‘base notes’ that lie deep below and linger far longer. Don’t fall for the initial hype; take time to discover the underlying layers.
5. Try more than one. Experimentation and diversity are valuable for learning and finding compatibility. But remember we do it to draw lessons and use them in real life. Sometimes an idea has had its day, and it's important to know when to drop it and move on.

Considering everything that perfume carries, it’s worth the time to think about what goes into it. What is your favourite fine fragrance, and what does it say about your past, present, and future?

This article is a personal essay of the author; it is unrelated to the OECD or any of its members. ChatGPT was used to extract main points from the author’s earlier research and adapt the writing style for some sections. Authorship and content are solely human responsibilities.