The Estée Lauder Companies and Jo Malone London Introduce AI-Powered Scent Advisor Experience
Jo Malone London is taking on one of e-commerce’s hardest problems: choosing a fragrance without smelling it first. The brand’s new AI Scent Advisor brings the nuance of an in-store consultation to the web, translating personal taste, mood, and occasion into tailored perfume recommendations—no jargon required.
What’s launching
Now live on JoMalone.com in the United States and United Kingdom, the Jo Malone London AI Scent Advisor is a conversational tool that helps shoppers articulate what they’re after—be it “bright and zesty for daytime,” “romantic and powdery,” or “a present for someone who loves woods but wants something lighter.” It then returns curated suggestions from the brand’s collection that align with those preferences.
How it works
- Natural language input: Shoppers describe scents in their own words—vibes, notes, occasions, or recipients—rather than selecting from rigid filters.
- AI interpretation: Using Google’s Gemini models via Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, the system parses those descriptions and maps them to Jo Malone London’s proprietary olfactory attributes and data.
- Expert-informed matches: The output reflects the brand’s fragrance taxonomy and house style, aiming to replicate the feel of a knowledgeable advisor guiding you in-store.
The result is a recommendation flow that feels less like a quiz and more like a conversation—one designed to be approachable for first-time buyers yet nuanced enough for connoisseurs.
Why it matters
Fragrance discovery traditionally relies on sensory cues—sampling strips, staff guidance, and the serendipity of trying something new. Online, those cues vanish, and consumers often default to bestsellers or skip the category entirely. By turning open-ended language into precise inferences about notes, intensity, and mood, Jo Malone London is aiming to bridge the gap between curiosity and confidence.
Jo Malone London’s Global Brand President, Jo Dancey, framed the launch as a step into a new era of digital scent discovery—one where people can describe what they love in everyday language and receive meaningful, personalized guidance, as if a fragrance expert were at their side.
The tech and the team
The Scent Advisor was developed by The Estée Lauder Companies’ AI and Innovation teams, blending the brand’s proprietary scent data and expertise with Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities. It’s part of a broader push by ELC to embed advanced AI across the beauty journey—improving discovery, personalization, and service wherever consumers engage.
Strategic context
The launch follows the opening of The Estée Lauder Companies’ Fragrance Atelier in Paris, signaling fragrance as a strategic growth pillar for the company. Together, these investments suggest a playbook that pairs deep brand craft with modern AI systems to accelerate experimentation, improve recommendations, and scale high-touch experiences beyond the boutique.
What shoppers can expect
- Personalized, brand-native guidance that reflects Jo Malone London’s house sensibility.
- Recommendations tailored for self-purchase or gifting, with options across different scent families and intensities.
- A more intuitive path to discovery, especially for consumers who find traditional note lists confusing or overwhelming.
Availability
The Jo Malone London AI Scent Advisor is available now on JoMalone.com in the United States and United Kingdom. The company has not announced additional markets or languages, but the underlying platform suggests scalability as demand grows.
Bottom line: Jo Malone London’s AI Scent Advisor doesn’t try to replace the magic of smelling—it reduces the guesswork that keeps many shoppers from clicking “add to cart.” By marrying generative AI with the brand’s olfactory intelligence, The Estée Lauder Companies is turning fragrance exploration into a smarter, more personal digital experience.
