IBM did not independently invent or manufacture perfume. In a project announced in October 2018, IBM Research and fragrance maker Symrise used an AI system called Philyra to help develop two fragrances for Brazilian beauty company O Boticário. Human perfumers evaluated and refined the system’s suggestions; Symrise later said the products launched in Brazil in June 2019.
What happened—and when?
The headline was based on a real collaboration, but its “invented” wording compresses a team effort into a claim about a machine. Symrise said the Philyra project began in January 2018, and market-ready products were presented at the World Perfumery Congress in Nice that June. On October 24, 2018, Symrise announced the IBM Research collaboration and said two O Boticário fragrances were planned for 2019. Symrise later reported that the products went on sale in Brazil in June 2019.
The original story described O Boticário’s large retail network, not confirmed placement of both fragrances in every shop. Grupo Boticário’s current brand page describes O Boticário as having approximately 4,000 physical stores in 1,750 Brazilian cities; that present-day figure does not establish the exact number of outlets that stocked the launch products in 2019. Symrise’s account of the project and launch and its October 2018 announcement document the timeline; the current network figure appears on Grupo Boticário’s brand page.
What Philyra did
Philyra was an algorithmic assistant for fragrance formulation, not a robot that smelled, blended and released perfume on its own. It analyzed existing formulas and ingredient information alongside consumer and product data, then proposed candidate combinations for fragrance experts to assess. The aim was to search a large design space more quickly and help identify promising directions, including combinations a perfumer might not ordinarily try.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute#1 Best Overall
- Complete Perfume Making Kit: Use the JUYRLE roller perfume to create your own scent! Perfume kit includes: 1x witch hazel, 1x coconut oil, 8x essential oils, 4x roller perfume bottles, 3x perfume atomizer, 1x dried rose, 2x funnels, 2x measuring cups, 1x roller bottles opener, 6x perfume test papers, 2x stirring sticks, 1x perfume tool kit, 1x instruction manual. Every step is full of creativity and fun, allowing you to gain unlimited sense of accomplishment in the process of perfume making!
- Wonderful Perfume Making Process: Making your own perfume is not only a feast for the senses, but also a personalized creative journey. The JUYRLE roller perfumes for women have 8 selected essential oils, which can be freely matched to create a unique scent. Recommended: Top notes: lemon, orange. Middle notes: rose, jasmine, coffee. Base notes: vanilla, cinnamon, cedar. To personally make a long-lasting perfume for women is not only a pursuit of beauty, but also an affirmation of self-creativity
- Reusable Atomizer Sprayer for Perfume: 30ml perfume bottles and 10ml travel size perfume rollerball bottle are made of high-grade glass and durable components, and the bottle mouth adopts a multi-layer spiral design to prevent liquid volatilization and leakage. The tea-colored essential oil roller bottle protects the perfume from harmful ultraviolet rays and prevents it from volatilizing quickly. The nozzle of the atomizer produces a fine and even mist for precise application and coverage.
- Long-Lasting Perfume for Women: The perfume base matched by the perfume maker can keep the fragrance of the perfume for the longest time. Spray the perfume on the pulse points or apply the oil-like ball perfume on the pulse points, such as: wrists, neck, behind the ears, these places with higher temperature help the perfume molecules to be released slowly, making the fragrance of the perfume last longer.
- Best Girls Gift: When you are worried about what gift to give, JUYRLE DIY perfume kit can always impress people. Our roller perfume making gift set uses elegant packaging, which is perfect for creating an atmosphere on important occasions and festivals. It can be used as a female gift, a teenage girl gift, a perfect gift for mom, Mother's Day gift, Christmas gift, birthday gift, Valentine's Day anniversary gift for women, adults, friends or yourself.
Reported dataset sizes vary by source and date. Contemporary technical coverage cited a database of about 1.7 million fragrance formulas. Symrise’s later retrospective described a system based on more than 3.5 million formulas and approximately 1,500 raw materials. These are not necessarily contradictory: they may reflect different stages, versions or datasets. The sources do not establish one definitive figure that applies to every version of Philyra. See the 2018 technical overview and Symrise’s later account of Philyra.
Who made the fragrances?
Each organization had a different role: IBM Research contributed AI and product-design technology; Symrise brought fragrance expertise, materials and perfumers; and O Boticário was the commercial customer and brand owner. Symrise perfumer David Apel reviewed Philyra’s proposals and made adjustments, including emphasizing particular notes and improving how long the fragrance lasted on skin. That human evaluation mattered because a formula that looks promising in data still has to smell and perform well in real use.
Rank #2
- Unleash Your Inner Perfumer - Easy for Beginners! This JUYRLE ultimate perfume making kit for adults and teens provides everything you need to learn how to make your own perfume at home. Our clear, step-by-step guide makes the creative process simple, fun, and rewarding, even if you’re a complete novice.
- Create with Premium, Skin-Safe Ingredients: Dive into the art of perfumery with confidence. Our kit includes a collection of high-quality essential oils and natural fragrance oils that are non-toxic and crafted to be gentle on skin. Mix and match to discover captivating, long-lasting scents that are uniquely yours.
- Design a Scent as Unique as You Are. Experiment with over 6 distinct fragrance notes – from floral and fruity to woody and flower. Recommended: Top notes: sweet orange, lemon, lavender. Middle notes: ylang-ylang, jasmine, lemongrass. Base notes: vanilla, cedar. Blend your own signature scent that reflects your personality or recreate your favorite luxury perfume. The possibilities for creative expression are endless!
- All-Inclusive Set, Perfectly Packaged for Gifting. This complete DIY fragrance making set comes with 6x perfume bottles, 8x essential oils, 1x 50g witch hazel extract, 2x pigments, 1x sequins, 6x perfume test papers, 2x stirring sticks, 2x droppers, 1x spoon, 2x measuring cups, 2x funnels, 2x gloves, 1x instruction manual, 1x exquisite packaging. Beautifully presented in an elegant box, it makes an unforgettable gift for women, men, and friends on birthdays, holidays, or just because.
- The Perfect Activity for Lasting Memories. More than just a craft, our perfume creation kit offers a delightful experience. It’s a fantastic couples activity, a hit at girls’ night in, or a relaxing solo aromatherapy project. Enjoy the joy of making and the pride of wearing a fragrance you crafted yourself.
O Boticário’s 2018 sustainability report also describes its perfumers’ work with IBM and Symrise. It spells the system’s name “Phylira,” while Symrise uses “Philyra”; the available material indicates a spelling variation, not a separate system. The O Boticário report and Symrise’s announcement describe the collaboration and the perfumer’s role.
Which perfumes came out of the project?
Symrise investor materials identify the two products as Egeo ON You and Egeo ON Me, fragrances for O Boticário’s youth-oriented Egeo brand. The products were reported as launched in Brazil in June 2019; that historical report does not establish whether either fragrance is currently sold. The product names and Symrise’s reported consumer-test results appear in its 2019 investor presentation.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- 30-Ingredient Perfume Kit: Includes 30 aromatic ingredients, spray bottles, droppers and 6 recipes for feminine floral, gourmand and amber scent directions.
- Guided Blend Process: Follow the included recipes and adjust each ratio to your taste.
- Eau de Parfum Format: Series guidance uses around 15 to 20 percent fragrance oil concentration for a fuller finished scent profile.
- Measured Mixing Set: Work with 2 perfumery solvent bottles at 50 ml each, precision droppers, and fragrance testing strips for controlled trials.
- 6-Bottle Experience: Fill 6 empty spray bottles, apply the supplied labels, and use the detailed booklet for adult self-purchase or occasion gifting.
What “AI-created” means in practice
In this project, AI-assisted creation meant using data to generate and explore candidates, followed by human judgment and ordinary product development. A simplified workflow looks like this:
- Set the brief: define the product type, intended market and target consumer.
- Search and model: analyze formula, ingredient, consumer-preference and performance data relevant to the brief.
- Generate candidates: propose combinations or modifications for consideration.
- Evaluate and refine: perfumers smell and assess candidates, then adjust them for balance, performance and the product’s intended use.
- Validate for sale: the chosen formula still needs appropriate safety and regulatory review, manufacturing validation and market approval.
Data can help with ingredient substitutions or changing consumer preferences, but it cannot remove practical constraints. A raw material may become restricted or unavailable in a market, and a substitute is not always a one-for-one swap. A pleasant formula intended for the wrong application may also fail: a scent suited to a candle or detergent does not automatically work as fine fragrance. Symrise discusses these development challenges in its account of fragrance work using data.
Rank #4
- DIY Perfume Making Kit: Unleash your inner perfumer with our complete DIY roller perfume set! Includes everything you need to craft your signature scent easily and joyfully: 1x sweet almond oil, 1x witch hazel extract, 4x 10ml roller bottles, 3x glass spray bottles, 8x essential oils, 2x dried flowers, 2x funnels, 2x measuring cups, 1x roll-on bottle opener, 2x mixing sticks, 2x droppers, 1x spoon, 2x gloves, 1x instruction guide, and 1x beautifully gift box.
- Make Your Own Perfume: Blend top, middle, and base notes to create a perfume that reflects your unique style. TSVATE's high-quality essential oils and perfume base help lock in the fragrance, ensuring your custom scent stays fresh and aromatic for hours. Recommendation: Top notes: Sweet Orange + Lemon; Middle notes: White Tea + Jasmine + Rose; Base notes: Lily + Vanilla. Apply the roller perfume to pulse points like wrists and neck for a lasting, elegant fragrance experience.
- Travel Size Spray Bottle & Roller Bottles: Each perfume making kit for adults includes luxurious 30ml travel perfume bottle refillable and 10ml amber glass roller bottles for essential oils designed to protect essential oils from UV light and prevent leaks. The fine-mist sprayer ensures even application, while the roll-ons allow smooth and precise placement. These travel-friendly bottles are perfect for home use, on-the-go, or as a thoughtful gift!
- Long-Lasting Perfume for Women—This perfume samples for women kit is carefully paired with a professional perfume base that helps capture fragrance molecules and significantly extend scent longevity. For best results, apply roll-on perfume to pulse points like wrists, behind ears, and the sides of your neck—where body heat gently activates the scent, making it last longer with richer layers. Spray fragrance sets the mist version inside coat collars, sleeves, or pockets for equally enduring fragrance.
- Best Girls Gift: When you are worried about what gift to give, TSVATE DIY perfume kit can always impress people. Our roller perfume making gift set uses elegant packaging, which is perfect for creating an atmosphere on important occasions and festivals. It can be used as a female gift, a teenage girl gift, a perfect gift for mom, Mother's Day gift, Christmas gift, birthday gift, Valentine's Day anniversary gift for women, adults, friends or yourself.
Did the AI make a better perfume?
Symrise’s investor presentation said the AI-assisted fragrances scored higher than market fragrances for liking in consumer blind tests. That is a company-reported claim about particular products and a particular comparison. It does not show that AI generally outperforms human perfumers, prove that the perfumes would sell better, or establish how the test was conducted beyond what the presentation reports.
More broadly, a favorable test result is only one part of commercial success. Consumer response can vary by market, and sales also depend on factors such as branding, packaging, price and distribution. A computer-generated candidate is not a guarantee of a successful product.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Best Value
- 25-Ingredient Pairing Range: Explore 25+ aromatic ingredients in 3 ml bottles through 6 paired formulas designed around complementary scent directions.
- Create Together: Follow 1 formula as a shared activity and personalize the ratios.
- Balanced Note Selection: Work with amber, bergamot, marine, jasmine, musk, patchouli, rose, tonka bean, and woody materials within the included palette.
- 2-Bottle Solvent Supply: Measure each trial with 2 perfumery solvent bottles at 50 ml each, precision droppers, and fragrance testing strips.
- Shared 6-Spray Set: Complete 6 empty spray bottles with the formula booklet and labels for adult partners, fragrance fans, or experience-led gifting.
Why use AI if perfumers still make the decisions?
The potential advantage is augmentation rather than replacement. Searching many combinations can give a perfumer more options and help bring consumer or regional-preference data into the process earlier. Instead of treating a model’s output as a finished answer, a team can use it as a starting point, a prompt or a way to explore less familiar directions. Symrise described Philyra as a tool to accelerate creative design, and later reported using it in additional fragrance-development efforts; those descriptions are the company’s account of its own platform, not evidence that AI has become an industry-wide standard. See Symrise’s later update on the project.
The same approach has limits: models can reflect patterns in the data they are given, historical popularity is not the same as genuinely new appeal, and a candidate still needs sensory, technical and commercial judgment. The Philyra story is therefore less about a machine replacing a perfumer than about a new tool helping a human team search for ideas.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
