December 02, 2025
Jo Malone London Tests AI in Digital Fragrance Consultations
Buying fragrance online has long been one of retail’s hardest experience problems to solve. Without scent strips, samples or face-to-face consultation, consumers are often left guessing, especially first-time buyers unsure how to translate emotion or personal taste into a bottle purchase. The Estée Lauder Companies and Jo Malone London are now using AI to tackle this problem.
The brand has launched the Jo Malone London Scent Advisor, an AI-powered digital consultation experience designed to guide shoppers through fragrance discovery using natural, conversational language instead of rigid filters or product grids. The tool is live on the brand’s websites in the United States and the United Kingdom.
From Abstract to Personal
Rather than asking customers to select abstract fragrance families or ingredient lists, the Scent Advisor invites open-ended descriptions like moods, memories, gifting ideas or lifestyle preferences. Shoppers can explain what they are looking for “in their own words,” with the system interpreting those responses and turning them into tailored fragrance recommendations.
Built on Google’s Gemini and the Vertex AI platform, the chat interface maps customer inputs to Jo Malone London’s proprietary olfactory attributes, combining technical scent data with the brand’s fragrance expertise. The experience aims to mirror the structure of a traditional in-store consultation but remove the friction of unfamiliar terminology that often alienates online shoppers.
Fragrance shopping online isn’t simply about product discovery but the reassurance that the choice will feel personal and appropriate, whether for oneself or as a gift. By focusing on conversational guidance rather than automated product matching, the Scent Advisor reframes AI as a trust-building device rather than just a recommendation engine.
The tool was developed by The Estée Lauder Companies’ AI and Innovation teams, combining internal data, brand knowledge and Google Cloud capabilities. Its launch follows the opening of the company’s Fragrance Atelier in Paris last month, aligned with fragrance’s growing importance in Estée Lauder’s broader strategy and the role personalised experiences increasingly play in category growth.
Jo Malone London has been steadily experimenting with digital engagement formats, including its Scent Layering tool and a recent TikTok fragrance filter. The AI advisor extends that progression by pushing playful interaction toward practical guidance that supports conversion without sacrificing brand tone.
