The fragrance industry relies heavily on compounds derived from vulnerable plant species, particularly Aquilaria trees that produce agarwood when damaged. This demand has led to widespread illegal felling of wild trees. Emerging technologies now offer potential alternatives through artificial intelligence and biotechnology approaches.
Several companies and research institutions are developing new methods to reproduce endangered plant scents. Osmo, a startup founded by a Google Brain researcher and funded with $130 million, uses AI trained on millions of human smell responses to predict how molecular combinations will be perceived. The company demonstrated the capability by recreating a rare tree’s scent from a fingernail-sized piece of bark analyzed by spectrometer. BioHarvest Sciences has developed stable cell cultures from an endangered Southeast Asian fragrance plant, enabling production of valuable compounds without harvesting the original species. The company has announced anticipated production of 20 tonnes of fragrance composition, with limited production potentially beginning next year.
Researchers are exploring additional approaches beyond direct scent recreation. Scientists have reconstructed scent-producing genes from flowers believed extinct, while others have collected microbes from clouds as starting points for new fragrances. These techniques represent advancing capabilities in fragrance innovation.
However, environmental advocates and industry experts express skepticism about the conservation benefits. Natural perfumer Mandy Aftel argues that creating synthetic alternatives does not address underlying conservation issues or prevent continued demand for wild-sourced materials. Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens note that even viable alternatives may not reduce pressure on wild species if consumers continue preferring naturally sourced ingredients. Additionally, Osmo’s founder acknowledged that conservation is not an explicit priority for the company’s work.
Scent chemistry itself presents inherent limitations. Flowers’ scents contain hundreds of molecules that vary based on plant part, growing conditions, season, and broader ecological factors. Researchers acknowledge that AI cannot fully replicate the complex environmental and biological context that produces a plant’s natural fragrance, only isolated chemical components.
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