Brands spend billions perfecting logos, typography, and visual identity. But one innovative company is bypassing the eyes and going straight for the nose with Olfactory Intelligence. 

The sense of scent, or olfaction, is among our most powerful and primal senses. Unlike sight and hearing, which pass through multiple brain regions before being processed, smell has a direct pathway to the limbic system, the part of the brain that governs emotion and memory. That’s why a single whiff can instantly transport you back to a childhood kitchen, a summer evening, or the presence of someone you loved. Enter Generation by Osmo, a fragrance house that understands how scent rewires memory in ways visuals rarely can. Hotels, retailers, even museums are now embracing custom fragrances to create atmospheres that linger long after visitors leave.

Generation is a new fragrance house, backed by Osmo’s revolutionary Olfactory Intelligence (OI) technology. They’ve dissolved the false boundary between technology and artistry, finding a more profound truth: that all scent, whether born of algorithm or inspiration, speaks to the same yearning, to capture fleeting moments and translate the ineffable into something desirable.

This summer, Generation bottled cultural aesthetics directly with Where Water Ends, a fisherman-core inspired scent. According to the Generation by Osmo team: 

Where water ends is more than a fragrance formula. It’s proof that scent can move as fast as trends themselves. Using OI, we can turn any mood, aesthetic, or cultural moment into fragrance, making scent as dynamic and expressive as fashion, music, or art.

Their latest launch is a fragrance modeled after the iconic white t-shirt.  Think Carmy in The Bear or Conrad in The Summer I Turned Pretty, the white tee has shifted from basic to cultural icon. Generation’s approach makes fragrance part of the style and pop culture conversation, not just the beauty aisle.

Why It Matters

Bottling culture through design: These fragrances go beyond the beauty aisle. They sit squarely in the design and branding conversation, proving that scent can be as powerful a brand marker as logos, typography, or packaging.

Trend relevance as identity: A white tee is more than fabric, it’s a cultural symbol. Translating it into scent is design as cultural commentary, showing how branding can extend into the invisible but unforgettable world of olfaction.

Exclusivity as experience: These are not mass-produced blends. They are curated, story-driven experiences distilled into fragrance, leveraging scent marketing to create emotional recall and long-term brand loyalty.

For me, this is especially exciting because it opens new possibilities for expanding Calmaria, a breathing app we designed to help people slow down and reset. As part of that project, we created Terral, a companion fragrance that extends Calmaria’s experience beyond the screen. Looking ahead, I’m eager to explore ways to collaborate with Generation by Osmo on expanding our offerings, supporting self-care as an essential part of living with vitality.

As William Wordsworth wrote, 

Smells are surer than sounds and sights to make your heartstrings crack.

Learn more about here Generation by Osmo. 

Olfactory Intelligence artifacts