Peak experience: Bulgari’s virtual reality fragrance experiment is pretty cool
The brand's latest campaign offers a glimpse into the future of digitalised fragrance experiences
![Bulgari's new Glacial Essence campaign.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LX9qmbLU7sBAdQ4ARkm9zC-415-80.jpg)
Bulgari perfumer Alberto Morillas is standing on top of an alpine glacier in an elegant suit discussing the brand’s latest fragrance launch Bulgari Man Glacial Essence.
Unlikely as it may sound, this is no dream. It’s a VR experience the brand Italian jewellery and fragrance house has created to celebrate its latest men’s fragrance, a heady scent of cederwoods and musks sharpened by piquant notes of juniper berry and ginger.
Owners of the Oculus VR headset can download the experience on Bulgari’s website and, within a matter of minutes, virtually transport themselves to a snowy mountain where, after a treacherous climb up an icy peak, they can break open a glacier to discover a bottle of the Bulgari scent.
Even before in-store shopping ground to a halt, VR and AR technologies like Bulgari’s latest venture were predicted to be an increasingly popular feature of beauty products and marketing campaigns. Gadgets like personalised oral and skincare cleansers, video chat beauty consultations, or magic mirrors that allow you to test products without physically touching anything, have steadily lost their novelty over months of lockdown as people adapt to shopping for products and receiving treatments primarily from home.
Translating the intangible experience of wearing fragrance into digital mediums has required brands and retailers to become even more creative. Bulgari’s mountain-scaling VR adventure is one example of how brands can create an immersive, visual expression of a scent’s unique atmosphere, while other technologies like Puig’s Al.lice allow consumers to explore a scent’s profile without physically touching the bottle.
IBM's lab where new scent AI technology is being developed.
Perhaps the most innovative application of digital technology to fragrance is IBM's new AI system Philyra. Recognising the power scent has in informing our everyday experiences- from the food we eat to the people we're attracted to- IBM's Philyra uses AI to create entirely new fragrance combinations and, consequently, new sensory pathways.
In the words of IBM, Philyra 'is a system that uses new and advanced machine learning algorithms to sift through hundreds of thousands of formulas and thousands of raw materials, helping identify patterns and novel combinations.'
The next few years will no doubt see unparalleled advances in AI and VR fragrance technology. How exactly those advances will play out and how fragrance brands will continue to adapt to our increasingly digital world is yet to be seen but, in the meantime, sit on your couch and experience the bracingly fresh air of Alpine peaks.
INFORMATION
bulgari-vr.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Mary Cleary is a writer based in London and New York. Previously beauty & grooming editor at Wallpaper*, she is now a contributing editor, alongside writing for various publications on all aspects of culture.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published