Fragrance is an essential component of Unilever's multibranded product portfolio. From the classic scents of Dove soaps to refreshing Axe body sprays and the welcoming aromas of Comfort fabric softeners, Unilever utilizes fragrance to connect with its customers beyond product practicality. The beauty giant takes fragrance seriously outside of its own business too, and in the fall of last year invested in its first ever fragrance brand, The 7 Virtues, in a significant funding round led by Unilever Ventures with participation from True Beauty Ventures. Just recently, the conglomerate announced a significant investment into its fragrance efforts, with a €100M ($127M) pledge aimed to drive innovation and build an in-house AI and digitally enabled fragrance design and creation system to enhance all corners of its business.Since selling flavor and fragrance business, Quest, to Givaudan in 2005, Unilever has partnered with fragrance houses around the world including Givaudan, and fragrance suppliers such as Firmenich, to create the familiar scents that accompany its plethora of products, working from aromatic palettes including as many as 1,000 raw ingredients. Although these collaborations remain imperative as Unilever grows its in-house capabilities, the business believes the time is now to go beyond the normal practice, transitioning to a hybrid model where digitally enabled teams will take control of every aspect of the curation process, formulating fragrances that complement best-selling products.“We are thrilled to announce a €100 million investment to build a leading-edge fragrance house at Unilever.