Advances in science and biotechnology may soon allow the fragrance industry to reproduce scents and compounds from endangered plants without the need for repeated harvesting. This development could offer an alternative to practices that have devastated wild plant populations, such as the illegal felling of Aquilaria trees for agarwood.
Osmo, a Google Brain spin-off, states its AI can predict and recreate smells. The company's founder, Alex Wiltschko, said Osmo recreated the scent of a rare tree from a small piece of bark by analysing the sample with a spectrometer and using AI to reconstruct the chemical formula.
Separately, BioHarvest Sciences claims to have developed a stable cell culture from an endangered south-east Asian fragrance plant. This technology aims to produce valuable compounds without cultivating or harvesting the original plant. BioHarvest has announced an agreement anticipating 20 tonnes of the fragrance composition, with limited production possibly beginning in 2027.
However, conservationists and perfumers are cautious about these claims. Mandy Aftel, a natural perfumer, described such claims as "greenwashing," arguing that creating a synthetic version of a plant's smell does not save the plant or address other causes of species decline. Rhian Smith of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, also noted that wild-sourced materials remain highly prized, suggesting that AI alternatives may not entirely alleviate pressure on wild plant species.