The Sephora Sensorium is the world’s first interactive scent museum, a pop-up experience in the heart of New York City’s Meat Packing District. The multifaceted and interactive sensory experience goes beyond just the act of sniffing perfume: The finale “Lucid Dreams” experience explores the physical act of smelling with an interactive mix of cinema, design and technology that creates images based on how you sniff the fragrance.

Sephora and Firmenich aimed to target younger (18-34) consumers that have walked away from the fine fragrance category. The intent of the Sensorium was to peel away the traditional marketing that relied exclusively on “seduction” and engage this audience in the magical art and science of fine fragrance. Lucid Dreams was the showcase gallery that presented original fragrance “art pieces” seamlessly integrated into an interactive media experience. The launch of the exhibit tied in to the opening of Sephora’s new flagship store around the corner.

We aimed to reshape the modern consumer’s relationship with fine fragrance by presenting them with original scents, not popular or commercial brands, in an environment that encourages and rewards discovery and experimentation. The goal was to reengage the consumer through the magic of perfume and the perfume making process as imagined by four world class perfumers and their dream fragrances. We wanted to create an experience that led you around by your nose, visualized the invisible, and sparked a new kind of magic for fine fragrance.

The Lucid Dreams & Sensorium concept evolved out of our work with Firmenich, the 100 year old perfume company, as we looked for ways to inspire a younger demographic with and about perfume. The pop-up exhibit concept was geared towards providing an environment for the public to play and discover fragrance in a new and modern way. We also hoped our work would inspire the industry to move away from the long-established marketing approaches that have alienated the <35 y.o. audience.

A rigorous research process included: the history of perfumery, the science inside the juice, common misconceptions, the biological and emotional effects of fragrance, and an overall behind-the-curtain tour of a perfume house.

The team aligned behind one main mission: to provide an experience that lets our audience step into the imagination of a perfumer as they experience their own unique fragrance dream. Our multidisciplinary team worked with Firmenich’s team of world-class perfumers to imagine the dreamscapes from fragrance to final installation: applying a consumer perspective to the fragrance design, translation of the scent narrative into a visual and physical experience, and the development of the technology that allows the dreams to be experienced in realtime and in a way that is unique to each person and sniff.

The basic commercial goal was to grow awareness of the perfume category for Sephora and the exhibit was timed to the launch of their new flagship store, around the corner in NYC’s Meat Packing District, with a free promotional gift certificate. The two month pop-up exhibit exceeded expectations for both vistors (over 7500) and media impressions.

From an artistic and a design perspective, we were excited to provide an experience that reintroduces the Art & Science of fine perfume to a whole new audience and in a whole new light. We discovered that there was an exciting story to tell about perfume; One that hadn’t been communicated in an industry that is overloaded with celebrity sponsorship, junky fragrances that are too heavy, and marketing that hasn’t evolved in 30 years.

We wanted the true artists —the perfumers— to share their unregulated passion, unfettered by brands or positioning, because we knew it would resonate and connect with people in our sensory-scrambled world.