What Happens When You Ask ChatGPT to Pick Out Your Perfume? 2 Women Find Out

With the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence), people have found unique ways to use the up-and-coming technology as a helping hand. From using AI to generate art and music to becoming your very own personal meal planner, its abilities are endless.

There are already risks to blind buying a perfume—dropping a few hundreds on a fragrance only to realise you don’t enjoy the scent. It’s even riskier to leave it in the hands of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot.

Well, that’s exactly what TikTok user Caroline (@carolinemstern on TikTok) did when she wanted to buy a birthday present for herself.

Using ChatGPT to Recommend Perfumes

@carolinemstern

Letting ChatGPT pick out the perfume for me to blind buy for myself for my birthday present 🙄🥹 this was so fun omg #chatgpt #perfumetiktok #perfume #perfumetok #perfumeaddict #nicheperfume #blindbuy #blindbuyfragrances #gourmand #greenscreen

♬ Ballet song like “Waltz of flowers” _ 5 minutes(965273) – yulu-ism project

She specifically requests, “I want you to pretend to be me and pick the one that is the most gourmand, and the one that sounds the most ‘edible’.” She then proceeds to input four fragrances and the notes it comprises.

ChatGPT compares the four fragrances, even going as in-depth as juxtaposing the different gourmand flavours and striking out two of her options because they weren’t as “edible” and “dessert-like” as the final two fragrances it had narrowed down to.

The AI chatbot crowned its winner and Caroline took a leap of faith and ordered the fragrance it had recommended her.

Perfume enthusiast Yana (@TheScented on YouTube) might be a good person to put the AI database to the test.

She turned to ChatGPT for recommendations and didn’t hesitate to share that she owns over 500 fragrances, in hopes of getting a recommendation for a scent she hasn’t already tried (which is no easy feat, as observed from the rows of perfume bottles displayed behind her).

How it Works

Caroline provided the AI chatbot with information about her signature scents, the fragrances she reaches out for the most, as well as personal information like her gender, age and lifestyle. She also didn’t forget to mention her avid interest in fragrances.

They weren’t off to a good start as ChatGPT’s first recommendation was Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, a fragrance she found too strong for her liking.

It then went on to recommend her popular, mainstream fragrances that your typical perfume enthusiast would’ve already sampled—like cult favourites Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 and Kilian Paris Love, Don’t Be Shy.

She wasn’t impressed so she refined her question by asking for more niche fragrances, and listed down the notes she does not enjoy, as well those that she is keen to try.

The second time’s the charm as she raves about a few of its recommendations in this round—a good mix of fragrances she has tried and enjoys, as well as the ones already in her radar.

She notes that most of its recommendations this time were successful but she wanted to push its limits.

This takes us to stage three: niche brands. She specifically requests for smaller, lesser known brands, of which it succeeded in providing her.

Her verdict? An impressive rating of 7.5/10.

Limitations of AI

As much as AI has pushed the boundaries of what technology has achieved, it still has its limitations.

She points out a mistake it made in one of its replies to her, where it mixed up the brand Atelier Cologne with Le Labo. (Pro tip: if you noticed a mistake made by these AI chatbots, don’t hesitate to correct them. It’ll help in expanding their database.)

At its current stage, it is not developed enough to offer varied recommendations from niche brands. She also observed that it did not include designer brands, despite a few of them fitting the scent profile she had described.

With that in mind, this tool might be more suited for fragrance newbies who are overwhelmed by the plethora of information out there. AI chatbots like ChatGPT are good for narrowing down large amounts of information to ease you into the world of fragrances.

Who knows? It might even help you pick out your signature scent!

Featured image credits: @carolinemstern/TikTok, @TheScented/YouTube