It has demanded a mindset change, and I have needed to embrace uncertainty, take risks, and learn from failure.
This metamorphosis opened the space to discover, invent, and disrupt, shaping new directions for sensory innovation and fashion with market-shaping potential.
Scent Bubble was born from a desire to help individuals manage daily anxiety. It was a mission grounded in empathy, scientific innovation, self-care, and the fusion of fashion and wellbeing.
What started as a paper engineering project evolved into patented scent engineering, culminating in intelligent wearable scent technology as a protective tool for mental well-being.
And sustained support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Innovate UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have been key to allowing me to transform ideas from abstract concepts into tangible innovations.
My journey into scent technology
My journey started in 1991 with a BA in Fashion Communication and subsequently led me to a PhD in Textiles at the Royal College of Art.
My first award from the Arts and Humanities Research Board (now AHRC) in 2001 led to the Smart Second Skin, a conceptual dress that mimics human skin, with social and therapeutic benefits.
Inspired by neurobiological delivery systems, it introduces microfluidic scent systems to detect and respond to psychological and environmental changes, enhancing emotional balance.
This early research explored scent as an interactive, wearable experience, laying the groundwork for a protective sensory ‘shield’ to support emotional resilience through wearable scent technology.
From this, the research evolved into ‘eScent’, a personalised fragrance system with lower ethanol content.
Advancements and collaborations
Since then, AHRC and Innovate UK support for my research has helped me to secure patents worldwide and transition to commercialisation.
An AHRC Innovation Award in 2004 focused on wearable scent technology for sensory and emotional expression, with UK, Chinese and US patents, leading to a prize at the Research Councils UK Business Plan Competition.
I further explored the health and stress management benefits of wearables and scent through an AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellowship, and an AHRC Follow-on Fund Impact and Engagement Award.
The AHRC Innovation Award led to work with Xaar inkjet inventor Stephen Temple on developing an algorithm for a wearable scent sphere, which secured an Innovate UK grant.
Clinical applications
The applications of wearable scent technology became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I secured further support from Innovate UK for a facemask with built-in fragrance delivery for frontline worker wellbeing.
This opened the doors to working with Health Innovation East and the NHS, and eScent has been recognised within the NHS as an early intervention to treat generalised anxiety disorder.
Further NIHR and Medilink Midlands awards have emphasised its potential to support patients awaiting cognitive behaviour therapy, while easing NHS demand and reducing costs.
More recently, an Innovate UK Design Foundations Award, in collaboration with cognitive psychologist Dr Carolyn Mair, helped Scent Bubble to tackle sustainability challenges in beauty, aligning with circular economy principles through refillable scent capsules.
Expanding horizons
This brief history outlines how one award more than 20 years ago has led to a wide range of different uses and applications, many of which I didn’t envisage when I started out.
AHRC funding has helped secure further patents for different generations of eScent technology, including through artificial intelligence-driven scent control which adjusts the fragrance based on factors such as preferences, mood and location to support mental wellbeing.
The entrepreneurial path is demanding but rewarding, offering the independence to innovate and make an impact.
For early career researchers considering a similar path: believe in your vision, stay passionate, embrace failure, and never lose sight of your goals.
With resilience and curiosity, challenges become triumphs and your mark on the world will be unforgettable.
As I refine prototypes and expand new partnerships, I’m excited to see Scent Bubble make a real impact by integrating fashion with wellbeing. By improving lives, supporting the NHS, incorporating wearable wellbeing into work programmes and redefining fragrance beyond passive delivery.
AHRC’s support has unlocked the power of arts, fashion, science, and technology to drive innovation.
If you are passionate about wearable scent solutions for wellbeing, beauty, fashion or HealthTech, please share this on social media.
Let’s connect to create game-changing innovations together!
Dr Jenny Tillotson is the Founder of Sensory Design & Technology and a Visiting Researcher in both the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and the Creative Computing Institute at the University of the Arts London.