Fragrance Tech Startup Patina Raises $2 Million

Fragrance technology company Patina announced Thursday that it raised $2 million in funding from investors including Betaworks and True Ventures. The company develops new scent molecules through molecular design, machine learning, and scent research.

Most scent molecules used in consumer products are currently produced by a small number of specialized labs that sell them to fragrance houses and cosmetics companies.

Patina was founded by Sean Raspet and Laura Sisson.

Raspet is an artist and perfumer who began creating new scent and flavor molecules as a creative pursuit. Sisson has a background in food and software engineering. The two met at a scent art gallery in New York in 2024. Raspet was exhibiting new molecules while Sisson was building olfactory learning models.

“We started collaborating on research, and it became clear that the timing was right to finally build the tools to understand scent at the biological level,” Raspet told TechCrunch.

Patina launched last year and is developing a foundational model called Sense1. The model aims to replicate scent receptors in the nose and create what the company describes as the first universal code of smell and taste. ” Patina’s approach works at the receptor level to create new molecules and reconstruct rare natural ingredients.

The company is in talks with top fragrance houses and fashion brands about custom scents. Customers want newer, safer, and more expressive perfumes, Sisson said. Supply chain pressures are increasing costs for natural ingredients like rose oil. Patina’s molecules can simulate rose oil at the biological level without plant extraction.

“These replications are less carbon-intensive than the original plant extract, consuming less water and petrochemicals,” Raspet said.

Other companies in the space include startups like Osmo and established firms like Givaudan and Symrise. Only fragrance molecules can be patented, not formulas, allowing scents to be replicated. AI has reduced the time needed to create custom scent ingredients from years to weeks.