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Sensory Design & Technology

(Trading as eScent)

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Who are Sensory Design & Technology?
Sensory Design & Technology Ltd are an Essex based business who trade under the name eScent. The company specialises in wearable fragrance technology as pioneers of the Scent Bubble® innovation, creating solutions that combine neuroscience, sustainability and AI to enhance well-being and sensory experiences. With a portfolio of four awarded patents, including the groundbreaking Scent Bubble® algorithmic dosing strategy, the company focuses on adaptive scent delivery systems for the Creative Industries, Perfumery, Wellness, BeautyTech & MedTech Industries. The wearable Scent Bubble® provides refillable, eco-conscious solutions to the consumer, offering innovative approaches to localised scent delivery for emotional well-being, customisation, and reducing environmental impact. The company was established by Dr Jenny Tillotson to commercialise her Sensory Design research from Central Saint Martins (UAL) and has won awards from Innovate UK, NIHR i4i, Medilink Midlands, Leave-A-Nest and Stelios Foundation. eScent’s development has been supported by Health Innovation East, Maxwell Centre, Essex County Council, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership, HIVE Founders, Cambridge Judge Business School and the International Fragrance Association UK as well as partnership with many leading brands.

What have you been up to in 2024?
In 2024, we won two grants, a Medilink Midlands grant to secure our global intellectual property for Scent Bubble® and an Innovate Uk Design Foundations grant to launch the Scent Bubble® project which is set to transform the future of fragrance delivery with a groundbreaking, sustainable approach for the Consumer wellbeing industry. Combining wearable technology with eco-conscious design tackles long-standing challenges in the beauty industries, such as packaging waste and limited personalisation, while introducing a new standard for cleaner, smarter, and more customisable scent delivery solutions. We also attended the Ambitious Essex Accelerator to take our Medtech wearable closed-loop scent intervention to combat anxiety to the next level, building on the successful work we achieved with Health Innovation East funded by an NIHR i4i grant in 2023.

What are your plans for the future?
Our plans for the foreseeable future are business growth, scaling production for the Scent Bubble® innovation, securing funding to build a wearable MVP and app, and refining the patented adaptive scent delivery technology to meet diverse consumer needs. Plans include entering sustainable fragrance, wellness, MedTech and wearable technology markets, fostering strategic partnerships with industry leaders (including global beauty and wellness corporates and the NHS), and expanding the refillable fragrance ecosystem. By aligning with market trends in personalisation and eco-consciousness, Scent Bubble® aims to establish itself as a leader in innovative BeautyTech and MedTech. Efforts will also focus on enhancing the user experience, developing additional scent applications, and building a strong brand presence to ensure long-term success while addressing consumer demand for sustainable, personalised and holistic fragrance solutions.

Do you think Essex is a place to do business?
Essex is a great place to do business because of its excellent Universities specialiasing in MedTech and business, local SME’s, world-leading technology companies, investment community and close proximity to both Cambridge and London.

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