Israeli start-up pioneers world’s first visual perfume | The Jerusalem Post

Another world first from the start-up nation: Israel is home to a pioneering visual fragrance which is making waves globally.

“If our fragrance is our signature, why can’t it be seen?” Shoval Shavit Shapiro, the Tel-Aviv based founder and creator of the brand asked herself. Her answer was Amkiri, an innovative ink which combines body art with fragrance, allowing people to wear their perfume with pride in a visually pleasing way.

Scent collaborator Chiaki Nomura, of IFF Perfumer, added: “The Amkiri ink is very earthy, which conjured my past while inspiring me to add a modern twist to create a new story.”It is also water and sweat-proof and has an elasticity to allow it to move naturally with skin, is durable enough to last up to twelve hours, and yet can be simply washed off with soap at the end of a night out.

The company sells two types of applicator, a free-hand wand and a paint-brush style for stencil work, with a range of stencils also available, allowing wearers to mix and match to create unique patterns and let their imagination flow.

The product has taken the fashion world by storm. Within days of launching it was featured in Vogue, and was named by Wired magazine as one of the essential innovative products for updating your look in 2020. The success has led to investment by New York based IFF, which has also acquired Israeli company Frutarom.

“Some of the most disruptive innovations come from the start-up community – this is as true in beauty care as it is in technology,” said Nicolas Mirzayantz, IFF Group President, Fragrances, Globes has reported. He added: “This extremely emotionally engaging technology brings a very timely category innovation to the market place.”

IFF Chairman and CEO Andreas Fibig said: “This is a significant innovation in the fragrance category, merging strong and deeply personal visuals with the resonance and emotion of fragrance. The Visual Fragrance technology creates a new platform from which IFF can showcase our capabilities, including naturals, molecules, and cosmetic actives. The potential for innovative applications are nearly endless and our teams are truly inspired by the possibilities.”