Enhancing well-being at the intersections of neuroscience, technology and perfumery
FOUNDER TESTIMONIALS
“The vision and research of Dr Jenny Tillotson has the potential to provide breakthrough progress in the development of the whole fragrance industry.
The application of nanotechnology, microprocessors and biosensors to fragrance development, linked with new insight into the power of fragrance and fragrance ingredients to affect personal wellbeing, have the potential to change the whole way we appreciate and apply fragrances in the future”
JOHN AYRES
Former MD GIVAUDAN Fragrances UK
Past Chairman of The Fragrance Foundation UK
Past President of the British Society of Perfumers
"Stress is obviously a very important causal factor in many mental health disorders, which we need to understood much better, both in terms of how it affects the brain through affecting underlying psychological, neuroendocrine, neurochemical and immunological mechanisms, and via interactions of these with genetic factors.
Hopefully, much more effective cognitive-behavioural and drug treatments will emerge from the greater understanding of Dr Jenny Tillotson's research"
PROFESSOR TREVOR ROBBINS CBE FRS FMedSci FBPsS FBPhS PhD
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience
Director of Research, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute
Department of Psychology,
University of Cambridge,
"The Philips mission statement '[to] improve the quality of people’s lives through timely introduction of meaningful innovations' is very well reflected in the work Dr Tillotson and her team have carried out as part of the Arts & Humanities Research Centre Knowledge Transfer Fellowship.
Dr Tillotson has successfully brought together an expert team in the area of scent and smell; in particular the contributions of Professor Tim Jacob and Kim Lahiri are noteworthy.
Philips is satisfied that a significant knowledge transfer (and in fact, knowledge exchange) has taken place due to the KTF, ultimately benefiting both Philips and Dr Tillotson.
It was clearly demonstrated that there is a benefit in including scent delivery as part of 'emotional' products, with the KTF work showing scientific evidence for links between scent, colour and emotional state in a number of examples."
DR STEFFAN REYMANN
Former Senior Scientist, Philips Research
"I first met Jenny over 20 years ago, when I was Chief Scientist of THORN EMI plc and my admiration for both her and her work has grown substantially since then. She is creative, enterprising and impressively energetic and she has demonstrated outstanding enthusiasm and commitment in pursuing her research into intelligent, scent-release systems, in which she has become an international authority.
She is also a gifted communicator, easy to get along with and courageous in bridging between the world of science, technology and the worlds of healthcare and of textiles and fashion. These achievements are complemented by her experience in founding a start-up company and successfully pitching for seed funding to take this forward. In summary, she is a dedicated, affable and very impressive lady."
[Linkedin Testimonial May 2015].
PROFESSOR IAN SHANKS OBE, FRS, FREng, FRSE
Retired VP, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Unilever
What fascinating work!
PROFESSOR SIR COLIN BLAKEMORE FMedSci HonFRCP HonFRSM HonFSB FRS
Professor of Neuroscience University of Oxford.
Professor of Neuroscience & Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy,
School of Advanced Study, University of London
"I have known Jenny for several years (In fact, since her PhD days with Dr George Dodd at Warwick) and have worked closely with her since she became a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge in 2009. She is highly motivated, energetic, imaginative and a tremendous pioneer, communicator and ambassador for the STEM and design community.
She has a well-deserved international reputation as evidenced by numerous key note presentations (in 10 different countries), peer reviewed publications, press and media appearances, films, awards, commissions and memberships of international committees. Indeed, I recently spoke alongside her at an international conference and noted that her talk was eagerly awaited and very well received by a very broadly skilled audience of scientists and engineers. This makes Jenny somewhat of an inspired outlier: Her work appeals to, and is appreciated by, a diverse range of stakeholders, including designers, authors, media moguls, scientists, engineers, retailers, entrepreneurs and clinicians. I know, for example, that psychiatrists, with whom I also work, have expressed a great interest in her work on improving mental health environments.
She is proactive in capturing grants to support her work and has a good track record in delivering the expected outcomes on-time and on-budget. She is also unusual in wishing to capitalise on the potential of her work as an entrepreneur and already co-owns two patents and is a co-founder of two spin-off companies. All these features lead one to the view that Jenny is a visionary academic who has made substantive and outstanding contributions to her chosen academic field over a period of at least two decades. Jenny is a clear-cut world leader in the fusion of creative design and the science and technology of embedding scent in artefacts, structures and materials for product development for enhancing individual and collective wellbeing.
Through her early work with one of the pioneers of aromachology, Jenny has pushed the fundamental understanding of the relationships between aromas and wellbeing and how such effects can be implemented in novel product design and commercialisation. Jenny is well-known for her “Scentsory Design” – the holistic approach to fashion as a vehicle to deliver emotional wellbeing – and is now extending this concept into wearable products with feedback loops to reduce stress and sleep disorders. This is truly pioneering work from a fashion, psychological and scientific point of view!"
PROFESSOR EMIRITUS CHRIS LOWE, OBE, FREng, FInstP, FRSC
Director of Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences (CATS)
Professor Emeiritus, University of Cambridge
"I have known Dr Jenny Tillotson since 2013 when she was a rising star Reader (Assistant Professor) at the world leading Central Saint Martins, UAL. Since that time, I have been an advisor to her and eScent on innovation processes for nanomedical devices, fragrance industry opportunities and the physiological, neurological and molecular genetics aspects underpinning olfactory products development.
She is a unique innovator with extraordinary capabilities combining creative design with radical innovation processes and the cut and thrust of new businesses together with sourcing investment to deliver the promises thereof. Her achievements testify to her energy, motivation, creativity and executive management skills in her unique cross-disciplinary approaches.
Her vision has won support from a wide range of stakeholders, including designers, media executives, scientists, engineers, retailers, entrepreneurs and clinicians. It is also quite timely in engaging with powerful new developments in neuroscience, OMICS and molecular medicine for example in providing support for Alzheimer’s disease and “long Covid” sufferers for whom alterations in olfactory sensations are relevant. Importantly, both the fragrance industry and clinicians are showing considerable interest in her Companies and her work.
From my experience in working with her, I completely agree with and re-iterate Professor Lowe’s observation “Her holistic approach to fashion as a vehicle for delivering emotional wellbeing now extending this concept into wearable products with feedback loops to reduce stress and sleep disorders” is truly pioneering work from a fashion, psychological and scientific point of view!"
PROFESSOR EMIRITUS TERRY WILKINS FREng, DEng, PhD, BSc, FinstM&C, C Eng, FRSC, C Chem
Director of Nanomanufacturing Innovation Interdisciplinary Institute, University of Leeds,
UK. Chair of the EU’s Nano-, Bio-, Materials – and Production- Technologies Advisory Group
(Horizon 2020 and planning for HORIZON EUROPE)
"As someone who has been monitoring the benefits and possible investment and business opportunities in the wearable technology sector, I recognised early on that Jenny's research and findings over the past several years in 'Scentsory' design had huge potential value.
Growing interest by consumers in both quantifying and impacting their general wellbeing is a growing market opportunity.
The combination of recent introduction of new enabling technologies such as wellness and mood sensing capabilities at the personal level, connected wearable-sized component building blocks and her work on nano scale fragrance dispensing, have put eScent in a position to realise a business opportunity of high potential.
Jenny's research, knowledge and patents in the "Sense and Dispense" category are unique and a key asset to the eScent proposition.
Exploiting technology and Jenny's deep knowledge about how to improve state of mind, wellness and overall lifestyle is now a nascent market opportunity that can unfold."
KEN BLAKESLEE
Chairman, WebMobility Ventures
"In the world of fragrance and aromatics, we frequently use the language of creating 'synergies' or 'accords' when we associate and blend often complex and diverse components to achieve a harmonious, inspiring and altogether pleasing, unique and 'whole' result that is capable of moving minds, emotions and bodies.
What Dr Jenny Tillotson does is take that concept a step further by creating a dynamic eScent synergy; combining fragrance with innovation, scientific research, fashion, advanced technology and personal lived experience. Her longstanding and courageous vision, drive, ambition, ability to think outside of the box and many years of personal and professional involvement in all these domains seamlessly come together in eScent in a perfect accord that will no doubt make a huge contribution to health and wellbeing for years to come.
Her recent outstanding conference presentation at botanica2022 was a highlight of our event and left our participants excited about possible implications for the clinical aromatherapy field."
RHIANNON LEWIS
International Clinical Aromatherapy Network
"To me as a scientist, the fashion dimension that Jenny Tillotson brings is crucial because fashion can make technology acceptable and accessible to people everywhere. Radical products take off when there’s a must-have factor.
We scientists need fashion, and Jenny is one of the best fashion activists and champions of science."
DR PHILIP SAMS
BSc PhD FTI
WhiteSpace Productions
(Former Unilever R&D Port Sunlight)
“Jenny Tillotson is a pioneer in the growing science and art of scent design with fashion applications.
Human beings are guided by scent far more than we believed in the past, and the principles and techniques.
Dr. Tillotson has devised something which will be of major importance in the future development of fashion scent technology.”
GREG BEAR
Writer of more than 30 science fiction & fantasy books
including Rogue Planet (Star Wars series, 2000),
Slant (1997), Darwins Radio (1999)
"Since accepting Dr Jenny Tilllotson as a student at the Royal College of Art in the mid 1990,s, I have never ceased to be amazed at her determination strength, energy, and commitment. I was Professor at the time and her interest in the senses was all embracing from the start. It was challenging and totally visionary from the start of an exceptional journey.
Dr Tillotson is an excellent researcher with an outstanding track record, and she has been practicing consistently in her field of Design for well over twenty years. Research in Art and Design is relatively new and has only been established in most Universities over the past twenty years. Dr Tillotson is one of the leaders in the field. What is so exceptional in her research is that she is bringing together Science, Technology, Engineering and Design. She is recognised worldwide as a leader for her contribution to research in fashion and textile applied to wellbeing and healthcare. She is highly respected not only in the design environment but also in the wider science and technology field.
She is a leader and without doubt her research is unique this is proven by her outstanding links with Cambridge University. It is most unusual for Art and Design research to be respected by an academic institution. Combined with this she has excellent high-powered Industrial links including Nike, VF corp, Toyota and Phillips. This is in itself show links that set her apart from most researchers in Design. Her work without any doubt is ground-breaking and she is very highly respected in her field.
The wide range of contacts and followers worldwide is increasing steadily as her venture gains momentum. The respect that Dr Tillotson is given is evidenced by the fact that she has gained considerable publicity, presented many papers, exhibited, and published a wide range of work worldwide events over the years. The standard of her work is outstanding there are no words to express how highly I regard her or she is regarded. She is a dedicated, hard-working, a highly original international researcher with a project that has tremendous implications for the good of all in the future. She is more than just a design researcher, she is a natural researcher, totally dedicated ,very much respected by all who come into contact with her as a leader in her field but also a team player.
She brings together a wide range of interests, original thought pioneering and ground breaking that she only dreamed of.
Unique innovator".
PROFESSOR JOHN MILES
Emeritus Professor, Department of Fashion, Textiles and Three Dimensional Design, Bath Spa University
Hon Doctor, Southampton University
"Jenny was my assistant whilst I was Fashion Director at British Elle. Whilst she definitely had her finger on the pulse when it came to fashion, I always felt she was a bit of a square peg in a round hole.
Her final Fashion Communication show at St Martins was dedicated to pop up books and the senses with much of her energy going into the engineering and construction.
I am thrilled she has ended up working in a field where she can be the glamorous geek she really is.
DEBBI MASON
Artist, Former Fashion Director of British ELLE
and former Fashion Editor at American Vogue
Dr J R Tillotson – little did I know I would still be in WONDER about her practise 25 years after meeting Jenny as a student of mine at Central Saint Martins... Jenny had a vision and an ambition to succeed in a new field of fashion communication, pushing the boundaries of a final major project that sang, danced, had an aroma of wild flowers and oysters and endlessly played with the readers mind, body and spirit in a most delightfully positive way.
This idea was to stay with Jenny and became the spring board for her research and the development of eScent.
Her practice is personal and that is why it works.
LEE WIDDOWS
Associate Head of School Fashion / Fashion Business
University for the Creative Arts
Dr Jenny Tillotson' work is pioneering.
She is working at the cutting edge of technology, psychology and fashion to bring about positive outcomes for many.
In a world where mental health issues are increasing across the lifespan, having the insight to develop wearables that help individuals manage their lives better is essential. Jenny meets this need sensitively and beautifully with her products.
PROF CAROLYN MAIR
CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS
Founder Fashion.Psychology
Distinguished Contributions to Psychology Education Award holder
“This general genre' of "nano enhanced techno feng shui smart pheromone fashion" product line has occurred to me, and others, when I was science editor for Mondo 2000 magazine, but it was only a concept for the far future….
To the best of my knowledge, you have taken this concept far further than any one else I have ever seen….”
CHARLES OSTMAN
VP, Nano Electronics & Photonics Forum chair
Senior Consultant, Strategic Synergy Group
Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Futures;
NanaSig Technical Due-Diligence,
"I became aware of Jenny Tillotson's Interdisciplinary work when in 1994 I was invited to join the Royal College of Art's PhD Interview Board in Fashion and Textiles for Jenny's interview.
As one the Founders and Co-ordinating Director of the Imperial College and Royal College of Art's Industrial Design and Engineering Joint Course. My interest and expertise in fashion and materials and was far ranging and in June 1997 I acted as her PhD External Examiner. Her thesis was exemplary, well written, researched and referenced and most importantly original. I was struck by the possibilities her unique research affords, most notably that her work has implications beyond the detail of apparel trends and sensory fabrics. Her research leaps across disciplines in a way that is both original, workable and has major popular appeal. She is already making a significant contribution to the field of wearable technology and neuroscience, not simply in helping us understand our emotions and how to improve the way we run our lives, but the art behind the science. Her work is certainly life-enhancing and potentially life-changing.
Jenny is an excellent researcher and communicator. During my academic career I have worked closely with other researchers and examined and supervised a number of PhD students worldwide and Jenny stands out as one the top students and researchers. I support her totally and highly recommend her to you".
DR PAUL EWING
Imperial College and the Royal College of Arts (Retired)
Since first meeting Dr. Jenny Tillotson in 2009 I have become convinced of three things:
[1] she has a unique vision that will be hugely successful when it is fully developed
[2] her ability to execute her vision relies on the rare ability to identify what she does not know but needs to know and, if it is not yet available, for her to create it
[3] when her technology will be deployed in more ways than even she has envisioned to solve many long-standing problems still believed by others to be frustratingly unsolvable.
JERRY BERTRAND
Founder at JCB Associates Inc
Fragrance Technologist / Nanotechnology
San Francisco
From her PhD days, Jenny's creativity and vision was evident when she first pitched and won sponsorship from leading fragrance supplier, IFF. She remains steadfast and dedicated to combining the emotional benefits of scent with fashion.
Lauded with numerous awards and grants Jenny has a constant eye on the future to bring technology and fragrance together at the fingertips of the wearer. eScent is a result of her personal passion and dedication to bringing her original drawing to professional fruition.
The teams at IFF and Pandora thank her for sharing her knowledge in creating products which could improve the lives of fragrance users throughout the world.
JOANNA NORMAN
Mphil (RCA)
Former Vice President IFF
eScent is an interesting and challenging dispense innovation which takes a dynamic approach to exploring new ideas.
The concept includes a clever mix of science and art to provide a new consumer experience and functionality.
We hope the idea can be progressed and look forward to supporting eScent"
CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS
Personal Care and Consumer Products
Cambridge Consultants
"I worked with Jenny on her “Smell the Colour of the Rainbow” project in its infancy in 2010. Jenny’s talents in the design field and utilising cutting edge wearable biotechnology through jewellery and clothes to deliver therapeutic essential oils was truly inspirational. As a Lived Experienced designer herself, her personal understanding and perception of how important supporting a person through this process was measurable. We worked on a variety of essential oil blends for conditions such as Post Natal Depression (PND), Sleep disturbances and Stress. It was an exciting and joyful project to be involved in; I remember with a smile many of the earlier meetings in London with Jenny, John Ayres, Jo Norman, Slim Barrett and the rest of the team. Her recent work with the face mask is really exciting, she continues to be inspirational . Long may her success continue!"
KIM LAHIRI
Clinical Aromatherapy expert
Managing Director
Simple Essentials