I see this as a significant innovation, a true turning point: a start-up using AI to map and create scents has identified olfactory signatures as the key to distinguishing authentic sneakers from counterfeits.
Sneakers have a unique smell — or fragrance, depending on your perspective — but not in a negative sense. Even new, unworn shoes carry a scent, born from the materials they’re made of: leather and fibers in the upper, foam in the midsole, rubber in the soles, and the adhesive that binds it all together.
Today, a growing number of companies are turning to AI in the fight against counterfeits. However, while most focus on spotting visual elements too subtle for the human eye, Osmo’s innovative approach could become a powerful tool for the resale industry, which already dedicates substantial resources to authentication. If successful, it could extend to other brands beyond footwear, helping them protect their products.
Osmo leverages sophisticated sensors and AI to analyze these aromas with extraordinary precision — essentially, it’s a chemical composition analysis. So far, it has achieved more than 95% accuracy in distinguishing fakes.
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