Scent Gem: A Vessel for Scent. Designed by Ken Suzuki of cado.
Developed by Horizon, the smart diffuser Scent Gem embodies the idea of fragrance as data.
Its form was crafted by Ken Suzuki, the designer who leads the home-appliance brand cado and is celebrated for his belief in “designing air.”
Inspired by Horizon’s vision of digitizing scent, Suzuki infused the product with a sense of lightness, transparency, and connection to nature—from its outer silhouette to the engineering within. This is a story of how design translates an invisible medium into a tangible experience.
Profile
Ken Suzuki
Vice President / Creative Director, cado Inc.
CEO, aete Inc.
After beginning his career at Toshiba, where he designed refrigerators and televisions, Suzuki joined the launch of the design-driven appliance brand amadana.
In 2011, he founded cado, known for the concept of “Designing Air.”
Through cado, he continues to release products that merge function and beauty, redefining how people interact with the invisible elements that shape their daily lives.
Designing the Vessel for Digitized Scent
Ken Suzuki: When I first received the brief, my immediate thought was: If scent can be turned into data, what should its vessel be?
I’ve long designed with themes of air and water, but scent is even more elusive—intangible, invisible, formless. I wanted this to be something distinct from conventional appliances. Like fashion or interiors, fragrance is also a form of self-expression, so it shouldn’t simply fade into the background as a neutral object.
I imagined it like light drifting across still water—quietly filling a room. Light and water. That was the essence I wanted to capture.”
Material & Finish — Why Tritan
The body is crafted from Tritan, a material chosen not only for its practicality—it withstands alcohol wipes—but also for its glass-like clarity and premium presence.
Suzuki:
“Tritan isn’t just plastic. It’s a refined material used in wine glasses and decanters. When light passes through, it has the character of glass. By subtly varying wall thickness, the transparency shifts, giving the object a richer expression. I wanted to highlight that beautiful materiality: a clear vessel where light and fragrance melt together, blending naturally into the space.”
A Compact, Grounded Cylinder
Scent Gem measures roughly 22 cm in diameter—a scale that feels effortless on a table or bedside, without being imposing.
Suzuki:
“Keeping the height low grounds the piece and gives it stability. This is something that sits where your eyes and hands naturally fall every day, so it should feel safe to have right beside you. These proportions also proved ideal for creating the airflow we envisioned.”
Airflow Architecture — Scent that “Blooms” from the Rim
A fan at the base draws air upward through channels along the perimeter, releasing fragrance gently from the top. Seen from above, it looks as if scent is softly bleeding out from the circular edge.
Suzuki:
“Rather than jetting forcefully from the center, Scent Gem allows fragrance to bloom naturally from its outer rim. Through the transparent body, it appears as though scent seeps from the perimeter—like wind flowing along a wall—merging with air and settling gracefully into the room.”
Radial Slits — Giving Shape to “Breath”
The top aluminum plate features radial slits: an intuitive signal that fragrance emanates from here. Precision CNC milling ensures a refined surface, while the edges are gently chamfered so the touch feels crafted rather than cold.
Opening the Lid — A Small, Pleasing Ritual
Remove the lid and twelve cartridges appear, arranged like petals.
Suzuki:
“I wanted the act of choosing a fragrance to feel like a small ritual. Inside this clear vessel are twelve ‘inks of scent.’ Simply revealing that view becomes part of the experience.”
Twelve Cartridges, a “Keyboard” for Scent
Suzuki:
“Twelve is a symbolic number: the hours on a clock, the twelve tones in music, the twelve months in a year. I wanted fragrance to carry that same rhythm and structure. Three o’clock might be woody; nine o’clock, citrus. Over time, your body learns the coordinates.”
The swap process was also carefully considered:
“Most devices add protruding tabs for removal, but that clutters the form. In Scent Gem, you simply slip a finger into the gap between cartridges and lift. The ring stays visually clean and transparent, yet a change takes under ten seconds. For me, design is where elegance and convenience meet.”
Light as a “Translucent Language”
Scent Gem emits a soft glow from below.
Suzuki:
“Light here isn’t decoration—it’s a language of states. In standby, it pulses slowly like breathing. During playback, it settles into a calm, steady glow. Switching modes shows as a brief heartbeat-like blink. Placed at the edge of your vision, this subtle cue communicates instinctively. It’s not about brightness but transparency and softness—
The Joy of Ownership
Suzuki:
“For me, design isn’t about sketching beautiful objects—it’s about bringing them into the world and into people’s hands. With Scent Gem, light and fragrance intertwine inside a transparent vessel, becoming a natural part of everyday life. I wanted it to be that kind of presence—an object that stays close and brings joy simply in being owned.”
Horizon × Ken Suzuki — Shaping the Future of Fragrance
Horizon is pioneering a new experience: treating fragrance as data. Scent Gem is the vessel that allows that future to live comfortably within our interiors.
Clear and translucent, embracing light and harmonizing with nature—the fusion of Horizon’s technology and Ken Suzuki’s design shapes the future of fragrance, bringing a new kind of atmosphere into daily life.