Beyond the Bottle: How Sensory Testing is Shaping Beauty and Personal Care
22/11/24
In the competitive beauty and personal care industry, it’s not just about what’s inside the bottle – it’s about how the product makes you feel. The texture of a lotion, the fragrance of a shampoo or cream, all influence purchasing decisions. That’s where sensory testing comes in, helping brands create products that connect with consumers on an emotional level, ensuring satisfaction, loyalty, and differentiation.
What is sensory testing?
An instrument. Yes, it is an instrument for measuring the sensations perceived by consumers when using a finished product. The focus is on consumer perception and their senses: touch, smell, sight, and even sound. In personal care, a sensory evaluation plays a critical role by providing insights you cannot generate by simply telling someone about a product.
Testing includes:
- Texture & feel: How smooth, greasy, or light does the product feel?
- Fragrance: Is the scent pleasant and long-lasting?
- Skin comfort: Does it absorb well or leave residue?
- Absorbency: How quickly does it absorb into the skin?
Why sensory testing matters
- Differentiating products in a crowded market
With so many options available, products need to stand out. Sensory qualities, such as a luxurious texture or subtle fragrance, can set a product apart. Sensory testing helps fine-tune these details, making a product more memorable. - Ingredient development
Such tests can fine-tune product formulations by assessing and highlighting potential issues early on – from greasy moisturisers to sticky residue on a deodorant. It can be used as part of the raw material development process to ensure all ingredients deliver positive sensory benefit. - Chance to carry out panel testing
Generally, an evaluation of the finished products is carried out between everyday consumers and trained panelists or experts. A trained panelist will adopt an analytical and systematic approach, whereas the consumer tests are focused on personal preferences and subject perceptions.
Capturing Data
A valuable method for sensory evaluation in cosmetics is descriptive analysis, also referred to as Profiling. This technique involves expert sensory panelists detecting and quantifying various sensory attributes. These attributes are scored based on objective criteria, and the results are typically visualised in diagrams like spider plots (or radar diagrams).
Diagrams like these combine the strengths of both descriptive analysis and real-life consumer evaluation, offering a comprehensive approach that ensures a cosmetic product not only meets objective sensory standards but also resonates with the target audience.
Real examples: Scott Bader’s sensory testing workshop
At the recent SCS Formulate event in Coventry, we hosted a sensory testing workshop where industry professionals had the opportunity to experience our latest product, Texique Lux5.
Lux5 is a 100% naturally derived, silicone-free, fast-spreading, lightweight emollient for personal care applications. Its low viscosity imparts a variety of sensory properties, which is precisely what we aimed to showcase. The workshop allowed us to promote the product and helped the audience visualise the wide range of applications it can be used in. By presenting different formulations, we demonstrated a variety of textures that the attendees could feel for themselves.
Sensory testing is a key step in product development, allowing brands to create offerings that not only meet performance standards but also deliver a compelling emotional experience. In the beauty and personal care industry, it’s not just about the ingredients inside the bottle – it’s about how the product makes consumers feel.
Visit our product page to explore more details about Texique Lux5!
