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C. van Garrel, P. Huber
Sensory Methods with Added Value – Attributes of Men’s Skin Care Products that Create Consumer Preference
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Introduction
For some cost-oriented professionals in marketing and sales, sensory tests are sometimes only considered as cost drivers which add little value and can therefore be disregarded. However, no product developer, raw material producer, nor marketing department should ignore sensory data which pro-vides a vital link between the marketing department’s prod-uct briefing, the corresponding product formulation and the desires of the consumer. If the objectives of a sensory test are clearly defined, the appropriate method selected, the test ex-ecuted according to specifications and the resulting data sta-tistically evaluated, the results can provide valuable insights into the sensory product characteristics which enhance both the emotional benefits to the consumer the product prefer-ence. The following study examined the variables and attri-butes of men’s facial care and sun protection products, which influence consumer preference.Sales in the Swiss cosmetics market have declined contin-uously since 2011 – equating to a decrease of 14 percent by the end of 2015 and an average of almost 3 per cent a year [1]. Cosmetic market segments with significant growth potential are therefore particularly attractive. In addition to promising future markets such as “close to natural” cosmet-ics [2], the relatively small market for men’s cosmetics is con-tinuing to exhibit growth potential. In 1990 only four percent of men regularly used facial care products but this number had already risen to almost 21 percent by 2001 [3]. By 2014,
according to Datamonitor, 31 percent of men were regularly using facial care products [4]. As men have become greater consumers of cosmetic products, the manufacturing of such products has increased correspondingly. All major cosmetic manufacturers now offer specific products for men and their care needs and anticipate a continuing increase in the size of this market sector. This raises an important question: Have the needs of the consumer already been studied and defined and the findings implemented?Capitalizing on the existing expertise in product formulation, attention is now being directed to possible sensory attributes that can enhance consumer preference. Identifying the opti-mal sensory texture in facial care products and defining possi-ble sales-promoting hedonic attributes has been the focus of a recent Master’s thesis [5]. The research also addressed the issue of why men are especially critical of the use of sun pro-tection products and, in particular, why sensitizing awareness campaigns are ineffective and why the sensory properties of the sunscreen products fail to meet the expectations of men. The rate of skin cancer is higher in men than women [6] with Switzerland having the highest incidence of skin cancer in Europe as a proportion of its population [7]. The goal of the research was to identify sensory product features of impor-tance for the male cosmetic market segment and haptic attri-butes expected by male consumers that influence consumer preference. Furthermore, the objective of the study was also
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abstract
Sensory Methods with Added Value – Attributes of Men’s Skin Care Products that Create Consumer PreferenceC. van Garrel, P. Huber*
Against a background of increasing interest in expanding the male cosmetic market sector and concerns about adequate sun protection, the sensorial product characteristics of various facial skin care and sun protection products that are currently
on the market were analyzed. The objective of the study was to identify those characteristics that significantly affect product preference in a male target group.The sensorial product characteristics that have a positive or negative influence on overall product preference were determined by means of a consumer survey and sensory methods, including acceptance tests among male consumers and objective profiling by a trained panel at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland. The influence of positive sensory product properties which affect consumer preference, such as absorption, spreadability, softness and fresh/cooling effect, was masked if negative sensory product characteristics such as whitening, stickiness and product residue were perceived by the consumer.The study provides evidence that the overall popularity of cosmetic products is measurable and that sensory analysis data combined with „External Preference Mapping“ can provide a meaningful, objective, comprehensible and visual representa-tion of consumer preferences. Sensory analysis comprises the only link between a product briefing from the marketing de-partment and the corresponding product formulation on the one hand and the expectations and aspirations of the consumer on the other.
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to demonstrate that the preference of cosmetic products by consumers can be measured and that the measurement re-sults can be meaningfully and objectively represented utilizing “External Preference Mapping”.
Experimental Method
41 men aged 23–39 years, all young career professionals, some with young families, were recruited as representative of the target group. They represented “self-confidence, el-egance and dynamism”. Thanks to their purchasing power, they could afford to purchase cosmetics. In terms of both in-come and housing situation, they corresponded to the Swiss average (see Fig. 1).The products were representative of the Swiss cosmetics mar-ket. The six facial care and six sun protection products were selected on the basis of sales figures, by price segments (mass market and medium price category), availability and sales channel. The products were also selected based on their dif-ferent textures, including both emulsions and gels with differ-ing viscosities.Products were ultimately selected from international compa-nies such as L’Oréal, Beiersdorf, Johnson & Johnson, in ad-dition to internationally active Swiss companies such as the Mibelle Group and Galderma-Spirig. Research Method
The data collection phase of this study was completed in two parts, an acceptance test based on random sampling and a sensory profile of the test products. The data was analyzed us-ing seven statistical methods and the results were combined with “External Preference Mapping” and represented visually.
Sensory Acceptance TestThe 41 recruits representing the target market, the untrained assessors, completed the acceptance test in two phases, the first assessing texture without the packaging (“non-brand-ed”) and the second with the packaging. Thus the influenc-es of packaging and other secondary product characteristics such as the brand and the effect of product claims on the expectations of the participants were eliminated.The subjects assessed the sensory characteristic “texture” in accordance with the test procedure of the ZHAW Manuals [8]. The attributes tested during the “Rub-out” phase were spreadability, whitening and cooling/fresh effect. The “Af-terfeel” phase was assessed based on absorption, stickiness, product residue (greasy, oily, and waxy) and skinfeel (pow-dery, silky).The sensory properties associated with the set of character-istics “texture” are the haptic attributes of softness, sticki-ness and scent. The assessors were asked to indicate their assessment using a seven point hedonic scale from “do not like at all (= 1)” through “neither/nor (= 4)” to “like very much (= 7).” The acceptance of the attributes “spreadability, absorption, residue and fresh/cooling effect” was assessed using a five-part JAR (just-about-right) scale. JAR interroga-tions enable untrained consumers to indicate the intensity of their perception of a particular attribute. The attributes were subjectively assessed by the consumers from “too little (= 1)” through “just right (= 3)” to “too much (= 5)” [9]. Finally, the assessors also indicated their overall approval of the product using a seven-point scale.In addition to the haptic attributes, hedonic attributes were also investigated using CATA analysis (“check-all-that-ap-ply”). Among other things, the CATA analysis identified the hedonic attributes contributing to the explanation of product differences. This relatively new method resulting from sensory
science research is a time-saving and rel-atively easy-to-use test method for rapid product profiling [10].
Sensory ProfilingThe profile assessment by a trained panel is intended to complement the results of the hedonic (acceptance) test. The pro-filing of a product enables the interpre-tation of differences in the preference of products by consumers and deter-mination of the product features which increase mainstream preference (overall popularity). A trained cosmetics sensory panel (n = 8), familiar with the requirements of the test, evaluated the attributes in accor-dance with a modified ZHAW standard method [8]. The attributes were evaluat-ed against a reference sample on a 100 point scale, with 0 as the lowest and 100 the strongest score.
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Fig. 1 Sample and purchase behaviour (n = 41)
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would result in a dynamic appearance with a “healthy tan” thanks to their UV protection, one third of the testers used products with SPF 50 in winter. In summer an SPF of 30 sufficed. One half of the respondents also applied after-sun products.
Acceptance Test
The test with the seven-point scale indicated an influence of the haptic attributes, softness, whitening, stickiness and scent, on the overall popularity of facial skin care and sun pro-tection products. With the exception of the attribute, scent, the attributes were considered significantly different, with or without packaging, by the subjects during the assessments (at a significance level of 0.05).The attributes whitening and stickiness are those attributes that, when present, have the greatest negative impact on the overall popularity of a product. The scent plays a larger role in sunscreen than does stickiness. The stickiness is perceived by consumers as providing a protective film enhancing solar pro-tection and therefore has a less detrimental effect on overall popularity than whitening.The test using the five-point scale indicated an impact on the overall popularity of facial skin care and sun protection with respect to the haptic attributes, spreadability, absorp-tion, product residue and fresh/cooling effect. The attribute,
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Results and Discussion
Male Consumer Behavior
As illustrated in Fig. 1, 54 percent of the subjects purchase the products themselves, 34 percent either purchase the products themselves or their partners make the purchase, and in the case of 7 percent of the subjects the partner purchases the product. 69 percent of the subjects purchase their prod-ucts through supermarket chains, 21 percent of subjects buy at the pharmacy or drugstore, 5 percent buy in department stores and 5 percent buy in perfumery shops. 17 percent of subjects who buy cosmetics find advertising important or very important. The remaining respondents are indifferent to ad-vertising (either “do not care” or “not important” or “not important at all”).All respondents found the scent “important” or “very im-portant”, one third preferred an unperfumed product, a fur-ther third a male scent and the last third a neutral scent. 90 percent of the subjects expected facial care to improve their appearance. They hoped, amongst other things, to there-by have more success with potential partners, at work and when socializing. Two-thirds of respondents were willing to spend more than CHF 20 on a cosmetic product (100ml), and 5 percent more than CHF 50. The subjects had the same expectations of sunscreen products, in particular, their use
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spreadability, has the strongest negative effect on the overall popularity, especially when it is perceived as too slippery (-1.9 total popularity points). The absorption attribute has the maxi-mum negative impact on the overall popularity, if it is considered too slow (-1.8 total popularity points).Interestingly, the effect of the packaging (un-packed/in packaging) on the overall popularity in the acceptance test was not significant either with the facial care or the sunscreen products. The CATA analysis showed, however, that the perception of products with packaging is signifi-cantly different. 30 percent fewer hedonic attri-butes were selected from a list of 20 attributes to describe the product with packaging com-pared to the product without packaging. One explanation may be that the perception “male” is already implied via the male hedonic attributes communicated on the packaging. This implies that when the package communicates masculinity, for example when la-belled “For Men”, the assessors feel masculinity has already been addressed. Accordingly, there is no further need for masculinity to be specified as an attribute in the acceptance test (with packaging); however, this might be a considered requirement in acceptance tests which do not have the as-sociated packaging. This example illustrates how important it is that the packaging communicates the correct product properties.
Profiling
The comparable sensory profiles of different brands yielded interesting results. The whitening effect of sun protection (Fig. 2) products declined when well formulated into spray-able solutions. Also, there were significant differences in absorbance. In the facial care products (Fig. 3) there was a pronounced high spreadability and less pronounced absor-bance. This is largely due to the use of lower density oil/water emulsions or hydrodispersion gels, which correlated well with
measured rheological properties such as viscosity and yield point. The viscoelastic properties including the storage and loss moduli for each texture of the facial care and sun protection products will be the subject of a further study evaluating the correlation of sen-sory perception and instrumental measurement data. With statistically robust data, so-called predictive sensor models can be partially derived from instrumental measurements.
Preference-Creating Haptic Attributes
With the statistical tool “External Preference Map-ping”, the subjective data from the consumer ac-ceptance tests can be merged with the objective data profiling from the trained panel. This enables preference-creating attributes to be identified.
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Fig. 2 Sensory profile as a spider diagram with six different brands of sun pro-tection products, samples 7–12 (* significance level p <0.05, trained cosmetics sensory panel n = 8)
Fig. 3 Sensory profile as a spider diagram with six different brands of facial care products for men, samples 1–6 (* significance level P <0.05, trained cosmetics sensory panel n = 8)
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The New Male Self-Image: Saying Yes to Natural CosmeticsConsumer Preference: Sensory Methods with Added ValueProclaiming a New Era for Modern Men – A New Male Grooming NarrativeBeard and Mustache Innovative Concepts
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Fig. 4 illustrates the “External Preference Mapping” for fa-cial care. The red and orange areas indicate high acceptance, whereas the blue areas represent low acceptance. In this model, each product has its specific area. The product P6 is in the red area, it has the highest overall popularity. Product P5 is in the blue region and has the lowest overall popularity. The further towards the outside, the greater the level of overall popularity. The overall popularity of product P3 is greater than that of P2. Product P3 therefore has a larger light blue area than P2. The vectors in Fig. 5 are used to interpret the sensory attributes. They explain why product P6 enjoys a high and P5 a low overall popularity. The attributes, softness, spreadability and absorption, are in the red area when the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are superimposed. These attributes affect the prefer-ence positively. In contrast, the attributes stickiness, whitening effect and prod-uct residue are in the blue region. They affect the pref-erence negatively.Fig. 6 illustrates the “Exter-nal Preference Mapping” for sunscreen products. Product P7 is in the red area and the products P8, P10, P11 and P12 are in the or-ange zone. Only P9 is in the blue region and this has the lowest overall popularity. If Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are super-imposed, the sensory attri-butes that affect consumer preference most can be de-rived. The preference-form-
ing sensory attributes for sunscreen products are ab-sorption, cooling sensation, powdery skinfeel and silky skinfeel. In contrast, the at-tributes stickiness, whiten-ing and product residues are in the blue region. They im-pact consumer preference negatively.
Conclusions
It is worth considering the sensory properties of a product as early as possi-ble during product devel-opment, when objective product profiling offers specific benefits. When
correlated with consumer acceptance tests, specific prod-uct characteristics can be identified and the product for-mulated in such a way that preference-creating attributes of facial care and sun protection products, such as those identified in this study, spreadability, absorption, fresh/cooling effect, powdery skinfeel and silky skinfeel, can be enhanced.A pronounced intensity of the positive attributes improves the resonance and overall preference of the product, and similar-ly the negative attributes largely reduce the acceptance and the preference. In the current study, the attributes, stickiness, whitening and product residue (waxy, greasy, oily), were per-ceived as negative and particularly disturbing.
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Fig. 6 Added-variable plot of the relationship between preference by the target group and sample 7-12 (branded sun protection products) showing as preference map. (red and orange represent high and blue low acceptance/ preference)
Fig. 7 Graphically correlation of the tested sensory attributes by trained cosmetics sensory panel to define the principal components, the most influencing sensory attributes for sun protection products
Fig. 4 Added variable plot of the relationship between the consumer target group preference and samples 1–6 (branded facial care products) shown as a preference map (red and orange represent high and blue low acceptance/ preference)
Fig. 5 Correlation of the tested sensory attri-butes by a trained cosmetics sensory panel to define the principal components most influenc-ing sensory attributes for facial care products
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The positive perception by consumers of the positive attri-butes of a product should not be simultaneously offset by negative perception of other characteristics. Therefore, in the current test example, the attributes, stickiness, whitening and product residue, should be closely controlled during product development and in production and the formulation adjust-ed to ensure its cost effective manufacture. Providing optimal sensory properties combined with acceptable product per-formance is invariably a challenge in the sunscreen product category. However, combining both is of vital importance, as only regular and correct product application, together with other UV protective measures, can provide adequate pro-tection against skin cancer. The right texture determines the “compliance” and consequently the health of the consumer. [11]. The consistent application of sensory test methods is essential. After all, sensory expertise represents a significant competitive advantage that is in the truest sense sustainably “perceptible”!
AcknowledgementsDr. Linda Miesler, Lecturer at the Institute of Marketing Man-agement at ZHAW, Winterthur (Switzerland). This project is the result of interdisciplinary collaboration between the Insti-tute of Marketing Management and the Centers for Ingredi-ents/Cosmetics and Sensory Science of the ZHAW, Wädenswil (Switzerland).
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contact
*Petra Huber | [email protected], MAS ETH MTEC
Lecturer for cosmetics and toxicology
ZHAW Zurich University of Applied SciencesLife Sciences und Facility Management
Institut of Food and Beverage Innovation Campus Grüental | Postbox
8820 Wädenswil | Switzerland
