L. Dreyfuss, H. Nicod

ADRIANT® SILLIKER, France

The anti-ageing creams market is highly competitive and to stay in competition, key players need to launch innovative and efficient products. Behind a similar end user anti-ageing promise, one can find very different products in terms of sensory properties. Under the objective of getting a better knowledge of this sensory variety, a comparison of three different methodologies using sensory trained panelists, the conventional sensory profiling, the Flash profile and the free sorting, was undertaken.

In that purpose, eleven anti-ageing creams were evaluated in the three methods. For the conventional profile, twelve panelists trained on cosmetic creams were asked to evaluate in a sequential monadic way the creams’ appearances, fragrances, textures and afterfeel sensations through fifty eight sensory attributes.

The Flash profile was conducted with seven people trained in sensory analysis on various products universes but not cosmetics. According to the person, three to twelve sensory attributes were used to differentiate the creams.

At last, the free sorting was carried out with twelve other panelists trained in non cosmetics sensory universes. They were asked in a first time to group the creams according to the main similarities and differences they could perceive between them. In a second time, they were asked to describe in a few words the sensory properties which had driven their categorization of the products.

On one hand, the comparison between conventional sensory profile and Flash profile shows a similarity in the products universe perception. On the other hand, the free sorting results highlight rough differences between the products but do not allow to go in depth in the sensory properties of the products. Nevertheless we can suggest that this method could be used as an efficient alternative to Flash profile by giving a general snapshot of the products perception.