SEPAWA® CONGRESS 2022 

Speaker: Charlotte Tournier

Company: ODOURNET FRANCE

Title: Naturalness and Impact on Olfactive Sensoriality

Abstract: Awareness of the link with nature is increasingly guiding consumer choice, thus changing the way in which formulations and markets are approached. This can be seen in the food sector but also in many other areas such as perfumery, cosmetics, hygiene and cleaning. Many brands have understood this and now favour formulas with materials of natural origin. However, formulating a natural product can be restrictive and have an impact on sensoriality, particularly olfactory sensoriality. Some natural materials may indeed have an intrinsic odour that will impact the final formulation. The integration of natural fragrances seems in some cases to reduce the remanence or blooming of the perfume, which are desired performance criteria. In the case of products with odour reducing functions (sweating, humidity, cooking...), synthetic actives are also increasingly substituted by natural actives with the ambition to offer a reduction of malodour as effective as existing products. But, while consumers are actively seeking naturalness in products, they are not prepared to give up the pleasure of the senses. So what tools should be used to assess the continued olfactory performance of a product? To ensure that the product offers a quality of perception equivalent to other products on the market? Sensory analysis can be an indispensable tool, provided that the right tools are available for training and practice. Combined molecular analysis (GC-Sniffing) can also provide information in understanding odour generation. In this presentation, we will review the relevant techniques for the olfactory evaluation of various natural products. These techniques will be illustrated with case studies.