Croda Personal Care has launched the SenStories Selector, a new tool available on its website designed to guide users to the ideal emulsifier for their skincare formulations.
The sensory appreciation of a formulation can be described in many different ways. This new tool bridges the gap between the consumer's descriptive language and that of the formulator to provide qualitative sensory data. It uses a reliable and reproducible methodology, according to Croda, to link consumer perception to the choice of vocabulary and the combination of ingredients and colloidal structure corresponding to a given sensory experience.
The understanding gained from using the tool can aid predictive ingredient selection. By enabling the development of formulations with a targeted and desired sensory profile, valuable development time can be saved, giving the formulator a head start in his product development process.
The data on which the tool is based was generated by studying how two unique groups of consumers perceive the tactile and sensory characteristics of a range of simple skincare formulas. The consumers were based in Singapore and France, providing an insight into two important but culturally opposed regions in terms of beauty routine.
Consumer analysis tools were used to identify correlations or differences between the descriptive language used by each consumer group (sensory semantics) and the technical sensory language (sensory syntax) used by sensory evaluation professionals. The SenStories Selector tool was then developed using an algorithm to offer users a quick and easy way to discover oil-in-water emulsifier systems based on the sensoriality desired by the target consumer.
To use the tool, formulators select the consumer target they wish to explore, then one or two of the semantic options (descriptors in consumer language) relating to their target sensory profile. Further refinement of ingredient recommendations can take into account regulatory restrictions or ingredient certifications that may be of interest.
