P&G R&D Explores Scents with Science
JULY 2024When you select a fragranced household product, what goes through your mind? Are you preparing for a relaxing evening at home alone, or neutralizing unwanted scents from furry friends before guests come over? Maybe you’re homesick and want to be “transported” to another place and time, or simply focused on keeping kitchen or bathroom smells at bay.
Humans across the globe have used scented products for thousands of years, but historically, we haven’t known much about what actually drives this behavior. With that in mind, P&G R&D experts wanted to explore what makes us prefer a scented product and what benefits scents provide.
In a peer-reviewed paper published in Cognitive Research Principles and Implications, the team proposed three factors to explain why people are attracted to scented household products:
Functional benefits
Mitigating malodor
Covering product base odor
Freshening air and fabrics
In-use experience benefits
Signaling cleanliness (for example, “this smells clean”)
Reinforcing efficacy (for example, “if it smells good, it’s still clean”)
Experiencing pleasant use of the product
Emotional benefits
Increasing confidence
Boosting mood
Generating nostalgia
Rafael Trujillo, R&D Vice President, Victor Mills Society and Master Perfumer at P&G is a co-author of the paper and contributes to fragrance development across P&G household products, including Febreze’s 2024 Scent of the Year, Romance and Desire.
“Scent and fragrance play a huge role in consumer purchasing behaviors,” said Rafael. “Perhaps, if we can learn more about what people prefer, and why they prefer those elements, we can create even better experiences and products that deliver superior performance.”
In addition to conducting consumer surveys and research, technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data processing power are fueling the future of fragrance research.
In fact, we’ve collected a comprehensive, digital library of scent data that combines safety and scent profiles across fragrance families. By processing and democratizing this data, we’ve enabled an easy, intuitive tool for our product developers to search for the perfect scent that will take their innovation to the next level—whether that’s through functional, in-use, or emotional benefits.
We’re also exploring how AI can suggest the “next best” scent, or other variations for consideration based on chemical and fragrance profile characteristics. Interested in learning more? Read about our research capabilities and product development process.
