The Bad, The Ugly and The Good
Let’s talk about smells…
Regulations concerning the emissions of actual and potential toxins from many classes of consumer products have been in place for many years.
For most companies, compliance is something that is taken seriously, but it is seen as a cost of doing business and so the imperative is to fully comply at the lowest possible cost.
Recently here at Anatune, we have observed a shift in thinking in some consumer product sectors; the way that products smell is beginning to be viewed as a product quality issue.
Now, it is no longer only a matter of safeguarding the heath of consumers, but it’s also recognition that consumers have preferences as to how products smell and that these preferences are often culturally driven; they vary from one place to another.
The smells that consumers regard favourably may well be very different in the Europe compared to China for example.
The truth is that smell is a very evocative sense and can be a powerful force in driving consumer preferences. It can impact sales.
Some industries have understood this for years (it is at the very heart of the cosmetics industry for example), but there are others for whom the realisation is only just dawning.
With any product class, the first companies to act will gain a competitive advantage and get to set the agenda both technically and also for customers’ perceptions of quality.
In the analytical laboratory, this thinking involves a shift from the routine targeted analysis of a list of regulated compounds, towards real analytical R&D; where a deep understanding is gained of how the volatile organic composition of materials contribute to consumers’ perception of your product’s quality.
The investment in terms of instrumentation and staff with appropriate experience can afford to be much greater, since we are shifting from a position of complying with regulations at minimum cost, to a place where that analytical laboratory has a role in driving an important aspect of product quality – with the potential to positively impact, revenue, market share and ultimately, profits.
Anatune can help analytical laboratories manage this shift. We have all of the tools at our disposal to provide analytical solutions for this and staff who have a great deal of experience in doing this kind of work.
So perhaps I can pose a question?
If we were to organise some workshops (1 or 2 day events) on the topic of aroma profiling of consumer products, would this be of potential interest to your organisation?
If so, please could you email us at enquiries@anatune.co.uk with “Aroma Profiling” in the subject line? This will help us sniff-out the potential interest in us running these events.
If you wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact us now on 01223 279210.
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