Essential oils have many different functions, one of which is the use in natural cosmetics. Their most obvious purpose is perfuming however, they can be added as an active ingredient. The use of natural cosmetics is growing lately and so is the sale and use of cosmetic products, targeted for children. Because children are a growing group of cosmetic products consumers, it is important for manufacturers to know what children like, to know their consumers’ desires. But what is children’s opinion on scents of cosmetic products, and on scents of essential oils? How do they associate them with the use in cosmetics? Do manufacturers launch products based on the consumers’ desires?
These questions were the starting point for this thesis. In the first part a survey was made on opinion of Slovenian children on the scents of orange, lemon, and peppermint essential oils. We found that in general, these scents were rated quite highly. Also, knowing the name of the sample people are smelling, influences their perception of the scent and the rating. All the mentioned scents are viewed as appropriate for the use in cosmetic products. When recognising the scents, it is clear the fact that the survey took place in groups, has a big influence on the answers. We could see many cases of completely identical answers, so we can conclude suggestion played a big role.
In the other part a smaller market research of cosmetic products market supply was performed. We focused on the scents of cosmetic products for cleansing in natural cosmetics and cosmetics for children. We found that the data acquired in both researches are consistent. Scents popular in products on the market are similar to those that got the highest ratings in the survey. We also researched the connection between scent and colour and found that knowing the name of the sample distinctly influences the colour the participants associate with that certain scent. Most commonly being the significant colour of the plant. The packaging colours of products on the market however, deviate a bit. Meaning the manufacturers prefer the importance of graphic packaging design. An important finding was also, that the majority of children prefer scented cosmetic products rather than unscented. That is also clear on the market, given that practically every cleansing product has a scent.
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