Improving consumer fragrance testing

Ivor Shalofsky

This paper discusses the prevalence of sniff-testing in the fragrance industry, and suggests that the over-use of this methodology, in place of home-use testing, often prevents clients from receiving the superior fragrances that they are expecting from fragrance houses.

Improving consumer fragrance testing

Ivor ShalofskySymrise S.A., France

INTRODUCTION

Much of the consumer fragrance testing that is carried out these days is probably not helping the fragrance industry as much as it could, and, more to the point, is not really helping the industry's clients. Why?

Because a great deal of testing of fragranced products is still being done just using “good old fashioned” sniff-testing. Sniff testing in itself is not a problem. Indeed, the present author has previously called for the industry to be allowed to run sniff tests as it sees fit.

But what is a problem...

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