Intuition, vibe, instinct, gut feeling—any of these describes that “sixth sense” or underlying feeling we sometimes get. Most of us have experienced it, good or bad. Science has tried to measure it, although often unsuccessfully.1 What does this have to do with cosmetics? Well, everything.
As Bedos et al. explain in Quantifying ‘Wellness,’ “The hedonic aspects and pleasure of using cosmetics, i.e., the well-being and psychological improvements gained, are the true consumer drivers.” But in order for product developers to create that sense of pleasure in products, they must first understand it.
Manufacturers are wise to this. One recent example is Kao’s big investment2 to study kansei science, which according to the company will “create value in the realm of beauty that is not only grounded in deep scientific expertise, but also captivate on an emotional and sensory level.” This is also a premise of the Bedos article.
Anti-pollution is another concept that emanates its own positivity, especially in terms of health and wellness. And with it trending toward the top of the latest technology launches, we’d be remiss to dismiss it. Read about a method to measure and technology to impart anti-pollution benefits by Meyer et al.
Beyond our beloved technical content, C&T is spreading the “warm fuzzies” this month with a special feature recognizing some of the industry’s brightest young scientists. Meet this year’s Henry Maso Award recipient John Jiménez, of Belcorp, in addition to 11 other up-and-comers. Excerpts from their interviews are featured in this issue; the complete interviews can be found at www.CosmeticsandToiletries.com/networking/news/people and in our newsletters.
Lastly, hopefully by now you’ve noticed: We’ve made some changes here at C&T. As we mentioned last month, the magazine itself has a vibrant new look. We also decided our content’s too good not to share, so we went open access. Create a login for our website and you’ll get all the good stuff. Finally, we have a new managing editor: Me. It’s been a year or two, but I’m back at the helm for C&T. I promise to take us into the future with thought leadership, innovation and a smile. Send me your positive vibes!
-Rachel Grabenhofer, Managing Editor, Cosmetics & Toiletries
