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Timo Giesbrecht, Sensory Perception & Neuroscience Lead, R&D, has seen first-hand how a new generation of Unilever products is providing benefits for mind as well as body. He explains how neurosignalling is providing evidence of how they work.
Neurosignalling is the process by which neurons, or nerve cells in the brain, communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. These interactions underpin all brain functions, from perception and emotion to cognitive processes and motor control.
By tracking neurosignals we can understand how people respond emotionally to sensory triggers such as smell or touch. It is at the heart of a new approach to beauty called neurocosmetics which focuses on creating products that not only benefit the skin but also actively interact with emotions.
At Unilever, we are using neurosignalling to generate science-based insights on the emotional benefits of our products and technologies.
The positive connection between the mind and skin, also known as psychodermatology, has become a prominent trend in personal care and beauty and wellbeing in recent years, especially post-pandemic. Consumers are looking for ways to bring some balance back to life, often focusing on self-care that includes emotional wellbeing as well as beauty.
They now want more from their hygiene products and are increasingly looking for products that deliver superior personal care performance while also contributing to how they feel and function emotionally.
In the US alone, the focus on wellness has skyrocketed, with $1.8 trillion (about €1.5 trillion) being spent annually and 45% of all Americans saying they’re willing to invest in some form of self-care.
Yes. Lux Magical Orchid shower gel was our first body wash to tap into the neurocosmetic space by offering a fragrance proven to boost consumer confidence in as quickly as 100 milliseconds – literally in a blink of an eye.
Using neurosignalling, scientists were able to prove that participants’ brains responded in a more positive way to images of themselves in the presence of the Lux fragrance, well before conscious processing is possible.
Most recently, our wellbeing brand Olly has launched a range of body washes with specially designed fragrances that have been selected to deliver the emotional boost consumers need.
For each of the four scent blends – Renew, Revive, Awake and Bright – we used neurosignalling science to prove they really work.
We use electroencephalography, or EEG, to capture brain activity with millisecond precision. EEG measures the tiny electrical signals, known as brain waves, which our brain cells use to communicate with each other.
For the Olly body washes, for example, each fragrance was tested using EEG to see how each modulated brain activity.
The EEG signals were divided into different power bands, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. By analysing these frequency bands, the team gained insights into how different fragrances impacted emotional state.
Alpha power, for example, indicated increased relaxation while increased Beta power indicated boosted levels of energy.
Consumers are hyper-focused on their wellness journeys, but that looks different for each individual and can change depending on what they need at a specific moment. Through social listening and consumer insights, we have identified the most popular themes such as sleep, recovery and stress relief.
We have created strong scientific leadership in this area through our relationships with world-leading neuroscience experts at the University of Liverpool, Utrecht University and the Monell Chemical Senses Center and I am proud to say that our scientists have published more studies[a] than any of our main competitors.
Neurosignalling can work with all senses. However, we have focused on olfaction – our sense of smell because it has a strong impact on how we feel.
Smell can directly access limbic (emotional) brain regions without passing through other relay structures first. No other sensory modality has the same ‘direct’ access pathway in the brain. This link means that a fragrance plays a very important role in consumer experience by triggering an emotionally rich response.
Our new in-house fragrance hub at Port Sunlight will allow us to explore and develop the potential of this brain–emotion link with cutting-edge technology, allowing us to blend and design new fragrances as well as assess their performance and consumer preferences.
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