What determines whether a customer "likes" a skincare product? A follow-up report: Exploring the relationship between changes in the feel of Hada Labo Gokujun and physiological indicators.

Key points of the research

• Analyzing the "desirability" of skincare products based on physiological indicators and time-series changes in application feel.
• We discovered that "changes in usability" during the application process are a crucial factor influencing subjective evaluations.
• We present a new sensory evaluation method that can utilize customers' latent preferences in formulation design.

Research Background

In the skincare product market, where differences in ingredients and functionality are becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to discern, information disseminated through social media and other channels is having a growing impact on purchasing decisions. On the other hand, whether or not a product is continued to be used is thought to be greatly influenced by the user's perception during use, particularly the pleasant feeling experienced during application. However, traditional evaluations of user experience have relied primarily on subjective methods such as surveys, and have not adequately captured the underlying feelings that arise during application or the reasons why a user "likes" a product.
While our company has previously clarified differences in responses based on "desirability" through sensory evaluation using physiological indicators, we have not been able to clarify at what stage of application these differences occur, how they are linked to the user experience, or their phenotypic characteristics. Therefore, in this study, we focused on changes in user experience during application and aimed to clarify the differences in sensory perception in detail by analyzing them in combination with physiological indicators.

result

Check the relationship between "liking it" and physiological indicators during application.

When using Gokujun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion, no differences were observed in the overall physiological indicators over the application time among the groups classified beforehand based on their "preferences." (Figure 1)

Figure 1: Electroencephalogram (β/α) and heart rate (HFnu) over the entire application time.

The change in feel during application is the deciding factor in whether you "like" it or not.

When the application time was divided according to changes in tactile sensation (Figure 2), no difference was observed in the early stages. However, in the middle and later stages, when changes in usability were felt, the Positive group showed a tendency for HFnu, an indicator of parasympathetic nervous system activity, to rise to positive values, indicating a shift toward a more pleasant state (Figure 3). Furthermore, it was confirmed that the feeling of use at that time was described differently by the Positive group as "moist" and "bouncy," while the Not-Positive group used terms such as "slimy" and "sticky." On the other hand, in the later stages, when the feeling of skin finish was felt, HFnu remained in the pleasant direction for the Positive group and in the unpleasant direction for the Not-Positive group, but the feeling of use was expressed in the same way for both groups, such as "bouncy," "moist," and "plump."

Figure 2: Image diagram illustrating the changes in user experience during each period.

Figure 3: EEG and heart rate results and user experience descriptions for each period.

Consideration

This study suggests that the feeling of "liking" the feel of Gokujun Hyaluronic Acid Lotion may be formed by changes in the feel experienced during application. It is thought that this latent sensitivity to changes in feel influences subsequent feelings about feel. Furthermore, in the later stages, despite differences in physiological indicators, the feeling of feel was expressed similarly, indicating that latent sensitivity cannot be fully evaluated by subjective evaluations such as questionnaires alone, and reaffirming the necessity of measuring physiological indicators. By clarifying the correspondence between physiological indicators and feel of use, we have been able to understand a part of the previously black box structure of perception. This is new knowledge that could not be obtained with conventional research methods alone.

Future outlook

This research has made it possible to structurally understand the feeling of "liking" skincare products based on the relationship between changes in feel and physiological indicators. In the future, by utilizing evaluations that focus particularly on the time-dependent changes in feel during the application process, we expect to apply this to formulation design and product development that are tailored to customers' latent preferences. Furthermore, we plan to use this not only in product development but also to revitalize communication with customers. Moving forward, we will continue to promote product development that is more customer-centric by creating value that includes not only functional value for the skin but also appeals to emotions such as comfort during use.

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