Corporate 59 16-31 July 2016 Deodorant Efficacy Testing at Odournet India RAJAL SHINKRE, RITA DOMINGUES WEATING and body odour have to be dealt with by most people. When a hot summer, quite a common occurrence in India and other tropical countries, is just around the corner, consumers urgently need help against sweating and body odour. Heavy perspiration and body odour can occur after exercise, in warm weather, or when you are nervous, anxious or under stress. Although it can be embarrassing, the good news is that body odour can usually be prevented by taking care of personal hygiene. Deodorants and antiperspirants (products that prevent the development of body odour by masking (perfume) or pre- venting the sweat malodour from occurring) are also used, largely in urban areas of India. In the villages of India, one finds that there is a tendency to depend on fragrant talcs and attars in an effort to get rid of body odour. There is a growing demand for deodor- ants in India which is expected to continue to grow in the next few years. Changing lifestyle trends and a greater emphasis on hygiene, coupled with increasing availabil- ity due to the growth of modern retailers, is expected to continue to drive the demand for deodorants over this period. The market for deodorant and antiperspi- rant products is competitive, flooded as it is with numerous brands. Consumers demand detailed and robust information about the products they wish to buy. Do the products have a pleasing fragrance? How effective are they? How long will these results last? The cosmetics industry likely fulfils such S requests whenever possible with new prom- ising product launches and claims; as such performance is crucial. With increasing con- sumer awareness and consumer organiza- tions on guard, these new claims need to be supported by strong evidence. How can we help? Odournet scores high- ly with its respected testing services and facilities that offer great value for the R&D and marketing of new product. Our effica- cy tests are designed to answer claim sup- port questions such as: Is sweat odour masked by the product? How does performance vary with time? How long does the fragrance last? How is the performance affected by increased movement (e.g. in sports)? How is the performance affected by increased stress levels? Drawing on our many years of experi- ence in odour analysis and deodorant test- ing, we carry out in-vivo studies, using human test subjects, in order to answer these questions. Olfactory assessment is then conducted by trained sniffers, which is the most realistic and robust method to test the efficacy of cosmetics products against unpleasant body odour. Odournet India provides an expert sensory panel (male and female), which is calibrated by dynamic olfactometry according to DIN EN 13725 and further imparted training in odour intensity based on reference stan- dards (ASTM-E-1207-09, VDI 3882, etc.). The company has a number of tools to con- duct such claim support projects, such as: Testing facilities in India, Spain and France, allowing intercultural sensory testing Wash cabins to allow controlled wash- ing and product application Screened and trained sniffing panel for odour evaluation A panel of more than 150 local volun- teers to provide their underarm/foot as a test field Advanced digital and cloud-based data collection tools High-performance statistical analysis With extensive expertise in the field of deodorant efficacy testing – including foot deodorant and foot spray testing – Odournet makes it easy to get the data one needs. It can undertake studies in line with internationally accepted designs or devel- op bespoke studies that are optimised to meet one’s specific requirements, using internationally accepted methods such as ASTM E-1207 (Standard Guide for Sensory Evaluation of Axillary Deodorancy). Our experts can also assist in developing cus- tomised test designs to meet any special needs the client may have for further stud- ies. Deodorant efficacy testing and odour testing of products and materials is a regu- lar occurrence at the Odournet branches spread over the UK, Spain, France, Brazil and India (more details about services avail- able at www.odournet.com). (Shinkre is director-business development and operations, Odournet India and Domingues is head-centre of competence, product and material testing, Odournet Group. They can be contacted at in@odournet.com) The US market is somewhat similar to the UAE CONTINUED FROM P 5 6 proven products. Hence new launches are not risked and thus add to slower growth opportu- nities. This also gives a scope of a major untapped market yet to be catered to. While the current market in Dubai, has only traditional brews without any added flavours, the world is turning to explore a variety of flavours, infusions of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and other natural flavours like mint and jasmine. This has not yet taken on as a trend in the Middle-East leaving a huge opportunity yet to be pursued. The US market is somewhat similar to the UAE, in terms of exploring new variations and the China market also has been known for its strong culture of drinking traditional teas. Europe and Russia have taken on the trend of sipping on the flavoured black teas with all kinds of fruity infusions. But Dubai has it to flavours like bergamot for earl grey and cardamom or mint. It is known to be unforgiving when a new flavour or blend does not work and hence companies do not risk their new products in this market thus the lagging in terms of innovation. Though it is a risky market, it offers an equal- ly risk taking phenomenal growth prospect returns offering a lot of scope for developing new blends and flavours. An established mar- ket with the potential of tapping new launches to be looked at in the road ahead. (The author is project manager [pharma & health- care division], Saffron Financial Advisory and Consultancy Private Limited)