Emotions & AI: how can we enhance cosmetic product testing?

Our Presentation at the SENSORY 2025 Congress

On March 20, 2025, Repères took part in the SENSORY Congress, a key event for professionals in the cosmetics and sensory fields. Organized by Cosmetic Valley and the Valesens association, with the support of Tours Métropole Val‑de‑Loire, the event brought together researchers and industry experts to explore the intersection of neuroscience and data science for consumer well‑being.

During the congress, Bénédicte Lunel, Associate Director at Repères, gave a talk presenting Repères' innovative approach to integrating emotions and AI in cosmetic product testing:

“Emotions & AI: Enrich your cosmetic product tests with more open and spontaneous approaches.”

Capturing emotion in the product experience: a key challenge for the cosmetics industry

In a world where sensory experience is central to consumer expectations, measuring the emotions and well‑being elicited by a product remains a major challenge.

So how can we go beyond traditional scales and capture more spontaneous, authentic feelings?

Two innovations for cosmetic product testing presented by Repères:

1. A single open‑ended question to capture emotional activation, based on 3 spontaneous words

Spontaneous verbalization allows consumers to express their emotions and sensations freely. A simple yet powerful way to:

• Reveal unconscious feelings tied to the product experience, without bias

• Quantify emotions through an advanced linguistic analysis algorithm

• Distinguish products more precisely with rich emotional insights

2. AI to enrich quantitative tests with advanced qualitative analysis

Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, it is now possible to analyze consumer responses more thoroughly and efficiently:

• Include more open‑ended questions with qualitative analysis to better understand perceptions, uncover deeper meaning and connections (beyond simple idea counting)
• Easily activate complementary qualitative modules to explore the quantitative test's performance further, through AI‑moderated qualitative discussions—quick and effective
• Optimize product tests without extending their duration or increasing their cost

Why are these advancements essential for brands?

• To better understand how a fragrance, skincare product or makeup is emotionally perceived

• To fine‑tune product development based on consumers’ real expectations

• To enrich marketing and sensory research with more qualitative, actionable data

An innovative approach for the future of cosmetic research

With these methodologies, Repères enhances the value of consumer testing by bringing more spontaneity, emotion, and insight quality through artificial intelligence. These approaches help brands optimize their products while ensuring a more enriching experience for consumers.

A big thank you to all participants!
We were delighted to connect with the community of cosmetics professionals at the SENSORY Congress.

Many thanks as well to the organizers and partners of the SENSORY Congress for this event full of stimulating discussions and innovation opportunities: Cosmetic Valley, the Valesens association, Tours Métropole Val‑de‑Loire, Agence RCP and Tours Événements.

Want to learn more about our research solutions for the cosmetics industry? Get in touch!