Sensory analysis involves the quantifying of human responses to stimuli. It is a precise, descriptive and measuring technique that characterises the stimulus. This is especially useful to evaluate the odour of the perfume, perfume ingredient or perfumed product. It enables the perfumer to understand and quantify the sensory characteristics of the product so as to manipulate them further in a controlled way.

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    Sensory analysis works closely with market research, and rely on verbal or conscious measurement of an odour or perfumed product by a human respondent. Emotion, an important aspect of product perception, is however, difficult to measure using verbal techniques, yet can also strongly influence how a consumer perceives a product. This forms an important area of research currently.

    Human subjects are used as a measuring tool in this analysis, under controlled conditions such that only the smell varies. Thus subjects have to undergo selective tests for their sensitivity to smell and their short term odour memory.    

3 Different Types of Sensory Tests

~Threshold, Intensity and Quality.

    Threshold can be described in 3 different levels:

1. Detection threshold: the lowest stimulus intensity that the subject can distinguish it from an odour-free situation.

2. Recognition threshold: the minimum concentration that the odour can be identified.

3. Difference threshold: whether there is a difference between 2 odours.

    Intensity of the odour measures how strong the odour is using intensity scales.

    The quality of the odour used tests to describe the odour quality, like what the odour smells like.

    The measurement of fragrance perception is then completed with market research, statistical comparison with other perfumes and psychological effects of the perfume.