Caroline Dubourg, Mane: “With Wellmotion, we can predict the emotions brought on by fragrances with unparalleled accuracy”

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This article was written in partnership with Mane. 

What exactly is the Wellmotion programme? 
Caroline Dubourg: Wellmotion is a research and innovation platform that Mane has developed to analyse, quantify and predict connections between fragrances and emotions. With this tool, we can create compositions with tried-and-tested emotional benefits. According to the marketing intelligence agency Mintel, 75% of the emotions we experience daily are related to our sense of smell. Fragrances play a crucial role in our well-being. 

How did you develop the Wellmotion programme?
C.D. We combined various methodologies from the cognitive sciences. The mix of subjective, objective and physiological methods based on neuroscience means that we can predict the emotions brought on by fragrances with unparalleled accuracy.
We began by asking consumers in different countries about their mental images and perceptions of raw materials so we could understand the connections between emotions and the natural ingredients used in perfumery. 
Then we carried out association tests on raw materials, accords and fragrances. Eight different emotional responses to the question “How do you feel?” were examined: energised, relaxed, comforted, joyful, self-confident, sensual, elegant, connected to nature. We used the results to define emotional profiles for the olfactory stimuli we tested, based on conscious and unconscious reactions. We also used artificial intelligence to analyse the panel’s spontaneous verbal responses. 
The final phase involved physiological measurements: we took saliva samples before and after olfactory stimuli and analysed changes in four biomarkers over a very short period (10 minutes). This technology is state-of-the-art, reliable, fast and non-invasive. We developed it with CNRS [the French national center for scientific research] and a startup called SkillCell, and it should be patented by the fall. The combination of subjective, objective and physiological methods based on neuroscience means we can predict the emotions a creation will trigger with unparalleled accuracy. Eight different emotional dimensions are examined: when I smell this fragrance, how do I feel? Energized? Relaxed? Comforted? Joyful? Self-confident? Sensual? Elegant? Connected to nature?

What makes Wellmotion unique?
C.D. We assessed our perfumers’ entire palette of ingredients to determine the impact of each on the eight emotional responses we identified. This way, perfumers are not limited in their choice of ingredients when creating fragrances; instead, they can use all the ingredients available to them. 
With Wellmotion, we can also take into account the benefits of the formula as a whole, as opposed to claiming that a formula has a certain effect just because it contains a percentage of a given ingredient. What’s more, we have gathered data from different areas of the world, so our results have international relevance.

How do perfumers use Wellmotion? 
Caroline Plessis: It’s very simple: we enter a fragrance formulation into the Wellmotion platform. The algorithm, which was developed in-house using AI, instantly gives us the fragrance’s emotional profile. As soon as we switch out a raw material, the displayed results change accordingly. This makes it possible to test the combination of different ingredients in real time and ensure that the formula will deliver the expected emotional impact. 
C.D. Wellmotion helps immensely with creativity. Thanks to this tool and our library of fragrance ingredients, our perfumers choose raw materials and accords that they may not have considered otherwise. Moreover, Wellmotion allows us to imagine an infinite number of combinations corresponding to different emotional responses, boosting creativity while ensuring that we meet customers’ needs accurately.

Can you give us some examples of ingredients and their effects on emotions according to Wellmotion? 
C.P. What’s really interesting is that our ingredients almost always spark several emotions, sometimes with surprising results. When we asked consumers to smell Antillone, one of our captives obtained using biotechnology that features juicy pineapple and pear facets, they said that they felt energised – but also relaxed and joyful, although to a lesser extent. The result was not what you’d expect from a fairly green, fruity note!
Our upcycled Orcanox, with its ambergris facet, can produce a wide range of emotions, with people citing ‘relaxed’, ‘self-confident’ and ‘comforted’ as well as ‘elegant’, ‘sensual’ and ‘energised’. Wellmotion also helps us understand how materials that we are very familiar with are actually perceived. 
Although ‘relaxed’ was one of the responses associated with lavender, the strongest associations were actually ‘connected to nature’ and ‘energised’. Respondents have also cited ‘pleasant’, ‘elegant’ and ‘sensual’ in association with lavender, which are not necessarily the adjectives that I have in mind when I use this ingredient in a formula. 
Wellmotion is definitely an invaluable tool when it comes to designing fragrances to elicit specific emotional responses. It also provides us with a wealth of information about our palette of ingredients.