The sensory effect of applying an innovative cream

Date

25 Sep 2025

The client

Lucas Meyer Cosmetics (LMC) is part of Clariant, a global leader in specialty chemicals. They develop, manufacture, and market innovative ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industry.

The challenge

The experiment is conducted for the product Pickmulse™ in order to evaluate the sensory effect of the cream on well-being. We hypothesize that the film residue left by the cosmetic texture significantly influences the tactile perception of the skin and enhances responses related to pleasantness and the affective dimension of touch.

The solution

Twenty healthy female participants between 18 and 45 years old took part in the study. The fMRI session lasted 30 minutes and included three experimental conditions: no cream (control), massage with a perfume-free LMC cream containing a quinoa starch functional ingredient (Cream A), and massage with the same perfume-free benchmark cream without the functional ingredient (Cream B). Each condition was applied in a randomized order, with each phase lasting 9 minutes.

The results

Tactile stimulation with the quinoa starch functional ingredient enhanced somatosensory responses and activated brain regions linked to reward and emotional valuation, while also engaging prefrontal areas for higher-order cognitive appraisal. These results show how subtle component properties shape the perception of touch. Born from cutting-edge R&D, Pickmulse™ combines quinoa-based technology with neuroscience-driven innovation.