You pick up freshly washed clothes and first check their smell. In a US consumer survey, 76.4% selected a clean smell as a sign that laundry had been done well, exceeding the 68.3% who selected a clean appearance. Some 36.4% said they would rewash laundry if it did not smell clean, even after washing.
The 2022 paper reporting this survey organizes the reasons people prefer scented household products into three aspects: dealing with odors, the experience of using a product, and emotions. It combines a new consumer survey with earlier research on smell.
Asking 2,000 people in the United States about scent’s role
The online survey was conducted on May 21, 2021, with 2,000 US respondents who had bought and used laundry, cleaning, and air-freshening products during the previous six months. P&G designed and analyzed the survey, and the research company AYTM administered it. Participants were paid and were not told about P&G’s involvement.
There were 19 questions, including single-choice, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions. Response counts varied by question; 1,759 people answered the questions about laundry results and rewashing. Rather than observing actual laundry behavior, the study asked how people believed they usually judged results and behaved.
Judging laundry by smell as well as appearance
The cues selected for judging laundry well done were a clean smell, 76.4%; a clean appearance, 68.3%; and a soft feel, 16.0%. Multiple responses were allowed, so these figures include people who use both smell and appearance. They do not mean that 76.4% decide by smell alone.
Asked whether they would rewash clothes or other laundry that did not smell clean after washing, 36.4% answered yes, 31.8% no, and 31.8% sometimes. Scent appears to serve as a cue that helps people feel satisfied that the laundry is finished.
For household cleaning, meanwhile, 1,763 people responded: 75.0% selected a clean appearance and 54.1% a clean smell. Even within judgments of cleanliness, the use of sensory cues differed between laundry and cleaning.
What was measured here was people’s reported way of judging cleanliness. Because the survey did not measure dirt or bacteria remaining on clothing, it cannot establish how closely a clean scent corresponds to actual cleaning results.
Considering three roles for scent
The first aspect proposed by the authors is the function of dealing with unpleasant odors. This includes making malodors less noticeable, covering a product base’s odor, and making rooms or clothing seem fresher. In the survey, removing unwanted odors was selected as a main purpose of scent by 44.7% for air fresheners, 35.9% for cleaning products, and 38.7% for laundry products. These are users’ expectations, not measurements of the products’ deodorizing performance.
The second is the experience during and after use. This includes making cleaning more pleasant and providing a sense that the task is complete. Among the main purposes of scent in cleaning products, leaving a good smell after cleaning was frequently selected, at 62.2%, while making the cleaning experience pleasant was selected by 27.5%. The laundry responses above are also placed within this completion-cue aspect.
The third is the emotions and memories that scent evokes. In a multiple-response question about how a good-smelling home made them feel, 54.4% of the 2,000 participants selected an option corresponding to relaxation, 44.0% accomplishment, and 39.4% confidence. Approximately 36% also reported some emotional connection to household-product scents. Among 647 people who answered about scents to which they felt emotionally connected, 66.2% selected calm or relaxed, 49.3% glad or happy, and 46.7% reassured or comforted. These latter percentages do not describe all 2,000 respondents.
These three aspects overlap rather than forming independent boxes. For example, no longer noticing an unpleasant clothing odor, feeling that the laundry is finished, and feeling at ease when meeting others can be considered one continuous experience.
Scent’s role also depends on what it is used for, and when
The paper explains the three aspects by reviewing earlier research on memory, mood, behavior, and interpersonal impressions. It also identifies topics for future research: combinations of scent with product color, texture, and verbal descriptions, and the balance between familiar scents and novelty. These discussions need to be distinguished from findings demonstrated by the present survey itself.
A familiar example is when a laundry detergent’s scent is encountered. Opening the bottle, taking out wet clothes, drying them, folding and storing them, and wearing them again can each call for different scent strengths and roles. The authors propose studying scent throughout this sequence of use, not only at the moment of product selection.
In the survey, preferences for strong scent also varied by product. A preference for a lot or a very large amount of scent was reported by 57.9% for air fresheners, 40.4% for laundry products, and 27.7% for cleaning products. Consumers do not appear to want the same amount of scent in every product.
What the survey found, and what remains to be tested
A strength of this paper is that it considers household-product scents beyond simply whether they smell pleasant, connecting task goals, sensory experiences during use, and emotions. However, it is not a model experimentally testing the separate effects of the three factors on purchasing or housework behavior. The survey’s demographic composition and detailed weighting are also not reported, so its percentages cannot simply be applied to users throughout Japan.
The authors extend their discussion to possible reductions in unnecessary rewashing and connections between smell, quality of life, and health. What they measured was consumer responses, not water or electricity savings or improved health. They also identify people who avoid fragrance or experience unpleasant responses as a research topic, but the survey did not diagnose the reasons for those responses. Testing the proposed framework while accounting for individual wishes and reactions is a next step.
Summary
In the US survey, more respondents selected smell than appearance as a cue to finished laundry, and 36.4% said they would rewash it if it did not smell clean. For household cleaning, by contrast, more selected appearance, revealing differences between products and tasks.
The paper proposes a framework for understanding scent through three aspects: dealing with malodors, the experience of use, and emotions and memories. Detergent fragrance is not simply something added to clothing; it also relates to a sense of completion and the user’s feelings. The study provides a starting point for testing these relationships in actual behavior and specific situations of use.
Research funding and conflicts of interest: Preparation of the manuscript was funded by the Fragrance Creators Association (FCA). At the time of the research, four authors were affiliated with P&G and one with the FCA. The two university-affiliated authors received honoraria from the FCA for participating in manuscript preparation. P&G designed and analyzed the new survey.
Reference
Herz RS, Larsson M, Trujillo R, et al. A three-factor benefits framework for understanding consumer preference for scented household products: psychological interactions and implications for future development. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 2022;7:28. doi:10.1186/s41235-022-00378-6
