Design and application of a screening and training protocol for odour testers in the field of personal care products

The assessment of odours and in particular of human axillary odour is an integral part of the research and development of deodorant and anti-perspirant products. One method to perform odour assessment is the odour evaluation that is carried out by experts, designated as odour testers or sniffers. Product development decisions are therefore based on human assessment. As for every scientific measurement, the influencing factors need to be standardized or regularly calibrated as effectively as possible for reasons of quality assurance. We therefore developed a screening and training concept aiming to examine the general suitability of odour testers by determining the individual odour sensitivity for relevant odours. This newly developed method is based on the national and international standards and guidelines EN 13725:2003, VDI 3882 sheet 1 and ASTM-1207. Suitable odour testers are subsequently trained to correlate their individual odour intensity perception with an intensity calibration scale in order to achieve reproducible results. Training sessions held on a regular basis help to achieve a greater homology in the response of an existing panel. Our established screening and training protocol has already been successfully put into practice and is also subject to permanent improvement with regard to practical requirements.