Natura participated in the 1st Academic-Scientific Week of Sensory-Perceptual Cognitive and Cultural Investigation of Human Olfaction, which took place from September 20 to 22, 2023, at the Innovation Center of USP/SP. This event united the perspective of olfactory neuroscience with culture, biology with art, and theoretical learning with the sensitivity of the human body. Over these three days, the event was filled with lectures, debates, poster presentations, and oral papers.
We were represented by Professor Dr. Plinio Almeida Barbosa (UNICAMP), who shared the results of his research in collaboration with Natura Cosméticos. The scientific article published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science addressed the fascinating theme of "Olfaction for the Cosmetic Industry" and was titled "NEOS: an odor-induced affection scale for use in the cosmetic industry." The Natura Emotion and Odor Scale (NEOS) was developed from experiments conducted with a large group of participants and a variety of fragrances that combined seven commercial perfumes from the cosmetics company Natura & Co with odors from various olfactory classes relevant to the cosmetic industry.
In addition, Matheus Henrique Ferreira, a doctoral student at the Institute of Psychology (IP) of USP, presented a poster during the academic-scientific week, highlighting his master's research in collaboration with Natura Cosméticos and Fapesp.
This work, titled "Olfactory Interference on the Speed of Emotional Processing of Visual Stimuli: The Influence of Facial Expression Intensities," demonstrated that olfactory stimulation can influence human cognition and behavior, including the perception of facial expressions. The results also indicated that odors can both facilitate and hinder the identification of facial expressions, and that the presentation of happy and repulsive faces can influence the emotional evaluation of odors, revealing a mutual influence in this phenomenon.
The event provided new insights into the olfactory system in our understanding of human emotions. Such initiatives are essential to increase the visibility of this theme and the application of developing technologies and to promote research in well-being.
Transforming science into something tangible and providing solid evidence of the proposed benefits in its solutions is a priority for Natura. Natura Campus has the mission of finding the brilliant researchers in our ecosystem to help us bring these benefits to society through our products and solutions.
