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Customer perception thoughts on a hand cream (part II) .
I have been working on a hand cream, and am getting a little closer to completion. Recently I made the formula with two different crosspolymers, which resulted in a very dramatic difference in the final products. We’ll call them A and B.
A) This version goes on with ‘Ahhhh’ (when comparing the two). 30 minutes to 2 hours after application, if one touches the back of your hands…. You say…ah yes, I applied a hand cream…and I can still feel it working (I can still feel a result…other than my normal skin feel.)… something is here. But in no way….a negative feel….just…something is here (not greasy or oily), maybe an occlusive feel?
B ) Does not create quite the ‘Ahhhh’ feeling of A, upon application… But unless you are applying one on each hand…. You would never know. So I think both hand creams moisturize the same….but B leaves NO residual feeling in the 30min to 2 hour window. Your skin feels good….and natural. But when you touch the back of your hands….you do not say…. ah yes, I just applied a hand cream a while back. Just a feeling of natural healthy skin.
So I have multiple samples out in the mail….but I can’t wait for feedback. So those that use hand creams…. Which sounds more appealing? I suspect that the users will choose option A…. but as someone that never used to use hand creams…I am not quite sure.
Will buyers feel short-changed if they can not feel something tangible in the 30min - 2 hour range? Or will moisturized hands with no additional feel be enough…and appreciated?
Your feedback would be much appreciated.
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10 Replies
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As the formulator…I am impressed with jamming 10% natural oils and butters into a hand cream….that disappears without a trace, and soothes, moisturizes, and softens the skin.
But I have a sneaking suspicion that the customer….wants to ‘feel’ something???
(Meaning I am probably more impressed with B, but guessing consumers might want A.)
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I don’t use hand creams because I don’t like feeling anything on my hands. My husband would choose option B and still complain that he feels something no matter what. But judging by reviews I’ve read I guess a lot of people want hand cream to sink in immediately but have an effect for a long time so they would go for option A.
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It really depends on the market, or in other words, what they’re looking for.People with “working” hands (pharmacists, mechanics, nurses, etc) will want something that’s more occlusive and lasts through handwashing, while the AVERAGE consumer is looking for more sensorials.Me, personally, it would depend if/when I’m working and what the season is… however, I think 70%+ of consumers would pick option B. Yes, you are correct that the customer wants to “feel something”…during the dry winter months! When January temps can be below zero degrees, many people with very dry hands would want something that leaves a slight residue… they want to “feel” it’s working.
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@Graillotion I am a lifelong user of hand creams. The skin on my face has always been good, but the skin on my body, in particular on my hands and feet, is insanely dry.. like it has no natural water, oil or wax. I often fantasise what it would be like to have a shower or wash my hands and not have to immediately apply moisturiser.
My dream hand cream is one that leaves my hands feeling like a normal person’s hands. It’s not so much that I want to feel *residue* on my skin hours later, but I just want them to still feel perfectly moisturised and comfortable hours later… without that feeling of moisture having evaporated off, or cracks appearing in the surface of my skin. So for me, I would want a combination of A and B - I want my skin to feel “nude”/natural and healthy, but due to my dry skin that lacks enough natural moisture, oil and wax, that probably equates to needing some sort of long-lasting emollient or occlusive layer that *feels like* skin and that doesn’t feel like wax/silicone/oil.
I read a lot of skincare reviews.. it has been one of my obsessions for the last 20+ years. There are at least two types of hand cream needs, as @RedCoast has mentioned above. There are the people who want that “gardener’s hand cream” feeling from a cream, and who are happy for something very waxy that they need to work into the skin and to not touch anything for a while (e.g. The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector). And then there are the people who want to apply hand cream and immediately be able to use their keyboard without leaving greasy marks (they also more interested in having a highly fragranced product than the aforementioned group). From what I can tell, these are the people who don’t have particularly dry skin and can easily go days without applying moisturiser - they are happy with products that would dry out my skin to the point of pain. But then I always wonder why these people bother to apply hand cream if they don’t need to.. they’d be better off leaving their skin barrier alone if it’s working as it should.
I also find it interesting how hand creams feel for different skin types. The cream that I make for myself on is soaked up instantly by my hand skin with no oily residue.. just leaving a comfortable and conditioned feel afterwards. But on my husband and sister’s hands, it’s almost like their skin rejects it because their skin already has enough water, oil and wax.. so they often describe the cream as sitting on their skin, not going anywhere.. it just slides around on their skin. I always wanted to create a hand cream that would be pleasant to use for all skin types but also effective on my unusually dry skin… but I can see that would be quite difficult.
Anyway, I’ve just read what I just typed and none of it sounds particularly helpful to you! I guess what I am suggesting is that the feeling of residue on the skin is only desired by people like me if it is a necessary byproduct of perfectly moisturised skin. If you can achieve perfectly moisturised skin that stays moisturised and healthy-feeling over an extended time, without any residue, that would be my first choice (so option B ).
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An example of what I mean is probably why you like Floraesters K-20W. It increases and extends moisturisation, but it doesn’t impart any feel. I like that.
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I will go for A.
When we apply a cream to our skin we want it to do something. When we touch it and feel it on our skin after two hours we think that cream is still there and doing it’s job. If we don’t feel it’s existence we would think its not there anymore and not doing anything anymore.
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I don’t understand your Ahhhh so you have to wait for the feedbacks if it’s a +Ahhhh or -Ahhhh or can’t really tell Ahhhh.
For all-around daily use hand cream.
Also pay attention to palms too, you shouldn’t leave a printing.
Most consumers will want to grab their phones or somethings asap.I would say I’m leaning towards your B but it has to make you go Ahhhh upon application to few mins and then the feeling of sinking in immediately and moisturized for 2 hrs and then the feeling of wanting to go Ahhhh again.
like If you combine the luxurious Ahhhh from CHANEL LA CRÈME MAIN with the sinking in of The Chemist Brand with some natural vibes. It would likely be an easy sale.
Your A is also good, if the Ahhhh can make you feel like using hand cream a queen (not a duchess of California) would use.
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Wow, what great feedback! I have been very blessed with my mother’s and grandmother’s soft skin, however, I do apply lotion every time from head to toe when I get out of the shower. My hands, however, can suffer from too much handwashing and dish detergent so I find myself applying lotion and hand cream throughout the day as well. I think that I prefer a hand cream that really lasts as long as possible, even through a bit of hand washing as @RedCoast mentioned. That being said, there are times I just need a little moisturization and want something to soak in immediately and yet still feel like it’s doing a good job of keeping my hands soft….so, maybe you could make 2 separate hand creams…one for intense moisturizing needs (option A) and one a little lighter that soaks in immediately (option B…)? I guess I’m having a difficult time giving a definitive answer because honestly, some days my hands need more moisturization than other days and some days the work and activities I am doing wouldn’t work well to have a hand cream that stuck around for too long but other times I love to feel my hands physically still moisturized and soft hours later…it all just depends 😀 I don’t know if that was any help at all but hopefully!!
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Decision to buy a product is taken emotionally based of the first 10 seconds impression. I don’t think anyone will notice an effect after 2 hours.
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ngarayeva001 said:Decision to buy a product is taken emotionally based of the first 10 seconds impression. I don’t think anyone will notice an effect after 2 hours.
Yes…I think smell and first impression are key. But because of my personality….I still try to go the extra mile….and make it memorable…an hour or two down the road.
Cosmetic buyers are notorious for brand jumping… I would like to create something so memorable…that brand jumping would become heart wrenching.
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