Capitalising on our emotions | cosmetic textures

Human emotions are powerful.

In fact, our emotions are responsible for the majority of the decisions we make. Knowing how to capitalise on our emotional decision making could help your bottom line.

Connecting from an emotional place

Humans are hard-wired to make decisions based on emotions. That’s why it can be difficult to get a person to change their mind, even when what you are saying makes logical sense.

When it comes to buying power, it is no different.

Good sales people have developed the ability to connect with customers from an emotional place. And a product that can make an emotional connection, will be the one taken to the checkout.

When a consumer is looking at the multitude of skin care on offer in any given store, the product they choose may not necessarily be the one that will be most beneficial to them. Their purchase might have nothing to do with the ingredients, and everything to do with something that played on their emotions – think shape and/or colour of the bottle, brand, celebrity endorsement, scent, or perhaps the texture.

Logic v emotional

Understanding the complexity of our brain will help you to appreciate how we process information.

Our brain is composed of three systems. Each of these systems developed at a different time in our evolution.

The first system is our reptilian brain, our most primitive brain. This system controls our most basic functions: breathing, our heart beat, and our fight or flight instincts.

The second system is our limbic brain, which forms the seat of human emotions. It allows us to learn and plays a major role in our memory. It also draws us towards things that make us feel good, and away from things that don’t.

The third system is the neocortex. This system is responsible for speech, planning, visualisation and intellectual control.

We process ideas first from our reptilian brain, survival mode, then from our emotion brain, and lastly intellectual. We are not thinking machines, we are feeling machines that think. And that’s why pointing out all the facts, figures and benefits of plain-packaged Product A, over fancy-packaged-but-inferior-quality Product B, won’t necessarily mean that Product A will be the one that’s bought.

The power is not in the convincing, it is in the connecting.

Cosmetics: Emotions by textures

SEPPIC, a specialty ingredients company for the health and beauty industry, has developed a cosmetic texture wheel with 4 concepts that build around 4 different emotions.

Using this wheel may help you to take aim at your target audience.

The minimalist concept

Emotion: need to be reassured.

Texture: simplicity, frugality of ingredients, back to basics, chic and fresh

The nude skin concept

Emotion: natural beauty.

Texture: purity, simplicity, transparency, velvety, matte

Cocooning concept

Emotion: comfort and protection, feeling unique

Texture: softness, shine, richness, fresh and light

Oxymoron concept

Emotion: harmony of paradoxes

Texture: transparent gel, rich emulsion, sparkling foam – textures that marry opposite effects to stimulate emotions.

Main image courtesy of www.freedomrc.org