Use of completion projective technique to understand consumer's perception upon a novelty cosmetic with olive oil

Abstract Projective techniques are a type of qualitative methodology that have rarely been applied to cosmetic products. In this study, 334 women completed an online survey aiming to explore their perception of an after‐shower oil with olive oil, applying three variants of the completion projective technique (story completion, sentence completion, and dialogue completion). Even though 36% of the assessors intended to buy and try the product, some aspects discouraged other consumers from buying it, such as the belief that the product will leave a greasy and sticky sensation on the skin (36.4%) and the intense disagreeable smell (28.7%) that it might have. The lack of knowledge of several consumers regarding the effects of olive oil on the skin was also evident. This study allowed us to define important aspects to be considered during the design of a new cosmetic containing olive oil. The information obtained might also be used to plan strategies of communication and position of the product in the market. Practical Applications The application of completion projective techniques to study consumers' perception of a novel cosmetic product allows us to obtain relevant information to be considered during the design of the new cosmetic, hence identifying more suitable marketing and communication strategies to promote the product to potential purchasers.