Flavored lip gloss, balm, stick, etc

[KristinesShower]

Can someone explain to me (like you would a 4 year old), how flavor oils work in lip products in conjunction with the sweetener?

I mean, I know I am not licking my lips and tasting cherry - I am smelling it and tasting the sweetness and it fools my brain into thinking I taste cherry. KWIM? :undecided

[macnmyer]

Thats exactly what it does. It fools your brain. . If you buy a commercial brand flavored balm it does the same thing. I think without the sweetner the balm is bitter. At least with it you taste the sweet.

[Crafty1_AJ]

I know I am not licking my lips and tasting cherry - I am smelling it and tasting the sweetness and it fools my brain into thinking I taste cherry.

Ed Zachary.

[KristinesShower]

I am trying to explain this to a customer and she insists that no it doesn't do that and she has another supplier that the lip balm actually tastes like whatever - I tried to explain that nose, smell thing to her and it's not getting through. Oh well lol

[CareBear]

you can tell her to do the old onion/apple thing (supposedly if you taste blindfolded you can't tell which is which tho I'm not sure I buy it).

Having worked for a flavor company I can tell you that 90% of the work is done with sniffing the compounds and only final tweaking is done with the tongue. Tongue is really only used on final products. In fact perfumers & flavor chemists are trained very much the same way...

[blazerina]

We did the apple and onion thing in Psycology class by having two bowls of water - one with apple one with onion- but we did not know the other was onion- only were told we were going to be eating an apple first, while blindfolded. The water I think prevents the onion vapors from dispersing and the tactile effect is that it is the same as the apple when wet. It DOES work... but only at first bite- or rather mouth contact, lol. Once you chew it up it's undeniable. Lol. Just like if you bite into your lipbalm -its not so good that way as was the first lick you get from your lips, lol. I'm sure I have seen 'Natural flavors' in lip balm ingredients and labels. Perhaps this is why she insists they exist but I think it's kind of a loose interpretation of the fact that there AREN'T any IMMITATION flavors. And then there is the fact that even the nillest (is that a word? ) amount of something that flavors it at all in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM WHATSOEVER- as long as it's natural they can tout 'Natural Flavors' But that could mean you are tasting the natural beeswax!!!!

[blazerina]

She probably also doesn't know that Apple juice flavors just about any fruit flavored product, or that dehydrated grape peices rehydrated in apple juice are what they often refer to as..........true story........BLUEBERRIES. Interesting huh? Boy are we gullible as a human race, lol.