ASTM E1593-21 - Standard Guide for Assessing the Efficacy of Consumer Products in Reducing the Perception of Malodor

1.1 This guide covers standard procedures for the quantitative sensory assessment of perceived olfactory intensity of malodors for the purpose of assessing the malodor reduction efficacy of consumer products including, but not limited to, air care, fabric care, home care, pet care, and similar products.

1.2 This guide is not intended to cover axillary deodorancy; refer instead to Guide E1207.

1.3 Malodors may be from natural or synthetic sources.

1.4 This guide is a compendium of information or series of options that does not recommend a specific course of action. The user of this guide is responsible for identifying the most appropriate test design and using the appropriate statistical tools to address the experimental design.

1.5 This guide is designed to provide guidance in product formulation and new product development, and for quality control issues.

1.6 The scope of this guide does not include all guidance necessary to support claims. For further guidance the researcher may refer to Guide E1958. The usage of methods described in this guide can be used as part of a comprehensive claims support strategy for technical types of claims (such as claims that the product will create a sensory change when used on malodor). However, this guide does not address other important elements of the claim support strategy, including determining the statistical confidence requirements, or determination of the consumer relevance of the data obtained, as discussed in 1.7.

1.7 The testing of products designed to reduce malodors via sensory testing as outlined in the present Guide can yield technical support for products’ efficacy claims. The methods described in this guide—assesors with identified sensory acuity and trained, malodors that may be lab-created or synthetic, and controlled exposure to malodors in a controlled indoor environment—can deliver results with high internal validity. Internal validity refers to studies designed so that variables that may obscure the finding of an effect are controlled or managed. It is important to recognize that internal validity does not assure external validity. A robust support strategy for a malodor efficacy claim is stronger with additional evidence that the sensory effect is consumer perceivable. Such evidence of product’s malodor reduction efficacy may be, for example, drawn from studies where consumers serve as evaluators, or where the product is used to reduce malodors in a more representative environment (for example, at home).

1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific precautionary statements are given in Section 6 and X3.6.3.7.

1.9 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.