Over the past year, people's experience preferences and trends on the "five senses" have changed. From the perspective of taste, spicy and sweet can still "beat", but as health becomes more and more important, light diet may become a new routine.

From the point of view of sight and smell, bright "dopamine" colors and floral and woody fragrances have become popular trends this year.

Rich taste layer, bring a deep taste experience

When faced with the need to satisfy appetite, people tend to dissolve the sense of uncertainty through food, find a sense of security and familiarity, heal the body and mind through food, obtain pleasure, and relieve negative emotions such as anxiety and depression.

According to the 2023 Sensory Experience Insights Report, the top two favorite flavors mentioned in 2023 were spicy and sweet. All kinds of spicy foods that make people "not spicy", baked pastries with high fat and sugar and dense taste, barbecue fried skewers with full fat and aroma, and fragrant and smooth cheese are all indulgent flavors that people "like to see".

Spicy flavors can be used in almost all dishes to add flavor and enhance the mouthfeel. Spicy taste is an intoxicating sensory experience of pain that not only soothes emotions, but also brings a sense of relaxation. Due to capsaicin's antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other properties, spicy taste also has a certain positive effect on health. Worldwide, people are increasingly interested in spicy flavors from different regions, such as jalapeños, Korean peppers, Cuban peppers, Chinese peppercorns (messy hemp), and so on.

Sweetness gives the food a sweet and gentle taste, which can stimulate pleasant emotions. It is widely found in the food culture of various places and is one of the favorite tastes of people. However, excessive intake of sweets can lead to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and dental problems.

In recent years, people have begun to focus on sugar intake and pursue healthier dietary choices. This change is manifested in the bakery industry as food manufacturers develop more low- or no-sugar products and explore ways to sweeten them with healthy alternatives. The shift in health consciousness has also led to the emergence of new sugar-reducing options, salty alternatives and snacking on small portions.

In addition to spicy and sweet, from the first quarter of 2022 to the second quarter of 2023, sour also ranked third in the number of likes for taste-related content on short video platforms, and sour, spicy, and sweet and spicy also ranked in the top eight.

Sourness is a sharp and sour taste sensation commonly found in lemons, vinegar, and certain fruits. It brings freshness and vitality to food, stimulates taste buds and appetite. Sourness is also used for flavoring and adding layering to food. However, excessive consumption of sour foods can have a negative impact on dental health.

The sour and spicy taste with both sour and spicy taste brings people a sour, spicy and hot taste experience, which greatly enhances appetite.

Taste Trends 2023 Be healthy and innovative

The analysis believes that as people pay more attention to health, light diet may become the most important daily life. But a heavy diet is still needed to stimulate the senses and obtain short-term pleasure.

The taste trend for 2023 starts with embracing health. In recent years, people have paid more and more attention to physical and mental health. For example, people are beginning to pay attention to the source of ingredients in beverage products, seeking products that support immunity, improve sleep and reduce stress. The "ingredient party" has prompted beverage companies to launch more "healthy products", such as sparkling water with the concept of "0 sucrose, 0 fat, 0 calories".

The second trend is to have fun. In recent years, people have paid more and more attention to the origin of ingredients and excavated differentiated flavors from them, such as Dandong strawberry, Yunnan oil mandarin, Jiangmen perfume lemon, etc. And, health concerns have led to the popularity of citrus fruits due to their high levels of health ingredients such as vitamin C, minerals and antioxidants. In 2023, sour flavors will continue to be popular, and innovations will be achieved through the mashing and matching of different citrus fruits to bring a richer and more colorful sour experience.

The pursuit of innovation is also an important taste trend. According to a survey released by Nielsen, nearly half (42%) of people globally say they like and are willing to try new things, are open to new flavors of food, and are especially excited and curious about new flavors. As a new generation with a strong sense of new taste enters the main stage of the consumer market, the once traditional single flavor cannot meet the needs of the market, and food and beverage have begun to pursue complex and refreshing flavor experiences.

"Dopamine" bright colors are favored this year

In addition to taste, color, fragrance and tonality are also important factors in creating a sense of experience.

From the colorful "dopamine outfit" to the hot "dopamine manicure", "dopamine copywriting" and "dopamine drink" on the whole network... This past summer, the bold and cheerful colors conveyed the signal of happiness, and "dopamine" became the top.

Color has always been a factor that cannot be ignored in the design of products and services. In 2023, according to people's preferences, black-and-white gray, red, red, yellow, blue, purple, green, orange, blue-gray, pink, and cyan will become people's favorite colors. People prefer less dullness, brighter warmer, more natural and more vibrant, and are more interested in vivid, natural, fresh and warm colors.

Scent is also very important for the experience of certain products and services, especially for products such as personal care and perfumes. This year, people's favorite aromas are "floral" and "woody", and the preference for "oriental", "green leafy notes" and "citrus" has increased.

Tonality is an important factor in product and service design. This year, people prefer modern simplicity, European, American, Chinese and Chinese style retro and natural warm tones. However, the Chinese people's preference for Chinese style has declined, and the trend of modern simplicity has gradually emerged, while the retro trend has not ended.

Beijing Youth Daily Reporter Chen Si