User experience results from the interaction between a product and a user in a context. It is well-established that environmental context influences product perception and can even drive preference, especially when it is coherent with the product. However, there exist few studies testing the same product in different user experiences, where context changes but is not the only factor that does. By testing the same product (shampoo) with two scents in three different contexts, the aims of the study were to 1) characterize the influence of environmental context on sensory perception of the shampoo, 2) evaluate the impact of context on scent and overall product evaluation, and 3) to evaluate whether scent-context congruence influences shampoo evaluation, perception and associated benefits. To achieve these objectives, two shampoos sharing the same formula and differing only in their scents were evaluated by 256 women. Participants were split into three contexts: Home, Hotel and Hair Salon. A hairdresser was involved in the last context. Throughout the experiment, participants rated their emotional states, product liking, performance and assessments of the scents. Results confirmed that context influences user perception of haircare experience and depends on the user's active or passive usage of the products. Moreover, context influences the projected benefits of the shampoo as well as the emotional state of users. The results are discussed in terms of multisensory coherence of the olfactory stimulus in relation to immersion characteristics. Taken together, the results emphasize the need to consider the holistic experience when evaluating beauty experiences.
