We know a lot about what consumers perceive and prefer—but less about what happens when products have to fit into real life. Our EuroSense 2026 poster uses sunscreen to explore how natural consumer language can reveal the sensory friction, workarounds, and moments that shape whether a product actually gets used.

What can a bag of chips tell us about culture? Quite a lot.

Our family tradition of trying unusual chip flavors around the world is mostly for fun—but it’s also a reminder that taste, preference, and even what we consider “normal” are shaped by culture, familiarity, expectations, and experience.

Can thousands of everyday consumer reviews reveal the behavioral mechanisms behind real-world food choices?

Using Behavioral Topic Mapping, we analyzed Amazon chip reviews to move beyond preference and uncover how sensory experiences, habits, emotions, and context shape snack consumption.