The impact of visual context on the perception of wood odours

• Together with congruent product images, wood odours become more pleasant and familiar • Visual context does not alter the intensity rating of wood odours • Terpene-dominated odours (e.g. pine wood) are preferred over other wood odours • The health-related benefit of odour evaluations of building products is questionable Ensuring healthy indoor air involves regulating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by building products. Sensory evaluations of these emissions have also gained attention. Timber products are increasingly important due to low greenhouse gas emissions and their role as carbon sinks. However, being organic materials, they emit VOCs and odours that can impact indoor air quality. The research aimed to assess how wood odours are perceived regarding intensity, pleasantness, and familiarity, depending on the visual context during the VOC presentation. 32 participants evaluated odours of wooden materials (Pine, Oak, OSB Poplar , OSB Pine , Cork). Odour presentation followed DIN ISO 16000-28:2021. The odours were presented with and without corresponding material images (within-subject design). The interplay of VOC composition and visual information influenced the perceived pleasantness and familiarity of the odours. Material images enhanced both, while odour intensity was determined only by VOC composition and concentration. Terpene-dominated odours (Pine) were perceived as familiar and pleasant, even at high concentrations. In contrast, odours with higher acetic acid or aldehyde content received lower familiarity and pleasantness ratings. Odour alone does not indicate health impairment, and its perception varies widely due to individual and contextual factors. Therefore, odour evaluations of building products are not useful for assessing a healthy indoor air quality. Health complaints about indoor odours often arise from negative expectations and health risk concerns rather than the odours themselves. Partially revealing wooden materials is recommended, as their odours seem more familiar and pleasant when associated with the products.