Highlight

Know how your formula will land before you commit

Get your product into real homes and collect honest consumer feedback on taste, texture, and aroma — no lab required, results in weeks.

Taste & sensory testing

Built for innovators. Loved by product teams. Trusted by leading brands.

King’s HawaiianUnileverExplorerTysonAeston WestKraft HeinzMaple BrothersLiquid DeathMarsThrive MarketColgateCVS HealthCoca-ColaCloroxNestléSimplyLOLAHanesL’OréalPepsiCosmoP&GSpindriftKimberly-ClarkAeliaEatifulMondelēzKing’s HawaiianUnileverExplorerTysonAeston WestKraft HeinzMaple BrothersLiquid DeathMarsThrive MarketColgateCVS HealthCoca-ColaCloroxNestléSimplyLOLAHanesL’OréalPepsiCosmoP&GSpindriftKimberly-ClarkAeliaEatifulMondelēz
Turn sensory data into winning products

Taste test at scale, with real consumers, faster than you thought possible

No facility required

Run taste and sensory tests quickly and efficiently — speed to insight gets the right formulations to market faster.

A truly representative panel

A diverse, vetted, pre-screened tester sample delivers more accurate and relevant feedback than traditional sensory panels.

Live data dashboards

Consumer feedback streams in real time, so R&D can tweak formulation pre-launch with confidence.

How Highlight does it

Understand exactly how your product tastes, smells, and feels

01
Recruit qualified tasters who match your market

Taste preferences vary dramatically across demographics, dietary habits, and cultures — the wrong panel gives you the wrong answer. Highlight connects you with pre-screened consumers who actually represent your intended audience.

02
Track sensory attributes with precision

Standardized protocols guide testers through systematic evaluation of taste, aroma, texture, and visual appeal — research-grade data that eliminates the noise of casual opinions.

03
Scale without compromising quality or speed

A single SKU or an entire product line — run multiple studies simultaneously while Highlight manages the full logistics chain, from receiving your products to shipping them to qualified testers.

Case study · King’s Hawaiian

How King’s Hawaiian accelerated product development through rapid consumer testing

  • 94% completion rate across 180 units tested nationwide, with live data 4 days from shipment
  • Actionable consumer insights in under 2 weeks enabled pre-launch optimization
  • Feedback across sensory optimization, brand-product fit, and pricing strategy
  • Lower research costs and faster decisions for line extension evaluation
Read the case study

We needed a partner to make quicker yet well-informed decisions more cost-efficiently — Highlight delivered on that and beyond.

94%completion across 180 units
Jennifer Norris
Sr. Manager, Consumer Insights at King’s Hawaiian

Getting started is simple

1
Design your test

Define your objectives, create your survey, and set parameters for your ideal testers.

2
We ship your products

We handle recruitment and distribution to get your products into the right homes.

3
See your data instantly

Feedback streams into the platform and becomes actionable insight as it arrives.

Gather reliable consumer sensory insights

Reformulation testing

Compare new formulas against current products so quality stays high through ingredient changes.

Flavor profile optimization

Fine-tune taste, aroma, and mouthfeel against target consumer preferences.

Quality control benchmarking

Set consistent sensory standards production teams can hold every batch to.

Market entry feasibility

Understand regional and cultural taste variations before entering new markets.

Common taste & sensory testing questions

How does in-home sensory testing compare to a lab panel?

Consumers evaluate products during their normal routines, capturing contextual factors — meal timing, mood, environment — that artificial lab conditions miss. The result is sensory feedback that predicts real-world response.

How fast do sensory insights come back?

Highlight delivers decision-ready sensory data in as little as 14 days from project kickoff — compared to 6–8 weeks for traditional research agency timelines. And because the community spans 60,000+ pre-vetted consumer testers, you can reach even niche taste profiles with incidence rates as low as 3% without extending that timeline.

How accurate is the data?

Red-herring screening, demographic verification, and a 48% community acceptance rate keep junk data to 1–2%, compared to the ~30% industry average.

Does it work outside food and beverage?

Yes — the same protocols adapt to personal care, pet products, home goods, and more, from taste testing beverages to assessing skincare texture.

Know exactly how your product tastes, feels, and smells to real consumers

Before you commit to production, get sensory feedback that’s fast, reliable, and built for confident decisions.