Corporate America knows we’re miserable. Is a toilet bomb the answer?

livemint.com:

Procter & Gamble, the company that pioneered consumer research a century ago, combs societal trends to select a scent of the year. This year, researchers at the maker of Tide, Bounty and Gillette determined that consumers craved more connection with each other, especially young adults who felt more disconnected in a postpandemic world increasingly shaped by technology.

So in January, P&G declared “Romance & Desire" its scent of the year, and bequeathed it to anxious Americans in the form of new Febreze air fresheners with a fragrance of pink rose petals and champagne spritz. The product line is intended to offer a sensory reminder of the importance of human connection, the company said.

The scent evokes memories and emotions, says Morgan Eberhard, a scientist with the company. Its goal, she says, is to “turn any night into a date night." Across the consumer-products sector, the giant companies that study us in hopes of unearthing insights that can help them sell more potato chips, laundry detergent and lipstick, have reached a conclusion that economists and pollsters have also found: We are unhappy—squeezed by inflation, troubled by global conflicts and worried about an acrimonious presidential campaign season.

The companies are calibrating their pitches to entice us to open our wallets as a way of improving our collective mood. Clorox thinks it can help with a new toilet bomb, a tablet of pre-dosed cleaner that foams and fizzes in the toilet bowl and releases a pleasant scent.

“People are looking for a spark of fun and joy," said Rhonda Lesinski, Clorox’s general manager of cleaning. “We all know the world can get messy, but we understand the link between a clean environment and one’s physical and emotional well-being."