Haircare company Herbal Essences has unveiled a new ad which encourages women to smell its range of shampoos and conditioners in the supermarket aisle before buying them.

The ad was inspired by a recent study conducted by Herbal Essences, which found that smelling shampoo and conditioner is an activity Aussie women believe to be necessary, with 62 per cent claiming they wouldn’t buy a shampoo or conditioner if smelling before purchasing wasn’t an option.

However, the research found that the majority of Aussie women still felt apprehensive about “cracking the cap”, with over 1.8 million (25 per cent) stating that they would feel uncomfortable if there were a lot of people around and 2.7 million were worried (37 per cent) that someone might think they were tampering with the product.

Herbal Essences spokesperson Eunice Tan said the company wants Aussies to feel liberated to “crack the cap responsibly” before buying their shampoo and conditioner and really explore and discover the right scents for them.

“Our scents take our customers on an unforgettable journey – they are scents you can’t forget,” she said.