Microalgae are microorganisms composed of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, carotenoids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, with high nutritional value. Thus, they are potential ingredients for the growing public that follow a diet in search of healthy eating. Taste, health, and marketing are relevant factors for the food industry, and it is essential to understand consumers' perceptions about a new product before placing it to commercialization. This study aimed to evaluate the perception of consumers in relation to vegan mayonnaise based on microalgae. In an online questionnaire (CAAE 45214321.2.0000.5151), 399 participants answered questions about consumer styles and vegan products. The Word Association projective technique was used to identify the words that consumers would associate with the stimulus of the term “microalgae-based vegan mayonnaise”. Of the respondents, 58. 9% were aged between 18 and 30 years and 29.6% followed some type of diet. Through the chi-square test (p≤0.05), it was possible to observe that the low availability of vegan products is a factor that hinders the purchase of these products by people who follow some type of diet. Using the Word Association technique, 9 categories were identified. The most cited category was “Curiosity and interest” (f=149), which may be related to the low application of microalgae as an ingredient in food products. The frequencies values of “Negative expressions” (f = 116) and “Positive expressions” (f = 99) were very similar, which reflects the division between good and bad expectations regarding the new product. Despite this, the categories “Research and Innovation” and “Healthiness” had high frequencies (f=97 and f=94, respectively) indicating that people also associated with a technological product aimed at consumer health. Finally, this work identified the consumer profiles for vegan mayonnaise with microalgae and demonstrated the importance of the Word Association for the development of new products in the food industry.