TESTING
Enhancing reliability in product evaluation
David González, Daniel Molina, Lucía Fernández, Alejandro Fernández – Dermaclaim Lab
The use of before and after data in cosmetic product evaluations has long been a cornerstone of marketing and consumer decision-making, both for percentages and images. Images serve as visual subjective testimonials, demonstrating the potential transformative effects of skin care and cosmetic products, whereas the figures and percentages are useful to objectively show the improvement of the specific assessed biomarkers and validate the marketing claims regarding to before and after (B&A) status. However, controversies surrounding
misleading claims and inconsistent representations have raised concerns about the reliability and credibility of such comparisons. To maintain accuracy and reliability, understanding and implementing best practices for conducting before and after clinical trials is imperative. Moreover, establishing common criteria among the clinical research organizations (CRO) to validate the corresponding claims, would be useful to assure all the parties adhere to the same rules, fostering transparency and building trust among consumers.
Setting the foundation: Best practices in B&A clinical trials A crucial aspect of conducting before and after clinical trials is the establishment of standardized conditions and protocols.
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Without uniform conditions at the different timepoints for testing, data might not be valid, with the difference in the experimental conditions interfering in the analysis of results and conclusions. Consistency in lighting, background, and
camera settings is vital to ensure uniformity in the images captured before and after product usage. Using a controlled environment minimizes variables that could impact the appearance of the skin or features. Small differences such as manual or
automatic flashes, open or close room doors,
presence or absence of windows, can provoke big differences when analyzed in detail. Similarly, encouraging participants to adopt similar neutral poses and facial expressions helps accurately compare features in before and after photos. Avoiding exaggerated facial expressions is crucial, as these may misrepresent the true effects of the product. Having or not an extra screen showing the picture obtained in the baseline visit could make the difference. Using high-resolution and unaltered images, together with official colour charts, ensures that the true
Figure 1: Ensuring uniform image conditions. Difference in the experimental conditions for image acquisition is one of the major problems in cosmetic clinical testing. In this example, we can observe several differences in the before (left) and after (right) image conditions, leading to misinterpretation and misleading conclusions.
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Figure 2: Using innovative technologies. Relying on innovative instrumental technologies such as 3D equipment (AEVA-HE with VisioTop 500 Bench is shown) improves the sensitivity and reliability of the findings, grounding results in empirical objective data and not only on clinical scores or subjective evaluations
January 2025 PERSONAL CARE
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