Are you using any skincare product? If yes, you should at least know how it is tested for efficacy. Very interesting information for your benefit! Cosmetic products packaging and advertising can sometimes promise the moon. After watching certain TV commercials, you get the impression some creams will work wonders on your skin: wrinkles will disappear and the skin will become soft and silky, just like the model in the ad. But is it true? How do they check the real effects of cosmetics? Legislation on cosmetic products requires that proof be provided for each claim made. For this reason, before a new formula is launched on the market, the manufacturing companys R&D department performs different tests, depending on the product properties they want to focus on. The claims that appear on the label and in ads must be backed by scientific studies. These tests are done in vitro (in an artificial or natural laboratory environment), in vivo (on people, never on animals) or using both methods. Finally, the results are always checked by applying the product on volunteers. Lets take a look at some of these common tests, which are always done in specialized laboratories. 1. Protective efficacy of sunscreen products To comply with regulations on the efficacy of sunscreen products and ads for these products, the following tests are done: A. Protection against ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. These in vivo tests are done on volunteers. The process involves comparing the effect of the new product being tested with that of a known standard product. Both products are applied to the volunteers backs, the area is exposed to radiation in the UVB and UVA ranges using a solar simulator and the skins response is assessed after exposure. B. Critical wavelength test. This in vitro laboratory test is used to check if a product has the right balance of UVB and UVA protection factors, as stipulated by regulations. C. Water resistance test. This test is done on volunteers. After the product is applied to their backs, it is allowed to dry for at least 15 minutes. The volunteers then go into the water for 20 minutes, come out and dry off (without a towel) for 15 minutes, and then go into the water again for another 20 minutes. Finally, their backs are exposed to radiation and the efficacy is checked. The following efficacy tests are done on volunteers. Besides instrumental studies, surveys are also used to obtain a subjective assessment from volunteers of the effects produced by the cosmetic after application. Good results in instrumental tests are worth little if users do not perceive the effect. 2. Moisturizing power Instrumental assessment is done using a corneometer, a device capable of detecting very low-level electrical currents. Moisturized skin transmits a weak electrical current better than dry skin. The skins hydration level is measured after one application (immediate efficacy) or several (accumulative efficacy). 3. Elasticity and firmness The device used in this case is the cutometer, which creates a suction effect at a defined strength for a specific length of time. After the suction effect is applied to treated and untreated skin, the level of elasticity can be determined and the skins mechanical properties can be assessed after it recovers from the suction force. This test is used by manufacturers to back up claims that their product provides a tensing effect, reaffirming efficacy, increased skin elasticity and so on. The test usually takes at least four weeks after application. 4. Effect on skin relief This efficacy test is done by analyzing high-resolution images of treated and untreated areas of the skin to check for improvements in relief, i.e. skin smoothness. Skin replicas are also used to provide 3D imaging of the topography of the skin. 5. Reduction of cellulite A specialist makes the evaluation. The anti-cellulite effect is measured based on body weight, radial measurement of the treated area (e.g. thighs) and the skins appearance. Study subjects must also follow a diet and do certain physical exercises during the efficacy test. 6. Effects on skin pigmentation These tests measure the efficacy of bleaching agents, face tanning products and products that enhance or prolong a suntan. They are based on photometric analysis before and after treatment and precisely measure the melanin index and color differences in the skin. 7. Regenerative effect This test involves staining the skin and then using optical instruments to check the speed at which the color disappears in the treated and untreated areas. The faster the color disappears, the more the skin is being regenerated. 8. Sebum regulation effect An optical instrument measures sebum levels in the treated and untreated skin areas. Two measurements are taken: a baseline measurement before cosmetic treatment begins and a measurement after either short-term or long-term treatment. 9. Sniff test This test is done by trained evaluators who score underarm odors after a single application of the product and after a certain length of time. Logically, depending on the effects being claimed and advertised by the manufacturer, most sniff test measurements are done at different times in the experiment Source: The Healthy Skin Blod
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:07:38 +0000
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