You’re looking at 2 different moisturizers, and one of them is ‘clinically tested’.
It says, for example, that 90% of participants noticed better hydration, which sounds like it’s exactly what you need for your dehydrated skin. And when you look at just the percentage – 90% – without any context attached, it sounds amazing. But you don’t actually know how many participants were involved in product testing. And then you go a step further, and you realize that ‘better’ is VERY ambiguous, and it could mean a lot of different things.
Basically, that label doesn’t tell you enough information to judge how effective the moisturizer is as of right now, although you may’ve understood it as some sort of evidence that this particular moisturizer works.
The best approach here is to first figure out what that label (actually) means. And to do that, you need to connect two things – what the packaging promises and the product testing method/results.
What Was Tested (and How)?
A moisturizer is supposed to moisturize. It’s obvious. And there’s usually a label or claim attached to the product that backs that claim in some shape or form to reassure consumers about the product’s quality.
And when you see the claim that it was clinically tested, it might lead you to assume that someone in a lab coat checked and confirmed that it moisturizes. But as reasonable as it sounds, it may not be the case.
What you need to check is whether that’s what the test covered, because researchers may have only checked whether it irritates people’s skin.
There’s yet another detail to check, and that’s whether the study tested that very cream you’re about to buy.
The brand might present a claim that a particular ingredient has been extensively researched, but what the consumers don’t know is which formula was used, or whether there’s a higher/lower concentration of it – it’s things like that that typically remain nontransparent.
It’s pretty much like a recipe for a cake: just because you know you’re using the best possible chocolate doesn’t mean the cake is going to turn out well or even edible, especially if you change the amount of chocolate.
Clarity
And just to be clear, that doesn’t (necessarily) mean that ingredient research is worthless because it isn’t. It just means that you need a reason to expect the findings also apply to this particular product.
You also want to see what happened during testing because a product can go through a study without delivering the benefit that’s advertised. And, sadly, the words on the bottle don’t tell you whether that happened.
Look up the study/research and analyze it if you want to get realistic pictures.
If all you see on the page is a percentage but you have nothing you can trace it back to, ask the company for the research behind it.
Details That Can Change What a Study Means
If you’re able to find the study, you should check the details in it to really understand what you can expect from the product.
Who Took Part?
Dry skin needs a different skincare routine than normal or oily skin, so if the study involved people with combination skin or mild dryness, then you can’t be 100% certain the results will apply to people with more severe skin dryness.
You can also look at how many people started and how many people finished the study because if it was only a small group, that still leaves a lot of question marks.
And if you see that some people dropped out of the study, check WHY.
What Was the Comparison?
Let’s say the product claims the following: “Softer skin in 2 weeks.”
What about the people who didn’t use the cream? Their skin may’ve improved, too, because the weather changed or they stopped using a harsh cleanser. In other words, a claim like this won’t tell you whether the moisturizer was responsible for the improvement or not.
A comparison group helps researchers work out how much difference the product made, so check whether the other group used a placebo or another moisturizer.
What Counted as Improvement?
You could get softer skin by using a salicylic acid serum, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your skin will be more hydrated
So, what you can do is check what counts as ‘improvement’.
Did the participants’ skin feel softer? Was there evidence of fewer dry patches? Less flaking? What about tightness? Did the moisture levels rise?
Maybe you’re even looking at a claim that’s being challenged in court.
Here’s a quick example of what could happen:
A consumer is suing a skincare product company because they’re claiming that the product’s advertised benefits aren’t supported by any scientific evidence. If this were the case, the attorneys may use a firm that specializes in finding and screening expert witnesses across a range of disciplines.
This way, they can find someone who’s qualified to assess the science behind a specific claim and to help determine whether the scientific evidence actually supports the advertised benefits. With these findings, the legal team can then assess how strong (or weak) the plaintiff’s claim is and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Either way, a claim like ‘90% saw results’ is very vague and doesn’t really tell you much (if anything at all).
How Long Did the Testing Last?
A good moisturizer should work through your normal week.
That means wearing makeup, washing your face, using active ingredients like acids and retinoids, sitting in a heated room, etc. If the test was conducted an hour after one application, it’s not exactly worthless, but it’s far from ideal if you’re looking to find out how well the product performs over several days/weeks.
What needs to be checked is how often people use the product. Also, for how long? Because a product might start working after a certain period of continuous use. There are lots of reasons why this is important.
Conclusion
None of this means you should spend 2 days reading research to buy a moisturizer.
That said, if you’re choosing something expensive just because it’s ‘clinically tested’, you should know what that claim is based upon. Sometimes, you’ll find more than enough evidence that’ll give you a reason to buy.
Other times, you’ll change your mind and buy something cheaper because you’ll find that it’s pretty much the same thing as the expensive stuff.