Clinical Testing for Anti Aging and Wrinkle Reduction Products

Fine Lines And Wrinkles Reduction, Photo Aging, Anti Aging Testing

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Published by our sponsorsSee case studies

Mineral sunscreen whitening study, NCT05565625 ↗

Skin hydration and health study ↗

18-week hyperpigmentation study, NCT07136766 ↗

12-week eye cream study, NCT05807620 ↗

Face at baseline and T4 showing fine lines and wrinkles

Anti-Aging Claim Substantiation And Clinical Study Support

The Anti-Aging Clinical Testing market is huge both domestically and internationally, and with the right claim support your product could become a market leader generating tens of millions in revenue.

See under-eye and crow’s feet cases in the gallery →

What is Clinical Anti Aging Testing all about?

The continuous bombardment of UV radiation from the sun, high density pollutants from global manufacturing, the daily use of other products, and the wide range of environmental variables make it an uphill battle for consumers to try and stay looking their best.

The Anti-Aging space involves a wide range of claims that are designed to make consumers look and feel younger and more vibrant.

Types of Anti-Aging Conditions

Typically, we recommend supporting an Anti-Aging claim with a minimum of 2-3 of the following specific underlying conditions showing improvement:

Wrinkle Reduction
Fine Lines
Skin Toning and Evenness
Age Spot and Hyperpigmentation Reduction
Under Eye Bag Reduction
Skin Firmness and Elasticity
Pore Size Reduction
Moisturization
Skin Smoothness
Increased Collagen

There are many additional claims that relate to Anti-Aging and this list is just a start. It is also important to note that all of the above terms also reflect back to other secondary claims which can be made as well.

The Best Defense is Long Term Prevention

When formulating a well-rounded anti-aging product, don’t forget that other parameters such as SPF and broad spectrum claims can be considered as well.

Jawline and neck at baseline and week 12

Is Anti-Aging an “FDA Approved” Claim for Consumer Products?

Short answer: no.

Outside of OTC monographs specifically posted by the FDA (SPF, Dandruff Control, Acne, Antiperspirant, etc) the FDA does not directly approve of methods or products in the skincare and cosmetic realm.

The responsibility falls on the brand and the manufacturer to ensure that sufficient clinical data is available to back up any statements made on product packaging, labels, or in secondary marketing materials. At the international level, specifically in Japan with the JCIA and “wrinkle reduction” claims, there are a number of exceptions to this rule, but generally speaking, Anti-Aging claims fall into the beauty care realm and thus have a number of different viable support methodologies.

While there is no posted standard for how to go about supporting Anti-Aging claims, the industry as a whole has a number of “best practices” in place which we can help you implement.

Just because particular claims are not directly referenced by the FDA or other agencies does not mean that they don’t have full regulatory oversight on the final products. In addition, the competitors in the marketplace along with retailers, distributors, and consumers all have a vested interest in assuring nobody over-steps when it comes to claims.

In practice, most “challenges” to claims come from competitor submissions, and it is incredibly important that you Validate and Support your label Claims to avoid expensive litigation and forced market withdrawals.

Sample Anti-Aging Claims

VCS can help support a wide range of label claims that consumers want from their skincare and makeup providers in these areas including:

Supports Maintaining a Youthful Appearance
Reduction In the Appearance of Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Improvement In Skin Firmness
Radiant, Even Skin Tone
Reduction in the appearance of Age Spots
Reduction in the appearance of undereye puffiness
Anti-Aging
Healthy, Youthful Appearance

Claim Support Validation Consumer Product Testing Techniques

Claims can be supported by a combination of the following techniques:

Clinical Photography
Biophysical Instrumentation
Expert Clinical Grading
Subjective Questionnaires

Wrinkle Reduction and Fine Line Improvement

Perhaps the most common and direct line of claim support for anti-aging comes in the form of Wrinkle and Fine Line reduction. By working to make these conditions less visible or by working on properties of the skin such as elasticity and firmness, it’s possible for a product to make its users appear younger and more youthful.

Wrinkles and Fine Lines Reduction are a particularly common theme with anti-aging products, and with the right clinical support it is possible to state hard, percentage based claims or softer, subjective claims as well.

Sample Wrinkle and Fine Line Claims

Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
Reduces the appearance of crow’s feet and laugh lines
Visible reduction of up to XX%
Makes skin appear more youthful and vibrant

Skin Tone & Evenness Claims

Time can take a serious toll on your skin. Many different factors lead to a prevalence of age spots or different hyperpigmentation related conditions, and some people are more susceptible to them than others.

One thing for certain is that with a consistent and well thought through skincare routine it is possible to prevent and reduce the underlying conditions which can lead to the appearance of aging skin.

VCS can help support a wide range of label claims that consumers want from their skincare and makeup providers in these areas including:

Reduces the Appearance of Age Spots
Helps Reduce Hyperpigmentation
Helps Promote Even Skin Tone
Reduces Inflammation and Redness
Helps Restore Skin’s Natural Healthy Glow

If your product can help even the skin tone or reduce the appearance of redness or generally troubled skin, let us help you demonstrate its efficacy with our proprietary Validated Clinical Photography.

Clinical photography

Before & After Photography: Custom Teaneck NJ Studio

Clinically Validated, High Resolution Before and After Images and Analysis Over Time. Validated Claim Support uses high-resolution clinical photography to document how a product performs over a treatment timeline or product usage cycle.

See our before and after photography Get a quote See the gallery

BaselineWeek 2

Redness reduction: 44% less redness from baseline to week 2. The lower circle shows the average skin color in the treated area. Drag to compare.

Before and after case studies

Hair Growth Efficacy And Clinical Density Improvement →

Hair Density And Hair Growth Clinical Imaging Side Profile →

Acne lesion, baseline compared with result

Full Face Acne Reduction Lesions With Analysis →

Dry Scalp And Dandruff Improvement Clinical Study Photo →

Anti-Aging, Wrinkle Reduction And Clinical Claim Support Imaging →

Full Face Before And After Anti-Aging And Fine Line Reduction →

Pore Size Reduction Clinical Photograph →

Blemish redness, baseline compared with day 3

High Resolution Redness Reduction →

Expert Clinical Grading

Trained graders score visible change

Supports claims like “Clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles”

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Biomarkers and Microbiome

Tape strips, swabs and collections

Supports claims like “Microbiome friendly” and “Won’t disrupt the skin’s natural microbiome”

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Biophysical Instrumentation

Hydration, TEWL, elasticity, color

Supports claims like “Hydrates by up to 87% in as little as one use”

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Peer-Reviewed Writing

Clinical and scientific publications

Scientifically validated study summaries for publication in peer-reviewed medical journals

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Before and After Photography

Controlled, reproducible clinical imaging

Supports claims like “Up to a 44% reduction in redness in as little as 2 weeks”

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Consumer Perception

Panelist questionnaires and self-assessment

Supports claims such as “97% of women agreed their skin felt smoother and more supple”

Learn more →

From the VCS blog

The 8 types of wrinklesWhat causes each type and how treatments are evaluated.Read more →Essential factors to evaluate skincareWhat to measure when you evaluate a face cream or facial serum.Read more →

Where to next

Keep exploring

Back toTests and Claims RelatedCosmetic Claim Support RelatedDeodorant and Antiperspirant Claims Plan your budgetPricing

Start a Conversation About Your Product Study

Tell us about your product, your intended claims, and your timeline. Our business development team will review your needs and follow up with a customized proposal, typically within one business day. There is no cost for the initial consultation or study design review.

Get a quote Call (201) 331-9300

FAQ

Anti-Aging Claims: frequently asked questions

How does Validated Claim Support test anti-aging products?

Validated Claim Support supports anti-aging claims with a combination of clinical photography, biophysical instrumentation, expert clinical grading and subjective questionnaires. Depending on the claim, a study can measure improvements in wrinkles and fine lines, firmness and elasticity, skin tone, age spots, pores, moisturization, smoothness, undereye bags or collagen.

How many skin conditions should an anti-aging claim be based on?

Validated Claim Support typically recommends supporting an anti-aging claim with improvement in a minimum of 2 to 3 specific underlying conditions, such as wrinkle reduction, fine lines, skin tone and evenness, age spots, undereye bags, firmness and elasticity, pore size, moisturization, smoothness or increased collagen.

Is "anti-aging" an FDA approved claim?

No. Outside the OTC monographs the FDA publishes, such as SPF, dandruff control, acne and antiperspirant, the FDA does not directly approve methods or products in skincare and cosmetics. The brand and manufacturer are responsible for having sufficient clinical data to back up any statement on packaging, labels or marketing materials.

Why does clinical support for anti-aging claims matter?

Products still face full regulatory oversight, and competitors, retailers, distributors and consumers all have an interest in claims that do not overstep. In practice, most challenges to claims come from competitor submissions, so validating your label claims helps you avoid expensive litigation and forced market withdrawals.

What anti-aging claims can VCS help support?

Validated Claim Support can help support claims such as "Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles," "Reduces the appearance of crow's feet and laugh lines," "Improvement in skin firmness," "Radiant, even skin tone," "Reduction in the appearance of age spots," "Reduction in the appearance of undereye puffiness" and "Visible reduction of up to XX%."

Can anti-aging studies support percentage-based claims?

Yes. With the right clinical support, wrinkle and fine line studies can state hard, percentage-based claims as well as softer, subjective claims. Validated Claim Support combines objective methods such as instrumentation, expert grading and photographic analysis with consumer questionnaires to support both.

Should an anti-aging product also carry sun protection claims?

It can be worth considering. When formulating a well-rounded anti-aging product, Validated Claim Support notes that parameters such as SPF and broad spectrum claims can be considered as well, since long-term prevention is the best defense against visible aging.