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Moisturization Testing

Hydration, Moisturization, Dryness Reduction, Flakiness Reduction, D Squame and Scaliness

Hydrated Skin is Happy Skin

The natural environment can be harsh enough on the skin even without the constant bombardment of man-made pollutants and secondary concerns.

One of the single most important considerations of skin health is hydration, and it is affected by everything from our diets to the sun and the type of clothes we wear.

Protecting Your Skin Starts With a Good Foundation

While we may not be able to control all of the variables that we come into contact with each day, maintaining a consistent moisturization routine is something that is fairly easy for most people with a little bit of forethought.

Moisturization and Hydration claims can be supported in a number of different ways, and it is important to note that they can reference both immediate improvement and long-term cumulative effects.

Hydration Claims

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

  • Moisturizes the skin by up to XX%
  • Helps to soothe dry skin
  • Helps restore natural skin balance
  • Hydrates in as little as one use
  • Provides a protective barrier for the skin

Claim Support Validation Techniques

Moisturization represents both something that can be measured immediately and compared to baseline as well as something that can be measured over time.

Additionally, skin can be measured for hydration through dielectric properties such as capacitance via Corneometer or Novameter, and then there are products that can help to retain moisture over time.

Film Forming Capabilities and Barrier Protection

Retaining the skin’s moisture can be accomplished when a product forms a protective barrier or a film over the stratum corneum.

Analyzing the rate of evaporation via Tewameter as a function of relative humidity and temperature is a great way of proving that a product is indeed forming a barrier.

Film Forming Claims

  • Forms a protective barrier
  • Helps the skin retain its moisture
  • Improves Moisture Retention

Moisturization and Hydration Instrumentation

Corneometer

Measures hydration levels of the skin via dielectric properties. Useful for hydration, dry skin, and moisturization-related claims. The Corneometer is the most commonly used instrument for hydration claims in the industry and has been a staple of hydration support for 30 years.

Tewameter (TEWL)

Transepidermal Water Loss – Measures the density gradient of the water evaporation from the skin indirectly via two different sensors that are calibrated to collect temperature and humidity data inside of a hollow cylinder.

Novameter

Nova Dermal Phase Meter – Utilized to get measurements of skin surface impedance to determine the individual treatment site’s electroconductivity. This data delivers a relative measure of retained water content, which is a direct function of hydration levels in the skin.

pH and Skin Balance

Another area related to moisturization and often overlooked is the surface pH of a given product. By utilizing a pH meter, it is possible to determine if a product is impacting the skin’s natural balance, and there are a number of related secondary claims that this can lead to as well.

Percentage Reduction in the Appearance of Dry Skin

Percentage Reduction in the Appearance of Dry Skin. Validated Before and After Photography allows for the visual quantification of dry skin and hydration as a function of light, flakey or ashy image data. Relevant pixels can be calculated Before and After product application to demonstrate a quantifiable improvement in conditions, and L*A*B* values can be analyzed as well. These types of images offer an excellent counterpart to Corneometer, TEWL, and Novameter hydration measurements.

06 Dry Heel Cross Polarized

Closeup Clinical Photography of dry skin on the heal under cross-polarized lighting conditions. The heel in particular makes a wonderful dry skin improvement site for both general moisturization and targeted foot/heal scrubs alike. Cross Polarization removes the reflection noise and white shine pixels from the equation. Our convertible photography studio makes for an ideal location to shoot hard-to-reach angles and unique body parts, and our clinical photographer has extensive experience creating custom clinical photography shoots to suit individual product categories.

Foot Moisturization Assay

A wide range of body parts and treatment sites can be assessed with our proprietary clinical grade high-resolution photography. Difficult-to-capture areas such as the feet and the heels are particularly useful for visually quantifying the reduction in dry skin or an improvement in hydration. These types of images offer an excellent counterpart to Corneometer, TEWL, and Novameter hydration measurements.

Clinically Validated

Before & After Photography

Any Clinical Study can be enhanced with Validated Clinical Photography – because a quality picture is worth way more than a thousand words. Learn how we can help visually support your claims in our Before & After Gallery.


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