Expert grading turns what a trained eye sees and a trained hand feels into a number that can be compared over time. It is one of the most useful tools for cosmetic claims, and one of the easiest to weaken. Grading from photos a panelist took at home looks similar on paper, but it leaves out half of what a grader is trained to assess.
Some attributes can only be graded by touch
Our grading scales include attributes that are judged with the hands, not the eyes: skin softness, elasticity and suppleness, for example. A grader assesses them by feel, on a defined scale, at every visit. No photo, however sharp, can show how skin springs back when pressed or how smooth it feels.
Visual attributes depend on light and angle
Fine lines, pore appearance, radiance, tone evenness and dark circles are visual, but they are not fixed. Raking light deepens lines; flat light hides them. A slight turn of the head changes how pores and texture read. In our clinic, the grader controls the light, the panelist’s position and the viewing distance, and keeps them the same at every visit. A photo taken in a bathroom or by a window records whatever the light was at that moment.
Anchored scales and the same grader
Each efficacy attribute is scored on a 10-point scale with a written description at each end, so every grade has the same meaning. The same trained grader scores the same panelist at baseline and at each follow-up visit, and each score is compared with that panelist’s own baseline.
Our graders are trained through a structured training plan and training matrix, including hands-on correlation with our Clinical Research Manager, who has more than 21 years of hands-on skin and hair grading experience. You can see example scales on our Expert Clinical Grading page.
Where photos fit
Photos are valuable evidence, when they are taken under controlled conditions. In our studies, images are captured in a dedicated studio with fixed lighting and positioning, and they sit alongside the in-person grading rather than replacing it. Together they give you a number you can claim and an image you can show. See how our studio works on the Before and After Photography page.
Read more in How a VCS study works, or contact our team to plan a grading study.
