How a VCS study works
You tell us the claim. We measure it in person. Every VCS study runs in our FDA registered and inspected lab in Teaneck, NJ: panelists come to us, our trained graders assess them in the same controlled rooms at every visit, and our instruments and photography studio record what changes.
Plan the claim and the protocol
We start from the claim you want to make and work back to the study that can support it: the endpoints, the panel size, the visit schedule and the methods. You get a written protocol to approve before anything starts.
Ethics review
When a study needs IRB review, we prepare and submit it to Allendale IRB, our external review board, within the planning timeline. Every study gets an informed consent document written for the panelist, in plain language.
Studies with ingestible products, and those testing approved OTC active ingredients for claims such as acne, hair growth, or eczema and psoriasis, must be tested at FDA registered sites. A decentralized, at-home study cannot meet that condition.
Your product arrives
You complete a sample submission form with storage, use and return instructions. Deliveries go to a restricted sample room, where trained staff inspect, code and log every container. Stored product is temperature monitored, and we tell you if a reading goes out of range.
Recruit and screen
We match panelists from our database to your inclusion and exclusion criteria, and our staff meet and onboard each one in person before enrollment. Eligibility is confirmed by our team in the clinic, not only by an online questionnaire, which keeps enrollment criteria consistent and screens out panelists who simply want to take part and get paid. Each panelist signs informed consent before their first visit.
In-clinic visits
At every visit, panelists wash the test area with a standard gentle cleanser and acclimate for at least 15 minutes in a room held at 20 to 24 °C (68 to 75 °F) and 30 to 70% relative humidity. Then, in the same conditions every time:
- a trained expert grader assesses the skin or hair in person, on anchored scales;
- calibrated instruments measure hydration, barrier function, elasticity, color and more;
- our photographer captures images in a dedicated studio with fixed lighting, camera settings and positioning;
- panelists answer the study questionnaire electronically in Datacapt.
Staff also ask about any change in health at every visit, and any reaction is recorded and reported.
Quality review
Before a report is released, our Quality Department checks the study from end to end: the protocol against your quote, every consent form, product-use records, and the raw data against every results table.
Your report
You receive a final report with the methods, the statistics and the results behind each claim, plus study images where the protocol includes photography. The data belongs to you.
In-clinic or at home: what changes in the data
At-home studies are fast and convenient, and they are a good fit for some consumer perception claims. But when a claim says a product measurably improves skin or hair, where and how it was measured decides whether the claim holds up.
| VCS in-clinic study | Typical at-home study | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is measured | Our Teaneck lab, at every visit | Each participant’s home |
| Conditions | Room held at 20 to 24 °C and 30 to 70% relative humidity, after a standard wash and at least 15 minutes of acclimation | Whatever the home is that day: heating, air conditioning, a recent shower, the time of day, and indoor and outdoor lighting |
| Who assesses the skin | A trained expert grader, in person, on anchored scales | The participant’s own rating, or a reviewer looking at photos the participant took on a device, outside controlled conditions |
| Instruments | Calibrated, qualified instruments for hydration, barrier, elasticity, color and more | Usually none for skin |
| Photography | A dedicated studio and a professional photographer, with fixed lighting, camera settings and positioning | A phone or tablet, in the participant’s own light and at their own angle |
| Why panelists take part | Paid for their time; in most studies, test product is reconciled and returned or disposed of at the end | Compensation can include keeping the product |
| Data checks | Raw data checked against every results table before release, in validated, audit-trailed systems | Varies by provider |
Why controlled conditions matter
Skin responds to its surroundings within minutes. Hydration, oil, redness and barrier readings all shift with room temperature, humidity and what the skin was exposed to beforehand. Holding every visit to the same room conditions, after the same wash and acclimation, means the change we measure comes from the product, not the weather, the wind or the outside environment.
Why graders assess in person
Several of the attributes on our scales cannot be judged from a photo at all: softness, elasticity and suppleness are graded by touch. Even visual attributes such as fine lines, pores and radiance depend on light and angle, which a grader controls in the room and a participant’s photo does not. Lighting, temperature and humidity can change how skin looks more than many topical products do, so they have to be controlled.
Why we pay panelists instead of giving them product
A panelist who gets to keep a product they like has a reason to like it. Our panelists are paid for their time through ClinCard, whatever they think of the product, so their questionnaire answers have nothing riding on the result. In most studies, panelists return unused product for controlled disposal at the end, which removes another source of bias.
Why photography needs a studio
A before and after image is only evidence if the only thing that changed is the skin. In our studio the lighting, camera settings and panelist positioning are fixed by procedure for every visit. Phone and tablet apps keep improving, but they cannot fix the light in someone’s bathroom or the angle they hold the camera.
Planning a study?
Tell us the claim you want to make, and we will send a written proposal for the study that can support it within 48 hours. No NDA is needed for a first conversation; we sign one before you share formulas or confidential data.
FAQ
How a VCS Study Works: frequently asked questions
Can I add a consumer perception questionnaire to a clinical study?
Yes. Most VCS studies pair expert grading or instruments with a panelist questionnaire, so one study supports both measured claims, such as a percentage reduction in the look of fine lines, and perception claims, such as the share of panelists who agreed their skin looks smoother.
Why not just run the study at home? It is faster.
For some perception-only claims, an at-home design can work. For claims about measurable change, such as hydration, wrinkles, redness or elasticity, the readings depend on controlled conditions, calibrated instruments and in-person grading that a home cannot provide.
How long does a VCS study take?
Most studies take 4 to 8 weeks from quote to first visit, including the protocol, IRB review and recruitment. The in-clinic phase is set by the protocol, and the final report follows 3 to 4 weeks after the last visit. Topline data can be delivered in as little as 2 weeks at an extra charge.
Do panelists know which product they are testing?
That depends on the protocol. Products are coded on arrival, and we can run blinded and placebo-controlled designs.
Who owns the data?
You do. The report, the data and the study images, where included, are delivered to you.
Can I visit the lab?
Yes. Sponsors are welcome to tour the lab and audit our quality system.
