As we’ve discussed before, we’re firm believers that clinical trials are among the best investments you can make for your brand (not that we’re biased.) Clinical research is the best way to create scientifically backed claims that let your customers know they can trust your product and all of the ingredients in it. Especially when it comes to skincare, transparency about ingredients and how they work “in-action” is vital to potential consumers.
Getting started with clinical research is also a lot simpler than you might think -- if you’re not sure where to start, you can check out our overview of the different clinical trial study designs available to evaluate skincare and supplements, here.
One great example of skincare clinical trials in action is Doctor Roger’s skincare. Doctor Roger’s offers healing skincare that has been deemed a “Wonder Healer” by Goop and given the official stamp of approval from the National Eczema Association. Disclaimer: We have not worked with Doctor Roger’s on any of their research. We are big fans of their work and our goal is to showcase in this post how Dr. Roger’s uses clinical trials to their advantage.
Dr. Roger’s invested in a third-party lab clinical research initiative for their Healing Balm, a versatile product suitable for highly sensitized post-procedure skin, soothing severely chapped lips, or adding a subtle sheen to your cheeks. The trials revealed that their Healing Balm outperformed many other commercially available petroleum-based ointments -- a claim they now get to use to market their product to people seeking the best of the best in skincare.
Dr. Rogers chose to put their RESTORE Healing Balm through the wringer with a variety of skincare clinical trials. These kinds of clinical trials are impressive but not totally necessary for brands with lower budgets who still want to produce clinically backed claims. To read more about affordable options and Consumer Perceptions studies, go here.
For starters, they used Challenge testing in a third-party impartial lab to inoculate samples of the product with strands of common bacteria to ensure unwanted growth is prohibited by the ingredients.
Then, the company used Stability testing to make sure none of the product’s properties would change after 3 months under warmer temperature conditions.
Dr. Roger’s repeated the stability test across two years as well, to make sure their product would remain stable for two years on the shelf.
Finally, they tested for potential allergic reactions or sensitivity issues by conducting repeat insult patch testing on over 50 human subjects -- no reaction was discovered.
Now, Dr. Roger’s gets to claim that their products are comprised of simple, hypo-allergenic ingredients that are shelf-stable and actually work for consumers.
Dr. Roger’s Philosophy is that: “Our products are formulated solely to support the skin to achieve amazing results by using the fewest possible ingredients that are hypoallergenic, plant-derived and thoroughly studied.”
Luckily for them, they’ve done more than enough clinical research to claim these things and more.
According to a consumer report on Food Supplements published by the UK Food Standards Agency in 2018, “Consumers were concerned about the provenance and or adulteration of products bought online – although primarily the assumption was that a product was more likely to be pointless than dangerous.”
This is common feedback for skincare and supplement products, and it is best mitigated by brands providing clear scientific claims and creating an action plan to implement clinical trials into their overall strategy.
Claims like Dr. Roger’s go a long way in reassuring customers about your skincare products and can be achieved at a range of budgets and time frames.
Dr. Roger’s promotes their clinical research claims in every product description, and with 450 and counting five-star reviews, something seems to be working. “We make products exclusively with ingredients that are effective in our goal of restoring and maintaining healthy and radiant skin.”
Want to learn how you can create research-backed product claims as well?
Citruslabs provides a simple and affordable way to prove that your products actually work. At Citruslabs, we design a clinical trial that is right for you and your budget, so that you can start sharing research-backed product claims without spending a fortune. We offer the cohesive planning and management required to conduct successful clinical trials, from start to finish. Ready to get started? Let's talk! You can contact us here.