“Test for your claim” was one of the key points raised at the Cosmetics Cluster UK Summer Testing conference, on the 18 July at the BioCity in Nottingham.
Over 40 delegates, plus exhibitors from across the supply chain, listened to industry experts take them on a testing journey.
Starting with Key trends from Daniel Whitby at Lake Personal Care, to animal free testing from Carol Treasure, XCellr8.
The personal care and cosmetics market moves incredibly quickly and one of the challenges that formulators face is how to keep up with current trends, whilst keeping regulators and advertising standards happy by substantiating their claims with robust tests.
Rather than using anti-ageing, new powerful terms such as perceived age, healthy skin and wellness are now popular with marketeers, but how do you prove the products effectiveness to get it on to the shelves?
Daniel Whitby discussed the consumer view, that over 95 percent of consumers expect a skin care product to deliver on its promise, yet nearly 40 percent of consumers expressed disappointment.
The digital age is to become a key trend with consumers, devices that colour match, test the condition of the skin and hair plus beauty mirrors are all available on the market and designed to provide personalised information to consumers about their personal care routines.
“In order to test for your claim, you need to get the formulation right at the product brief,” says Steve Barton, Director of Skin Thinking, “putting in the ingredient doesn’t make it happen.”
“Testing has a legal impact but more so a commercial impact, so if your product states that its moisturising, it has to be moisturising.”
Stewart Long, CEO of skin care specialists company Cutest, confirmed: “The tests have to be credible and backed up by published information, your own clinical tests and ideally consumer trials.”
Carol Treasure founder of XcellR8 added: “Just because a test is in vitro, doesn’t mean its animal free, there could be animals derived components within the tests, there is a long way to go to educate the consumer as to what animal free testing truly means.
“The questions we should be asking is how the products are tested and are they safe”.
Steve Barton added: “Sharing the stage with other experts in the field is always thought-provoking and enhances common understanding of the challenges and opportunities the cosmetics industry faces in the future.”
Gill Westgate, chair of the Cosmetics Cluster, concluded: “It was an inspiring and exciting day with a great balance of lectures and networking, a privilege to have such leaders in the testing world all together in the room".
Joyce Ryan, who wrapped up the conference, said: “Its important to remember that as well as ensuring you can substantiate your claim, that you take into account the other sensory elements to a personal care product, the texture, the feel, the smell are all important elements of a commercially viable product.”
The event was sponsored by the Cosmetics Cluster partner Siemens UK and The University of Bradford.