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Consumer Trials
What is a consumer trial?
Also called “user trials” or “perception studies”, this involves the consumer evaluating the product at home. Consumer trials work best for subjective/sensory claims – for example, how the product makes the skin look, feel etc. Consumer trials are also a great way to provide consumer research data and evaluate how they respond to your product (e.g. would they buy the product, what did they like, what did they dislike). These types of questions can help brands with future developments and product positioning. Because of this, consumer trials are probably one of the most “accessible” for all brands.
How is a consumer trial carried out?
Participant panels will typically range from 30 – 100 participants, recruited specifically to match the target audience of the product in question. They are given the product blind (e.g. no branding, or affiliated information), removing the potential for bias. During the trial, participants are asked to use the product as directed and provide feedback via questionnaires at set time points during use – mostly asking them to rate how much they agree/disagree with a set claim. The aim is to achieve >70% positivity/agreement per claim – this is the level at which results are deemed statistically significant.
You will often see results from a consumer trial as: 'XX% agree that their skin felt smooth after that their skin felt smooth after using this cream for 3 weeks' or similar.
Clinical Studies
What is a clinical study?
A clinical study relates to product testing that has been carried out under strict clinical conditions and normally under the supervision of a qualified professional. This type of testing is appropriate for objective claims, i.e. those that need to be measured, but a consumer wouldn’t be able to do themselves (e.g. product increases skin moisturisation by XX%). However, due to the level of professional involvement, these are some of the most expensive tests to complete – making clinical testing cost-prohibitive in some cases. You’re unlikely to see these for all products.
How is a clinical study carried out?
For cosmetics, these are predominantly in-vivo (on actual live humans, not isolated cells). Participants are recruited according to strict exclusion/inclusion criteria (usually between 30 – 50 participants) and results are taken before, during, and at the end of the trial period (anything from 12 hours, up to 12 weeks depending on the type of test being carried out).
Clinical testing covers a variety of methods including instrumental measurements and expert grading. The method will be determined by the claim you are trying to make. For example, if you want to evaluate skin hydration you could opt for a corneometer study, where a scientific probe is used to measure skin hydration. Whereas when assessing irritation potential, you would opt for a patch test – where results are assessed by a qualified evaluator to ensure they are consistent according to a set scale. On the other hand, you may use a combination of both instrumental and expert grading in one study to assess a product's effect on skin ageing.
'Clinical testing is often seen as the gold standard (because results are proven via a scientific methods.'
Is one better than the other?
Both types have their benefits and their drawbacks. While clinical testing is often seen as the gold standard (because results are proven via scientific methods), it is not always possible depending on the target claim. It is important that brands determine the most appropriate testing plan based on their product, target audience and target claims. Where appropriate, best practice would be to use a combination of both – clinical studies show the product performs as planned and then consumer trials support this by showing that the consumer will perceive the effect during use. Just because the brand isn’t shouting about a specific clinical study, does not mean that product in question is bad/ineffective.
It should be noted that the terms “clinical” and “consumer” when describing testing are not interchangeable. This is sometimes unclear based on how a brand may choose to present the results to the consumer. Results from a consumer trial should not be described as “clinically proven”. Always look for the caveats – these should be presented with the data and will help identify key points about the study (e.g. how many people are involved, type of people, length of trial etc).
Words by Charlie Pearce BSc (Biochemistry) — Senior Regulatory & Science Manager, Skin Rocks.
