If you’ve ever wondered does skincare actually work? or you may have come across the terms clinical trials and consumer trials in the beauty world and wondered what they mean. We’re here to break it and shed a bit of light. These two types of trials play distinct roles in testing skincare products and ensuring their effectiveness.
What Are Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials focus on scientifically measuring a product’s performance using precise and controlled methods. These trials aim to provide measurable, unbiased results to confirm a product’s effectiveness.
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How They Work:
Clinical trials use a range of techniques to assess changes in the skin, including: -
Instrumental measurements (e.g., specialised devices to measure hydration, elasticity, or firmness).
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Imaging, such as before-and-after photos.
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Expert evaluations conducted by professionals.
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Key Features:
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A smaller group of participants, typically 20–35 people, is selected based on specific criteria related to the product being tested.
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Controlled conditions ensure accurate and reliable results.
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Measurements are taken at scheduled intervals to track progress over time.
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Example: For anti-ageing products, clinical trials focus on participants with visible wrinkles to ensure meaningful results.
What Are User Trials?
User trials (also called consumer trials) provide insights into how people feel about a product, focusing on real-world feedback from volunteers.
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How They Work:
Volunteers try the product at home and share their opinions after a set period, typically by answering questionnaires. These trials assess the product’s usability and how well customers think it works. -
Key Features:
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Larger groups of participants—usually over 60 —are involved to represent a diverse customer base. Our MAYDI+™ user trials were conducted on 80 women aged 45 years and over.
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Volunteers evaluate the product without knowing the brand, which ensures unbiased opinions.
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Feedback is converted into percentages to make claims like “96% of users agree this product hydrates skin.”
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Real-Life Approach:
Consumer trials mimic typical product usage, providing insights into how customers will experience the product outside a controlled lab environment.
Does Skincare Actually Work if it's ‘Clinically Proven’?
If a product is clinically proven, it means it has undergone rigorous clinical trials conducted by an independent testing lab, often using specialist skin testing equipment to measure the changes to the skin over time. These trials confirm the product delivers on its promises.
For example, our Renewal Day Cream is clinically proven to improve skin firmness, and this result has been scientifically validated under controlled conditions.
Why Does MAYDI+™ Conduct Both Clinical and User Trials?
While there’s no legal requirement to conduct trials before launching a skincare product, at MAYDI+™, we go above and beyond to ensure our products deliver exceptional results.
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Why Clinical Trials Matter:
They provide the hard data and scientific backing to prove our products perform as intended. -
Why User Trials Matter:
They reflect the experiences of real people using our products in their daily lives, ensuring we meet our customers’ expectations.
The rigorous methods, expertise, and independent oversight involved in both types of trials are a significant brand investment, but we believe it’s worth it. These trials ensure our products live up to our high standards and yours. They also give us the confidence to market the products knowing they work and will give the results women are seeking.
At MAYDI+™, we are committed to creating skincare you can trust—proven by science and loved by customers.