Building Effective Claims
In an increasingly competitive and transparency-focused cosmetics market, the credibility of product claims represents not only a regulatory requirement, but a true strategic value. In this context, clinical testing plays a key role, not only through instrumental and clinical evaluations, but also thanks to an often underestimated aspect: consumer self-assessment. Would you like to learn more?
Sunscreen: products and filters
Sunscreen is not just a trend, but a real responsibility for those who develop skincare and suncare products. Today, consumers are demanding high-performance, dermatologically safe, and environmentally friendly formulas. For this reason, cosmetics companies are called upon to invest in research, efficacy, and safety testing, developing formulations that combine performance, innovation, and environmental sustainability.
Learn more with our experts, download our publication “Sunscreen: Products and Filters” dedicated to suncare product formulation and testing!
Microplastics in cosmetics
Microplastics are a growing global concern due to their widespread presence in the environment and potential risks to human health. These tiny plastic particles, less than 5 mm in size, originate from the degradation of plastic waste, wear of synthetic materials like car tires and clothing, or are intentionally added to products like cosmetics. They have been detected in oceans, rivers, soil, food chains, and even the human body. Microplastics harm ecosystems, especially marine life, and may pose long-term risks to food security and public health. Efforts to address the issue include reducing plastic use, improving wastewater treatment, banning microplastics in cosmetics, and promoting sustainable alternatives. A coordinated global response is essential to mitigate their impact.
Detecting instability to correctly predict in vivo sunscreen performances
Photostability is essential to sunscreen effectiveness, as organic UV filters naturally degrade under sunlight. While some photodegradation is expected, instability due to filter-filter or filter-carrier interactions can accelerate SPF loss, disrupting protection. UV-B filters mainly determine SPF, but UV-A filters are critical for preventing long-term skin damage. Photoinstability may cause specific or broad-spectrum protection loss and is influenced by both the product’s composition and irradiation dose. ISO 24443:2021 now sets a maximum irradiation dose for in vitro testing, helping to benchmark photostability. Photoinstability manifests in distinct spectral patterns—flattened spectra, targeted wavelength drop, or overall absorbance loss—while stable formulations, especially with physical filters, show minimal degradation.
Synthetic musks, widely used in cosmetics, have raised safety and environmental concerns, leading to bans on certain compounds. One such substance, Versalide (AETT), was banned under EU Cosmetic Regulation EC 1223/2009 due to risks of neurotoxicity and environmental persistence. Despite the ban, it is still found in counterfeit cosmetics, often substituted for the structurally similar and legally permitted Galaxolide. To address this issue, a specialized GC/MS method is needed to rapidly and accurately identify and quantify both substances in complex cosmetic products.
Case study and method development
The use of analysis on human volunteers for the evaluation of product properties, or to support commercial claims, entails implications. In vivo testing on human volunteers for product claims, such as sunscreen water resistance, raises ethical and cost concerns, limiting its use in R&D. To address this, predictive in vitro methods are needed to simulate in vivo results efficiently and affordably. These methods must use realistic substrates, replicate in vivo conditions accurately, and avoid false results. The case study describes the development of an in vitro test for sunscreen water resistance (2016–2017), designed to mirror in vivo SPF reduction after water exposure. This validated method supports R&D and extends testing to conditions like saltwater, chlorinated water, and sweat—scenarios unsuitable for human testing.
Establishing the baseline for efficacy testing of photoprotection and/or restorative effects on ex vivo human hair.
Establishing a baseline for in vitro efficacy testing of photodamage on human hair is a key requirement in order to design tailored studies and efficiently predict performance without using human volunteers. Performing such a study in standardized laboratory conditions, while removing many confounding factors linked to behavior, metabolism or the environment, can provide a more reliable testing benchmark. In order to do so, sunlight simulations that mimic the exact proportions of outdoor conditions, and include all UV and visible wavelength contributing to the effect, are required. Using two possible sources of hair, baseline tensile strength and UV-VIS dose response can be established in order to provide the basis for complex and tailored in vitro studies. Sample size relative to the expected efficacy of a product can also be more easily determined.
By testing different type of hair in response to repeated UV-VIS exposure, the role of hair color, hair shaft thickness and conditions affecting repeatability were determined. Some variables, such a hair color, were observed to have a lesser impact that originally predicted. Irradiation doses required in order to determine a reliable, statistically significant damage on hair shafts were indeed found to be functionally independent from hair color, baseline hair shaft resistance and geographical source of the hair.
The amount of direct damage caused by UV exposure was observed to be lower than expected and to require higher doses than would be expected according to preexisting testing protocols. The observed dose/response is however more compatible with reported real-life conditions.
Do you want to know and try out the new cosmetic products on the market?
Collaborate with Abich: Become our Cosmetic Evaluator!
If you are between 18 and 65 years old, you are looking for an alternative activity for your free time and you love trying new products of main cosmetic brands, candidate yourself:
You will be contacted asap to fix a cognitive meeting and understand which products are best suited to your characteristics and needs!
Compensations depending on the commitment required and the type of test.
Cosmetic evaluators are a fundamental support for clinical research: the cosmetic studies carried out by Abich Inc are carried out in full compliance with national and international regulations and under the supervision of specialized personnel.
We look forward to see you there –> Booth 1159!
Read More
| Regulatory reference: | Proprietary method |
| Claim: | Anti-aging, Anti-wrinkle, Reduces signs of aging |
| Application field: | Raw materials and finished products. |
| Description of the test: | Blue laser skin profilometry: this technique allows you to carry out cosmetological studies of anti-wrinkle products with great reproducibility and accuracy thanks to a sophisticated instrumental and electronic set-up, which allows you to normalize the position of the volunteer and the test area in a millimetric way, an indispensable condition in conducting an anti-aging clinical study for the reduction of facial wrinkles. This clinical study allows a quantitative experimental evaluation of the anti-wrinkle effect through 2D measurements of wrinkles (Ra, Rz, LR, SPa, SPt, SPTm), and 3D (volume, average and maximum depth of wrinkles), and through quantitative morphological evaluations (mm2 of total surface covered by wrinkles). This allows the anti-wrinkle effect of any product to be assessed in the most appropriate way: immediate tensor effect, filler, firming effects (firming, toning, plumping, etc.) |
| Photo: |  |
Abich Inc. Headquarters: 5160 Décarie Boulevard Suite #330 Montréal (Québec) H3X 2H9 Canada
Copyright © 2025 Abich Inc. All rights reserved.