Services

With our expertise in claim support and cosmetic industry knowledge, the Skin Test Institute delivers a superior service to worldwide companies.

Efficacy studies

Our in vivo efficacy tests provide evidence to validate general or specific claims of a product and give valuable feedback for marketing and product development. 

Efficacy is a crucial concern for producing and marketing a cosmetic product. International and national legislations require that efficacy claims such as “hydrates the skin”, “reduces the appearance of cellulite” or “anti-wrinkle product” should be validated scientifically.

Our in vivo efficacy tests provide evidence to validate general or specific claims of a product and give valuable feedback for marketing and product development by using high end imaging and measuring equipment, advanced statistical analyses and IT materials.

To meet your specific requirements for your product, we advise you to select the right study. Feel free to contact us for further information.

Clinical grading

Experts grade the skin with objective and scientific rigor according to a specific scale by touching, feeling and observing. Clinical grading helps to support claims related to product performance such as improvements of wrinkles, dryness, healthy look, roughness or pigmentation disorders.

Clinical grading is a scientific approach to evaluate the performance of a product. Experts grade the skin with objective and scientific rigor according to a specific scale by touching, feeling and observing.

Our clinical grading helps to support claims related to product performance such as improvements of wrinkles, dryness, healthy look, roughness or pigmentation disorders. With its cumulative experience and meticulous training, the Skin Test Institute provides accurate assessment of the skin status that no other instrument is able to provide.

To meet your specific requirements for your product, we advise you regarding the right clinical grading. Feel free to contact us for further information.

Types of claims

Acne / Blemishes, Anti-dryness, Anti-hair regrowth / Depilation, Black heads, Complexion improvement, Couperose / Redness / Rosacea, Dandruff, Dark circles, Depigmenting / Lightening / Whitening, Firming, Lifting, Moisturising / Hydrating, Nail growth stimulation, Puffiness / Eye bags, Roughness, Smoothing, Wrinkle reduction

Sensory evaluations

Sensory evaluations help to guide the development of new products or to compare them with competing products (benchmark) by translating consumer’s perceptions by means of objective methods. 

Sensory evaluation is a scientific discipline that analyses and evaluates human responses (e.g. appearance, smell, texture, touch…) for the purpose of evaluating products from the side of the consumers.

Sensory evaluations help to guide the development of new products or to compare them with competing products (benchmark) by translating consumer’s perceptions by means of objective methods. We can assess different parameters such as moisturization, smoothness, sense of well-being of the skin, irritation and redness, healthy look, etc.

Our sensory evaluations are performed with qualified volunteer panel groups. Especially designed questionnaires and statistics are used. Volunteers are selected according to their profile including age, sex, origin, skin type, consuming habits, and interest towards the evaluated product(s).

To meet you specific requirements for your product, we advise you regarding the right sensory evaluation. Feel free to contact us for further information.

Types of claims

Anti-itching, Anti-dryness, Complexion improvement, Couperose / Redness / Rosacea, Lifting, Moisturising / Hydrating, Roughness, Smoothing

Consumer / Use Tests

Our evaluations help to anticipate the consumers’ appreciation for a new product, to understand its strengths and weaknesses, to find the best target, and to support claims.

Consumer tests are scientific processes that analyse and evaluate the perception of the product performance by consumers. Volunteers complete a questionnaire containing generally closed questions related to product performance.
 
Our consumer tests help to anticipate the consumers’ appreciation for a new product, to understand its strengths and weaknesses, to find the best target, and to support claims.

Our consumer tests are performed with qualified volunteer panel groups. Especially designed questionnaires and statistics are used. Volunteers are selected according to their profile including age, sex, origin, skin type, consuming habits, and interest towards the evaluated product(s).

To meet your specific requirements for your product, we advise you to select the right study. Feel free to contact us for further information.

Types of claims

Acne / Blemishes, Age spots / Brown spots, Anticellulite, Anti-dryness, Anti-itching, Black heads, Complexion improvement, Couperose / Redness / Rosacea, Dark circles, Depigmenting / Lightening / Whitening, Elasticity, Firming, Lifting, Moisturising / Hydrating, Nail growth stimulation, Puffiness / Eye bags, Orange peel, Roughness, Seboregulating, Self tanning / Tan activator / Tan prolonging, Skin protection / Skin repair, Slimming, Smoothing, Spider veins / Varicose veins

Corneometer® CM 825

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Determine the hydration level of the skin surface

The method principle

The measurement is based on capacitance measurement of a dielectric medium. The Corneometer® CM 825 measures the change in the dielectric constant due to skin surface hydration changing the capacitance of a precision capacitor. The measurement can detect even slight changes in the hydration level. 

Types of claims

Anti-dryness, Infra-red protection, Moisturising / Hydrating

Cutometer® dual MPA 580

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Measure the elasticity and firmness of the upper skin layer

The method principle

The Cutometer® measures elasticity and firmness of the upper skin layer using negative pressure which deforms the skin mechanically. The measuring principle is based on the suction method. Negative pressure is created in the device and the skin is drawn into the aperture of the probe and after a defined time released again. Inside the probe, the penetration depth is determined by a non-contact optical measuring system. The resistance of the skin to the negative pressure (firmness) and its ability to return into its original position (elasticity) are displayed as curves (penetration depth in mm/time) in real time during the measurement. This measurement principle allows getting information about the elastic and mechanical properties of skin surface and enables to objectively quantify skin aging.

 

Types of claims

Elasticity, Firming, Infra-red protection, Lifting

Dermascan® C

 

The brand

CORTEX TECHNOLOGY

The studied parameter

Visualize the density of collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis. This technique allows assessing the epidermis and dermis density and thickness.

The method principle

The ultrasound skin imagery is a non-invasive, quantitative and reproducible technique to measure and to display skin structures such as the epidermis and dermis strates, and collagen. The Dermascan® C device, with its 20-MHz frequency, allows determining and displaying skin substructure up to a depth of 20 mm.

Types of claims

Anticellulite, Firming, Infra-red protection, Skin regeneration

Dermatoscope® DELTA 20 Plus

 

The brand

HEINE

The studied parameter

Deliver photographs of the smallest details and structures of the skin

The method principle

The Dermatoscope® Delta 20 Plus is a portable skin microscope (10x) which enables photographing tiny details of skin (e.g. spider veins, age spots, etc.). A dedicated scale allows measuring structure size changes during the treatment. The LED illuminated lens makes photographs before/after fully reproducible.

Types of claims

Age spots / Brown spots, Dandruff, Spider veins / Varicose veins

Laser Doppler Moor® DRT4

 

The brand

MOOR INSTRUMENTS

The studied parameter

Monitor blood flow and temperature

The method principle

Laser Doppler blood flow measurements (LDF) determine blood flow in the very small blood vessels under skin surface, and skin temperature. LDF measurements can reveal subtle microcirculation changes in the dermis (such as the ones produced by anticellulite treatments, calming treatments, activating or regenerating treatments).
 

Types of claims

Anticellulite, Skin regeneration, Slimming

Mexameter® MX 18

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Measure two major components of the skin pigmentation, melanin and erythema (hemoglobin)

The method principle

The measurement is based on absorption/reflection of visible light. The Mexameter® MX 18 probe emits 3 specific light wavelengths. A receiver measures the light reflected by the skin. As the quantity of emitted light is defined, the amount of light absorbed by skin can be determined. The melanin is measured by specific wavelengths which are selected to correspond to different absorption rates by the pigments. For the erythema measurement specific wavelengths are also used, corresponding to the spectral absorption peak of haemoglobin and to avoid other colour influences (e. g. bilirubin).
 

Types of claims

Acne / Blemishes, Age spots / Brown spots, Couperose / Redness / Rosacea, Dark Circles, Depigmenting / Lightening / Whitening, Self tanning / Tan activator / Tan prolonging

PRIMOSLite®

 

The brand

CANFIELD

The studied parameter

Measure the macro and micro topography of skin surface (3D images) by means of the fringe projection technique

The method principle

The PRIMOS® technique represents a very valuable method to assess wrinkle depth and skin roughness within minutes. There is no physical contact between the measuring device and skin. A beamer projects a network of ultrathin parallel fringes on the skin surface, and a receiver collects the disrupted network back, thus providing the information of surface, volume and roughness.The software provides elegant-looking 3-D pictures.

Types of claims

Lifting, Orange peel, Puffiness / Eye bags, Roughness, Smoothing, Stretch marks, Wrinkle reduction

Reviscometer® RVM 600

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Measure skin firmness and the direction of the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin

The method principle

The Reviscometer® is used to diagnose the condition of the collagen and elastin fibers with reference to the respective age of the individuals. An acoustic shock wave is emitted to a receiver. The time the wave takes from sender to receiver is then recorded. It is called the Resonance Running Time. This measurement is interesting for the application of specific anti-aging products which influence the collagen metabolism with active agents like vitamin A and C, phytohormones or peptides.
 

Types of claims

Firming, Infra-red protection, Lifting

Sebumeter® SM 815

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Determine the casual sebum level of the skin surface, as well as on scalp and hair

The method principle

The measurement is based on grease spot photometry. The mat tape of the Sebumeter® is put in contact with skin, scalp or hair. It becomes transparent depending on the sebum present. Then the tape is inserted into the aperture of the device and the transparency is measured by a photocell. The amount of light transmitted through the tape is proportional to the casual sebum content.

Types of claims

Seboregulating

Skin-pH-Meter® PH 905

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Measure the pH on the skin surface or the scalp

The method principle

The measurement is based on a high-quality combined electrode, where both the glass H+ ion sensitive electrode and an additional reference electrode are placed in one unique housing. It is connected to a probe handle containing the measurement electronics.

Types of claims

Respects skin pH

Spectrophotometer® CM-700d

 

The brand

KONICA-MINOLTA

The studied parameter

Measure the colour of the skin surface (L*a*b*, RGG, etc.,400-700 nm)

The method principle

The Konica Minolta CM-700d is a sphere type spectrophotometer with vertical alignment, perfectly suited for precise and repeated colour measurement of shaped and curved samples. For each measurement, data for specular components included (SCI) and excluded (SCE) are taken simultaneously to analyse the surface conditions. For skin pigmentation analysis the L*a*b colour system is prefered, where L* represents the luminance, a* the red (erythemal) line and b* the melanic hue.
 

Types of claims

Acne / Blemishes, Age spots / Brown spots, Couperose / Redness / Rosacea, Depigmenting / Lightening / Whitening, Self tanning / Tan activator / Tan prolonging

Tewameter® TM 300

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Determine the TEWL (Trans Epidermal Water Loss) which represents the amount of water constantly evaporating from the skin surface

The method principle

A certain evaporation of water from the skin always takes place as part of the normal skin metabolism. As soon as the barrier function of the skin however is slightly damaged, the waterloss will increase (even with smallest damages invisible to the human eye). Therefore this measurement is a basis for each cosmetic and dermatological research. The Tewameter® probe measures the density gradient of the water evaporation from the skin indirectly by the two pairs of sensors (temperature and relative humidity) inside a hollow cylinder. This is an open chamber measurement. The open chamber measurement method is the only method to assess the TEWL continuously without influencing its micro environment. A microprocessor analyses the values and expresses the evaporation rate in g/h/m2.

Types of claims

Anti-dryness, Infra-red protection, Skin protection

Visioface®

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Deliver high-resolution photos and images

The method principle

The Visioface® offers high resolution full face (hands) photographs under standardized lighting and in the same position and analyse the changes.
 

Types of claims

Acne / Blemishes, Age spots / Brown spots, Black heads, Couperose / Redness / Rosacea, Dandruff, Dark circles, Depigmenting / Lightening / Whitening,Hair loss, Puffiness / Eye bags, Wrinkle reduction

Visioscan® VC 98

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

UVA-light video camera with high resolution to study the skin surface

The method principle

The camera features a high resolution b/w video sensor and a ring shaped UV-A light source (proven to present no hazard to normal human skin) for uniform illumination of the skin. The camera can be connected directly to the USB port of your computer. The pictures are displayed in 256 grey levels. Wrinkles appear dark in the image; scaliness is shown in bright pixels. The software calculates a variety of interesting parameters on the images.
 

Types of claims

Anti-hair regrowth / Depilation, Anti-dryness, Dandruff, Moisturising / Hydrating, Roughness, Smoothing, Wrinkle reduction

Skin-Glossymeter® GL 200

 

The brand

COURAGE & KHAZAKA

The studied parameter

Measure the gloss of the skin and hair

The method principle

The measurement is based on reflection. Parallel white light is created by LEDs in the probe head. To be able to emit light at 60° in a relatively small and uniquely designed measurement head, light is sent out at 0° and reflected by mirrors to 60°. Two separate measurement channels measure the direct reflected light (again guided by a mirror in the same angle into the reflection channel) and the diffuse reflected (scattered) light. The scattered/diffuse reflected light is measured at 0° (completely vertically above the measured surface) under the assumption that light is scattered in the same way over all degrees (diffuse channel). So the Skin-Glossymeter GL 200 expresses both, the portion of directly reflected light (gloss) and the diffuse scattered portion from the skin surface.
 

Types of claims

Seboregulating