Defining Skin Glow: Global Consumer Insights and Clinical Testing Interpretation
Podium 3
Presented by: Cyril Messaraa
Introduction:
The benefit of ‘skin glow’ is popular across all types of cosmetic products. It is often synonymous with claims such as ‘radiance,’ or ‘brightening.’ However, skin glow is subjective in terms of consumer perception and no set standard or value for any clinical instrumentation / techniques exist today. The present study aimed to explore global consumer definitions of ‘skin glow’ and expectations for ‘skin glow’ product performance. In addition, we aimed to translate these insights from a clinical testing perspective.
Methods:
Global Consumer Insight Study:
Qualitative discussions were conducted with 179 consumers from 18 different countries, where participants were asked to provide spontaneous feedback about their perception of skin glow. As a further step, in-depth interviews were conducted with a selected numbers of participants from China, Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, India and the UK to deep dive on their interpretation of what skin glow is, relevant products/ingredients to achieve it and skin ideals.
Clinical Investigation:
Several emollient blends with varying refractive index were applied to the face of volunteers with skin type I to V. Full-face images were captured in order to create a visual scale ranging from matte to a very shiny / oily appearance, in a gradual manner. A gloss/shine measurement was also assigned to each image using Image analysis. A panel of 82 volunteers from Mexico, China, Russia and Indonesia were asked to look at the visual scales and establish a cut-off point between:
Matte vs. Glowy / Radiant images.
Glowy / Radiant vs. Oily / Shiny images.
Results:
Global Consumer Insight Study:
‘Skin Glow’ was defined as a combination of several attributes including shine, hydration, youthful and healthy-looking skin. It expanded from outer appearance, as it was also associated with inner health and vitality, particularly in China and Mexico. The claim ‘skin glow’ was also considered to be interchangeable with terms such as ‘radiance’ and ‘brightness,’ and undesirable factors such as skin texture and pigmentation (including dark circles) could affect its perception. Cosmetic products promising to deliver a ‘skin glow’ effect were expected to deliver an appropriate level of luminosity / radiance to the skin (typically via hydration), alongside an even looking skin tone and overall perception of skin-health / youthfulness. This was deemed to be achievable alongside healthy daily routines (for example, exercise) and lifestyle factors (for example, sleep and nutrition). Personalised products were considered more appealing / believable versus a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Clinical Investigation:
Thanks to the participants’ input when looking at the visual scales, facial shine thresholds could be established for a matte, glowy or oily skin appearance. Regional discrepancies were observed with some countries expecting higher levels of shine for a glowy appearance compared to others. With these thresholds in mind, it was possible to show how a cosmetic product can reach the right level of shine to be perceived as glowy. The participant’s own definition of glow was analysed by correspondence analysis and revealed common terms shared between different countries such as “glossy”, “healthy”, “hydrated”, “not oily” but also some local specificities (e.g. “pink colour” in Russia, “Whitening” in China, “Clean” in Indonesia).
Discussion and Conclusion:
“Skin Glow” is a very trendy term, yet not clearly defined. Qualitative discussion and in-depth interview insights evidenced consumer interpretation of skin glow, which is of paramount importance, as this benefit is less tangible than other claims (for example, wrinkle reduction, pore aspect, dark spots reduction). Some descriptors of skin glow were common across several countries but there were also region-specific attributes, thus highlighting how respective consumer backgrounds can affect the perception of “Skin Glow”. Light interaction with the skin was regarded as crucial and thus was at the center of a clinical investigation to identify the sweet spot for “Skin Glow,” achieving the optimum level of light reflection from the skin.
The benefit of ‘skin glow’ is popular across all types of cosmetic products. It is often synonymous with claims such as ‘radiance,’ or ‘brightening.’ However, skin glow is subjective in terms of consumer perception and no set standard or value for any clinical instrumentation / techniques exist today. The present study aimed to explore global consumer definitions of ‘skin glow’ and expectations for ‘skin glow’ product performance. In addition, we aimed to translate these insights from a clinical testing perspective.
Methods:
Global Consumer Insight Study:
Qualitative discussions were conducted with 179 consumers from 18 different countries, where participants were asked to provide spontaneous feedback about their perception of skin glow. As a further step, in-depth interviews were conducted with a selected numbers of participants from China, Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, India and the UK to deep dive on their interpretation of what skin glow is, relevant products/ingredients to achieve it and skin ideals.
Clinical Investigation:
Several emollient blends with varying refractive index were applied to the face of volunteers with skin type I to V. Full-face images were captured in order to create a visual scale ranging from matte to a very shiny / oily appearance, in a gradual manner. A gloss/shine measurement was also assigned to each image using Image analysis. A panel of 82 volunteers from Mexico, China, Russia and Indonesia were asked to look at the visual scales and establish a cut-off point between:
Matte vs. Glowy / Radiant images.
Glowy / Radiant vs. Oily / Shiny images.
Results:
Global Consumer Insight Study:
‘Skin Glow’ was defined as a combination of several attributes including shine, hydration, youthful and healthy-looking skin. It expanded from outer appearance, as it was also associated with inner health and vitality, particularly in China and Mexico. The claim ‘skin glow’ was also considered to be interchangeable with terms such as ‘radiance’ and ‘brightness,’ and undesirable factors such as skin texture and pigmentation (including dark circles) could affect its perception. Cosmetic products promising to deliver a ‘skin glow’ effect were expected to deliver an appropriate level of luminosity / radiance to the skin (typically via hydration), alongside an even looking skin tone and overall perception of skin-health / youthfulness. This was deemed to be achievable alongside healthy daily routines (for example, exercise) and lifestyle factors (for example, sleep and nutrition). Personalised products were considered more appealing / believable versus a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Clinical Investigation:
Thanks to the participants’ input when looking at the visual scales, facial shine thresholds could be established for a matte, glowy or oily skin appearance. Regional discrepancies were observed with some countries expecting higher levels of shine for a glowy appearance compared to others. With these thresholds in mind, it was possible to show how a cosmetic product can reach the right level of shine to be perceived as glowy. The participant’s own definition of glow was analysed by correspondence analysis and revealed common terms shared between different countries such as “glossy”, “healthy”, “hydrated”, “not oily” but also some local specificities (e.g. “pink colour” in Russia, “Whitening” in China, “Clean” in Indonesia).
Discussion and Conclusion:
“Skin Glow” is a very trendy term, yet not clearly defined. Qualitative discussion and in-depth interview insights evidenced consumer interpretation of skin glow, which is of paramount importance, as this benefit is less tangible than other claims (for example, wrinkle reduction, pore aspect, dark spots reduction). Some descriptors of skin glow were common across several countries but there were also region-specific attributes, thus highlighting how respective consumer backgrounds can affect the perception of “Skin Glow”. Light interaction with the skin was regarded as crucial and thus was at the center of a clinical investigation to identify the sweet spot for “Skin Glow,” achieving the optimum level of light reflection from the skin.