Clinical trials to evaluate a product’s ability to improve skin hydration and support moisturisation claims for cosmetic and personal care products.
Moisturization Testing
What You Can Expect
Moisturisation testing evaluates the ability of a cosmetic or personal care product to increase skin hydration and improve moisture retention within the stratum corneum.
These studies are commonly used to support claims relating to long-lasting hydration, skin softness, and barrier support.
All testing is conducted on cosmetic, toiletry, or personal care products only, and is not intended to assess medicinal or therapeutic effects.
Study Design
Study design is tailored depending on product type and intended hydration claims.
Studies typically involve a panel of healthy volunteers, with products applied under controlled conditions to defined skin areas such as the forearm or lower leg.
Assessments are carried out at baseline and at multiple time points following application, ranging from short-term (hours) to extended evaluation periods (24–72 hours or longer depending on claim requirements).
Control sites (untreated or comparator products) are commonly included to allow direct performance comparison.
Assessment Methods
PCR uses established biophysical measurement techniques to evaluate skin hydration and barrier function, including:
- Corneometry (Capacitance measurement) to assess stratum corneum hydration levels
- TEWL (Transepidermal Water Loss) measurement to evaluate skin barrier function
- Dermal Phase Meter assessment (where applicable) for hydration analysis
- Standardised clinical visual grading of skin condition
- Controlled environmental testing conditions for consistency
- High-resolution imaging for comparative documentation
These methods provide both objective instrumental data and clinical observation of skin appearance changes.
How Results Are Measured
Moisturisation performance is assessed by measuring:
- Increase in skin hydration over baseline
- Duration of hydration effect over time
- Improvement in barrier function (reduced TEWL)
- Comparative performance versus untreated or control sites
- Overall skin appearance improvements (smoothness, softness, comfort)
What the Data Supports
Results from moisturisation testing can be used to support claims such as:
- Provides long-lasting hydration (e.g. 24–72 hours depending on study design)
- Improves skin moisture retention
- Helps support and strengthen the skin barrier
- Reduces dryness and improves skin smoothness
- Clinically proven hydration performance