Q&A with a Scientist: What Does “Clinically Proven” Skin Care Mean?

We chat with a principal scientist to find out more about anti-pollution skincare products.

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With so many skincare products on the market claiming to be able to combat the harmful effects of pollution, how can we be sure that the products work? Hugo Kerriou, Kenvue Principal Scientist, shares more about the work that goes on behind the scenes.

Q: What does “clinically proven” mean?

“There are different ways of proving the efficacy of a product, and the one that takes the most time and effort is clinical testing,” shares Hugo Kerriou, Kenvue Principal Scientist. This rigorous process, naturally, involves a lot of scientific validation!

To prove that the Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser is able to remove micro pollutants effectively, Neutrogena engaged an expert team of scientists to test the product on 34 Asian participants in the first-ever clinical trial on the removal of PM 2.5. The rigorous trial took over a year to plan and the findings were validated by a team of independent experts.

“That’s why you don’t see many products claiming to be clinically proven — it takes a lot of time and expertise to be able to make that strong of a claim. We have a full department to help us on this,” Kerriou explains.

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Q: What happened during the clinical trial?

As micro pollutants have been proven to harm the skin, the team took precautions and tested a safe amount of micro pollutant mixture on the skin of the participants, after which half were cleansed with Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser and the other half with a placebo (water).

“Three pictures were taken: one before we applied the pollutants, one after application, and the last one after cleansing,” Hugo explains. All in all, an impressive 67,200 images were taken during the trial.

Micro pollutants in the air are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye and can penetrate into the skin, which is why a state-of-the-art confocal microscope with 500 times magnification was used, making these "invisible" pollutants visible! If these micro pollutants are allowed to stay and accumulate within the skin, it could lead to many problems such as skin dryness and dullness.

A team of independent experts in the US then analyzed these pictures and compared those cleansed with water and those cleansed with Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser, providing Neutrogena with unbiased, credible results.

“These findings allowed us to [validate] that the Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser is clinically proven to remove 99 percent of micro pollutants,” Kerriou shares proudly.

Q: Why is it important to use a face cleanser that is clinically proven to remove micro pollutants like PM 2.5?

“Through our research, we have seen the cells react to pollution in terms of collagen decrease and melanin increase, so we know that the effects are real,” says Kerriou.

These effects spell trouble for your skin: a loss of collagen can decrease skin vitality, and an increase in melanin, responsible for skin pigmentation, can lead to age spots and more. Constant exposure to these micro pollutants — a problem for all city dwellers — can also cause a 60% moisture loss from the skin, leading to dry and dull skin.

However, just because you are faced with air pollution every day in the city does not mean that you can't win in the fight against the harmful effects of micro pollutants. Get back your glow with an anti-pollution face cleanser such as the Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser, which is clinically proven to remove more than 99% of micro pollutants.

Go ahead, put your best face forward! Try the Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser today.