Claim substantiation and efficiency of hydrating body lotions and protective creams

In the present work a practical claim substantiation study is shown by the example of 5 commercially available body lotions. Their efficacy with respe ct to effects on transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum (SC) hydration of ageing skin has been examined. Results were obtained after sin gle and repeated application (14! days, 2 x a day). The best performing pro duct was then selected and further tested for its potential effects on sodi um lauryl sulfate (SLS)-damaged skin. This was done in a younger population and the recovery of the impaired barrier function was followed by TEWL mea surements. The selected body lotion had a high efficacy, improving both the TEWL and SC hydration of aging skin by more than 30%. When applied to SLS- damaged skin, the product was able to improve skin barrier repair in compar ison with physiological barrier repair. The results of this study show that a combination of non-invasive objective measurements can be used to substa ntiate product claims. Claims can be made with respect to protective and pr eventive properties of products, but also as to effectiveness of topical sk in treatment in the case of abnormal barrier function or barrier restoratio n.