The 'Science-Ification' Of Skincare

With pseudoscience slowly but steadily seeping into the core of skincare, how can one separate fact from fiction?

- KONIKA DATTA

The legitimacy that scientific terms bring to the table when explaining a product has been witnessed by generations – from TV commercials to hoardings to now social media. ‘Clinically proven’, ‘dermatologically tested’, ‘scientifically formulated’, and ‘evidence-based’ are some of marketing’s favourites when selling skincare. Clinical trial results are used to indicate a product’s efficacy – take, for example, anti-ageing creams, most of which use phrases like ‘93% of women have seen a reduction in their wrinkles’. The conditions under which these trials were conducted, however, remain unmentioned and most of the times, these studies are done on a small sample of women, or were funded by the brand itself.

This pseudoscience in beauty culture, otherwise known as science-washing or scientism, uses facts that seem scientific but lack legitimate backing to support the claim – promising far more than what evidence shows. For dermatologist and founder of Yavana Aesthetics Clinic, Dr. Madhuri Agarwal, it simply means “misuse of science terminology. At times, products or brands use scientific language, visuals, or terms to talk about their products when there is a lack of credible scientific data.”

SPITTING FACTS