Your Formula Is Not Your Claims Plan

A formula can contain well-researched ingredients and still have a weak claims plan. This is because three different things are often collapsed into one sentence: evidence about a raw material, the performance of the finished cosmetic, and the exact wording shown to a consumer.

Those things are connected. They are not interchangeable.

The three evidence layers

Layer 1: published or ingredient evidence

A paper may study a defined molecule, extract or intervention at a particular dose, route, population and endpoint. A supplier may test its branded raw material under specific conditions. This evidence can help choose ingredients and explain a mechanism, provided your material and use are relevant.

Layer 2: the finished formula

Your product has its own concentration, vehicle, stability, packaging, directions and pattern of use. Interactions in the formula affect delivery and experience. Strong ingredient evidence does not automatically prove that the finished product achieves the same measured outcome.

Layer 3: the consumer-facing sentence

“Supports the skin barrier,” “clinically proven to repair the barrier in 24 hours” and “skin feels more comfortable after use” are different claims. Their implied meaning, evidence requirement and regulatory risk can differ by market.

The claim is not hiding inside the INCI. It has to be designed and earned.

Reverse-engineer claims before the formula is final

Start with the change you want a customer to understand. Then ask what kind of endpoint could support it, what use period makes sense, who should participate and whether the product design supports that protocol.

A time-bound hydration claim might point toward an instrumental measurement. A statement about softness, non-greasy finish or ease of detangling may be suitable for a well-designed consumer-perception study. A claim around reduced hair breakage may require a controlled mechanical method. Qualified testing and regulatory partners should define the final route.

Write better consumer questions

Consumer studies can be useful, but only when the question measures a clear perception. Avoid double-barrelled statements such as “my skin looks brighter and feels firmer.” A participant may agree with one half and not the other.

Use plain, single-outcome wording tied to a time point and use instruction. Build questions around the product job: immediate feel, routine fit, visible perception and continued-use experience. Decide in advance how responses will be analysed and presented.

Let the claim plan improve the formula

Claims strategy can expose a formulation gap. If “works under makeup” is central, compatibility cannot be an afterthought. If the brand wants an eight-hour comfort story, the humectants, films and lipids should be considered as a timeline. If a hero botanical is expected to anchor the narrative, its exact extract, active marker and use level must be documented.

It can also simplify a formula. When the primary claim and supporting mechanisms are clear, decorative ingredients become easier to challenge. The product no longer needs to perform every benefit in the category.

Use a claims ladder

I organise early claims thinking into four rungs:

• Product truth: format, ingredients and directions that can be stated accurately.
• Ingredient rationale: carefully framed context for why selected materials were used.
• Consumer perception: sensory or visible experiences measured with an appropriate questionnaire.
• Instrumental or clinical performance: defined endpoints measured through a suitable study.

Not every product needs the top rung. A strong, specific perception claim can be more relevant than an expensive measurement nobody understands. The goal is to match the evidence route to the commercial promise and risk.

Keep the substantiation file alive

Record the final formula version, raw-material documents, study reports, question wording, sample size, protocol, statistical approach, images and the exact claims approved for each market. When the formula, supplier, directions or wording changes, review the file again.

This is not glamorous work. It is what lets marketing be interesting without becoming reckless. Build the claim with the formula, and the final story will have much more room to move.