With minimal federal oversight for the growing cosmetic industry, it is more important than ever for consumers to validate product claims against reliable and data-backed metrics. This is especially true for those with sensitive and reactive skin, as even products marked as "for sensitive skin” or “fragrance-free" may still contain irritating ingredients to mask odors in the formulation, extend shelf life, or provide other functions relating to texture, appearance, and performance.
Reference Lab
April 18, 2023
Ingredient transparency and product recommendation platforms aim to empower consumers with convenient and accessible evaluations of product safety. One such platform is SkinSAFE, which was founded on the unfortunate reality that many products disguised under the label claims “hypoallergenic” and “for sensitive skin” may contain potential allergenic chemicals or irritants. While there are many platforms available to provide consumers with product safety evaluations, we were hard pressed to find a platform that uses the same level of thorough science-backed processes to evaluate product claims as SkinSAFE. Continue reading to discover more about why OneSkin trusts SkinSAFE to set the standard for ingredient transparency and product recommendations.
01 What is SkinSAFE?
SkinSAFE is an ingredient transparency and product recommendation platform that uses breakthrough AI-powered science and patch testing data to develop safety scores and recommendations. Coined “the GPS for sensitive skin”, SkinSAFE helps consumers avoid ingredients that trigger sensitive skin or exacerbate existing skin conditions. The SkinSAFE platform enables consumers to search or scan products to see how products rate on the SkinSafe scale, alerts users to concerning ingredients, and recommends safer alternatives to potentially harmful products.
02 The SkinSAFE Standard for Sensitive Skin
To demonstrate the safety of a product, SkinSAFE uses a rating scale, from 0 to 100, with 0 being “Not Safe” and 100 being “The Safest”. A rating of 91 or above is considered “generally safe for sensitive skin”, and a rating of 95 or above is considered “safe for very sensitive skin” and given the official SkinSAFE “Trusted Choice: Good For Sensitive Skin” seal. SkinSAFE also provides “Free From” markers (i.e. Fragrance Free, Paraben Free, etc) and “Safe For” markers (i.e. Eyelid Safe, Baby Safe, etc) to help consumers easily identify whether a product is void of common irritant groups and safe for certain higher risk areas or users.
03 How does OneSkin measure up on the SkinSafe Rating Scale?
OneSkin is a proud member of SkinSAFE’s Trusted Choice certification and seal program. This program allows brands to work directly with the scientific and data analytics teams at SkinSAFE, providing them with standardized safety and testing data, along with product samples to be tested in the SkinSAFE lab. As part of this partnership, OneSkin provided SkinSAFE with safety data for each product, including RIPT (Repeat Insult Patch Test), ocular safety tests, and our peer-review published safety paper.
Based on the internal safety data that we provided, SkinSAFE rated all OneSkin products at a 91 on the SkinSAFE rating scale as a baseline. In addition, SkinSAFE tested a sample of OS-01 FACE, OS-01 BODY, and OS-01 EYE for fragrance and purity, bringing the rating for all three products to 95 and awarding the SkinSAFE “Trusted Choice: Good For Sensitive Skin” seal.
To check out OneSkin’s products SkinSAFE ratings, visit our brand page on the SkinSAFE website: https://www.skinsafeproducts.com/oneskin
04 Why trust SkinSAFE over other platforms?
While there are many popular ingredient transparency platforms, including Think Dirty, EWG, and Yuka, SkinSAFE is the first ingredient transparency & product recommendation platform powered by real science and clinical data.
In partnership with the Mayo Clinic, SkinSAFE’s rating and recommendations are scientifically-validated with safety data and product testing to provide comprehensive and data-backed evaluations of product safety. SkinSAFE takes into account factors such as ingredient concentrations and tests actual product formulations in order to provide reliable and accurate ratings.
Other ingredient-product rating platforms, such as Yuka and EWG, evaluate products based solely on their ingredient labels and are therefore limiting in their recommendations. For instance, Yuka develops its ratings without accounting for concentration limits or the source of ingredients, leading the scores to overstate the risks of chemical uses in many products. This overstatement of risks can subsequently deter consumers away from safe and effective products. Similarly, some claims made by the platform EWG have been disputed by scientific authorities who have taken the opposite stance on numerous product safety declarations. Finally, the Think Dirty App is useful for those few products that receive a blue checkmark, but consumers are still left in the dark for a large majority of other products. In comparison, SkinSAFE provides a higher level of diligence in developing their evaluations to ensure safety without unnecessarily restricting effective product recommendations.
05 To sum it up…
Our approach is research-first, leveraging data and evidence to navigate the complexities of human biology and deliver products that are both highly effective and safe. As a company founded and led by PhDs, we support brands who show the same dedication to the rigorous scientific process, which is why we trust SkinSAFE as our trusted partner for providing scientifically-validated ingredient transparency and product recommendations.