Curated, Evidence-Based Skincare

During this Covid pandemic, the general public is being bombarded with information about the Covid-19 virus, its treatment, and vaccinations. It is difficult and sometimes frightening to sort out what is scientific fact and what is fiction. The same applies to skincare. At Dermastore® all our products are carefully selected and curated by myself, a Specialist Dermatologist and they have to be based on good science i.e. evidence-based Dermatology.

What is evidence-based Dermatology?

Many authors who have written on this subject discuss the concept of the Hierarchy of Evidence. Starting at the bottom this would include test tube (in vitro) research, anecdotal evidence, expert opinions, case reports, and case series, case-controlled clinical studies, and the gold standard: randomised, controlled, double-blind studies published in peer-reviewed journals.

The absolute ideal is for the finished skincare product to be subject to randomised, controlled, double-blind studies but this is a very expensive process which only the larger pharmaceutical companies can afford. Many other companies have clinical studies on the efficacy of the active skincare ingredients in their products.

Good science is important but it is also important to get feedback from the consumer about their opinion on the efficacy of the product, ease of application, feel on the skin, etc. It is no good having a product backed by good science but that is not pleasant to use in practice.

Before we list a skincare product on Dermastore®, the product undergoes extensive in-house testing with our team, including our skin therapists. We look at the product formulations: how they look, smell, and feel on the skin. We also note in what containers the products are stored and the method of dispensing the product. We also do more objective testing with members of staff and patients/clients who use the products for a prescribed amount of time. We do a Visia Skin Analysis of their skin before they commence using the products and again after the prescribed period to confirm the claims made by the pharmaceutical companies who produce the skincare products.

At Dermastore® we also look very closely at our customer reviews, being positive or negative, and will give feedback to our product partners. Therefore, we pride ourselves on the fact that all our products are carefully curated by myself to satisfy our customer’s needs but they must also be backed by good science.