Dermatologically tested – what does it mean?
Dermatologically tested means that a dermatologist has overseen product tolerance tests, which are carried out during product trialling, generally using human volunteers. However, many products will claim to be dermatologically tested without providing any further information on the tests themselves. They may not provide information on the product contents, method of testing, control studies (if any), application of the product, where it has been applied, how often and on which body parts. Other hard data may not be supplied such as tolerance levels, efficacy and efficiency. Without appropriate detail, the term ‘dermatologically tested’ has no practical value. It should always be possible to ask the manufacturer for details on the test design and the results. Interestingly, every product on the Australian market is dermatologically tested with or without this statement printed on the container or within its label. According to the Cosmetic Decree in Germany (KVO) tolerance tests are a
