Burt’s Bees, a Clorox-owned, American beauty and personal care company recently released a clinical data that proves once again that natural skin care supersedes that of its synthetic alternative. In the revelation, it compared its sensitive skin care products to those of a synthetic product recommended by dermatologists.
For those of you seeking the go-ahead for a natural skin care solution after trying various synthetic products, this will be a worthwhile read.
The chief investigator of the study, Zoe Draelos, managing director at Dermatology Consulting Services in High Point, North Carolina, was excited to see the data that confirmed the efficiency of natural skincare solutions for patients with sensitive skin.
The study data came from two trials:
- 120 individuals diagnosed with sensitive skin arising from rosacea, atopic dermatitis/eczema, or cosmetic intolerance
- 51 individuals having self-assessed sensitive skin
The most compelling data, according to Draelos, was that from the larger clinical trial.
Here’s the good news:
Matt Gregory, the general manager of Burt’s Bees, tells the press,
“We’re happy to see the data support the efficacy of Burt’s Bees nature-based regimen, and even supersede the synthetic control regimen in overall skin appearance and epidermal barrier function,”
He believed this new data would resonate throughout the marketplace.
“People are increasingly curious about the ingredients they put on their skin and interested in nature-based solutions to meet their skin care needs. With these clinical results and the recent award of the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, we’re pleased to offer patients with sensitive skin an effective nature-based regimen.”
Here’s the clinical data:
According to the media release from Burt’s Bees, the products used in the clinical studies included Burt’s Bees
- Sensitive Facial Cleanser
- Sensitive Eye Cream
- Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream
- Sensitive Night Cream
As expected, they did not disclose the products that made up the dermatologist-recommended regimen.
The clinical trial, involving 120 people with sensitive skin “demonstrated that Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Regimen clinically and statistically improved investigator-rated overall skin appearance by 34% with similar improvements in visual and tactile smoothness, clarity and radiance.”
Improvement in skin appearance
For individuals with atopic dermatitis/ eczema: 38%
For individuals with rosacea: 34%
For individuals with cosmetic intolerance: 31%
For the synthetic products used in the trials, the highest improvement in skin appearance was 11%.
The release emphasized that “Importantly, tolerability parameters did not worsen and most improved with the Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Regimen”
Skin hydration
As measured by corneometry, the use of the “dermatologist-recommended synthetic control regimen” resulted in greater hydration, while the natural alternative from Burt’s Bees only maintained skin hydration but didn’t cause dryness.
In the smaller 2018 study from another dermatologist, it was found that sufficient hydration was equally beneficial, if not more beneficial, than extreme hydration.
The media release pointed out that “In the second study of 51 subjects with self-perceived sensitive skin, Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Regimen was well-tolerated and maintained skin hydration,”
In the release, Stanley Levy, managing director at Chapel Hill Dermatology, stated that the world was learning about the benefits of homeostasis as an epidermal barrier function and hydration affordable via natural formulations.
He further stated that the regimen optimized skin health and prevented over-hydration caused by occlusive synthetic moisturizing products that compromise general skin appearance.
