At Codex Labs, our core mission is to demonstrate that not only is quantitative data about all aspects of the products important for making progress in the beauty industry, but it is essential for customers to make fact-based decisions in purchasing functional products at the best possible price.  

Our products are designed and manufactured to deliver specific functionality.  Each Codex Labs collection has a specific purpose: Bia is focused on hydration, moisture retention, and cleansing without stripping moisture; Antü is focused on skin barrier protection and reduction of reactive oxidative stress from pollution or UV exposure; our future lines, will be focused on acne and anti-aging, namely collagen production stimulation and wrinkle reduction. 

The Codex Labs Efficacy Panel

At Codex Labs, we conduct efficacy on every single product to prove its performance.  This testing is carried out at a third-party clinical facility under the supervision of a dermatologist and toxicologist.  The technicians use instrumentation that is accepted by the dermatological community for evaluating specific skin parameters to produce quantitative measurements. 

A baseline data set is collected on day zero of the efficacy trial, usually after a week-long washout period.  The product is then applied by the subjects according to a protocol, and the measurement is repeated after at least one full skin turnover cycle, namely 28 days (products that are considered “touch up” or “instantaneous” are still measured over 14 days).  A statistically meaningful subject population (at least 30 subjects) is used to generate data for each skin parameter.  This dataset is then analyzed by a statistician for clinical relevance, i.e., does the product produce a statistically meaningful effect on the skin parameter being evaluated to support the product claim hypothesis.

Our goal is to clearly communicate these

quantitative results to the consumer in an easy-to-read format.  An efficacy panel is shown on the left.  The year of the study and the population used is summarized.  Each skin parameter (and potential sub-parameter) and its measurement method is listed.  The results as measured (e.g., changes on Day 28 and Day 56 as referenced to Day 0) are presented.  If no statistical change was observed, this is recorded.  If a parameter is not relevant to product claims, this is noted as “not applicable”.  With this approach, not only positive results are shown, but also test results where no statistically meaningful result was achieved, or where a result was only temporary.  Essentially, the panel provides a transparent snapshot of product performance.

We believe that by publishing our data, we can establish a new reference point for both consumers and the beauty industry.    Customers should expect every brand to justify its product claims with quantitative data in order to be able to objectively compare product performance and price.  Such an efficacy panel can effectively level the playing field for both global corporations and small indie brands, as well as eliminate confusion about ingredient potency versus actual ingredient benefits in a final formulation.   It would allow customers to make educated decisions based on proven product performance for their skincare routines, and well-informed value purchasing decisions based on facts rather than marketing jargon.

Finally, while our studies do collect customer feedback, we do not solely rely on such customer experience surveys, because we believe that quantitative measurements are more objective than opinions.  For full transparency we report the user experience survey results on our website.

Efficacy Panel Parameters Explained

The table below presents a summary of each skin parameter in the efficacy panel and its corresponding measurement method.  In some cases, the measurement method is indirect, but is widely accepted by the dermatological community as representative of the skin parameter.

 A summary of Antu Collection product functionality is presented above.  The products were designed to be complementary in an overall skincare routine.  However, a customer can select one product based on the most appropriate functionality required.  A brief definition of each parameter and the measurement instrumentation used for quantification is given below:

- “Hydrated” means the skin possesses a healthy/adequate amount of water. A Corneometer® is used to measure water content.

- “Soft” refers to the ability of skin to retain a healthy/adequate amount of water. A Tewameter® is used to measure water loss via evaporation from the skin surface.

- “Smooth” refers to skin that is not flaky/excessively desquamated. A Squamescan® is used to measure skin desquamation/flakiness.

- “Luminous” refers to pore size. A VISIA® is used to scan the skin surface and capture visual information relating to pore size.

- “Radiant” refers to evenness of skin tone. A VISIA® is used to scan the skin surface and capture visual information relating to skin tone homogeneity.

- “Eyes” refers to the presence of discolored skin around the eyes. A VISIA® is used to scan the skin surface and capture visual information relating to skin discoloration.

- “Firmer” refers to skin elasticity/bounce back. A Cutometer® is used to measure the viscoelastic properties of skin.

- “Plump” refers to skin density. A Dermascan® is used to evaluate the density of collagen and elastin within the epidermis.

- “Balance” refers to skin that is secreting a healthy/appropriate amount of sebum. A Sebumeter® is used to measure the amount of sebum secreted by the skin.

-“Supple” refers to skin that visually appears healthy, soft and radiant. Customer feedback involves the use of a questionnaire given to customers to rate the suppleness of their skin.