We might be biased, but we truly believe that one of the most valuable things you can invest in for your brand is a clinical trial. Testing your product “in use” lends legitimacy to your claims, and shows your customers that they can trust your product. It can be a great marketing advantage too because most brands are not opting to conduct a clinical trial for various reasons (btw, the #1 reason is the fear that their product is not working! How crazy is that?!?).
It’s also a lot easier to begin clinical research for your products than you might think -- if you’re not sure where to start, you can check out our overview of the different clinical trial study designs available to evaluate skincare and supplements, here.
One great example of a supplement company using clinical trials to bolster its products’ claims is Ritual - a company that offers multivitamins. Disclaimer: we have not worked with Ritual. We are big fans of Ritual and our goal is to showcase in this post how Ritual uses clinical trials to their advantage because they’ve done an amazing job with it! Ritual invested in a University-led clinical trial for their product “Essential” for women. They sought out a Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled supplement clinical trial, which only took 12 weeks and involved over 90 women. We love their slogan “we’re not about pseudoscience and half-truths”. Let’s be honest, most supplement companies are about pseudoscience and half-truths. Why? Because they did not conduct a clinical trial, but rather created claims based on what their ingredients are supposed to do.
Ritual, on the other hand, can promote its product with research-backed claims and clinical evidence. And they’re going all in on that - maybe this is why they’re winning in the supplement game? For instance, their trial revealed that the “Essential” supplement boosted Vitamin D levels in women by 43%, and Omega-3 DHA levels by 41% as compared to a placebo product. There you have it! Their supplement works! They quantified it in a clinical study!
This kind of research helps customers feel safer using your products, as most people
According to a consumer report on Food Supplements published by the UK Food Standards Agency in 2018, “Consumers were concerned about the provenance and or adulteration of products bought online – although primarily the assumption was that a product was more likely to be pointless than dangerous.”
This is common feedback for skincare and supplement products, and it is best mitigated by brands providing clear scientific claims and creating an action plan to implement clinical trials into their overall strategy.
Ritual's Chief Science Officer, Nima Alamdari, Ph.D., says “It’s not always the norm to invest in a clinical program and partner with universities in our industry...But our team is committed to putting numbers on our products.”
“We want to quantify the impact a product has on the human body—we think that there’s real value there. I’m excited to be part of a movement towards smarter, more measured products that inform (and help educate) consumers towards better choices and products that really work.”
Nicely done, team Ritual! We applaud you and your movement and hope that your brand is inspiring others to also put emphasis on clinical research.
Want to learn how you can create research-backed product claims as well?
Citruslabs provides a simple and affordable way to prove that your products actually work. At Citruslabs, we design a clinical trial that is right for you and your budget, so that you can start sharing research-backed product claims without spending a fortune. We offer the cohesive planning and management required to conduct successful clinical trials, from start to finish. Ready to get started? Let's talk! You can contact ushere.
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