The Benchmarking Company co-founders Denise Herich and Jenn Stansbury know beauty claims, and what they say they know about beauty is vital for every brand in the marketplace. Whether on QVC or another retail channel, for true success, the duo believes brands must have an intimate understanding of their consumer and marketable proof that a product works in order to competitively stand-out.

“Companies must have stand-out claims that prove consumers find their product superior to others on the market,” explained Denise.“Proving that your product does what you say it will, through in-home testing methodologies like ours, where we put products in the hands of consumers to gauge their honest opinions, is priceless. Claims such as ‘95% of women preferred the vibrancy of a brand’s at-home hair coloring over their regular salon color’, gives a brand a huge advantage when women research products before they buy.”

But all consumer tests are not created equal. Because TBC’s sole focus is research, their testing methodology is able to target brand evangelists and maintain an unbiased eye toward claims that will both resonate with buyers and be acceptable to regulators.

From indies to well-established leaders such as NARS and Bare Minerals, Denise said that brands of all sizes rely on TBC to help them gather the critical consumer research they need to gain consumer loyalty.


Giving Brands Data and Claims
They Can Use

Nearly two ago, Patchology asked TBC to conduct a beauty product test for their FlashPatch Eye Gels and three other facial masks. Although already a consumer darling, the addition of strong marketing claims provided compelling proof points for Patchology that retailers, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and HSN could then use to promote the brand.

“It’s phenomenal—we still use the claims garnered from our test with TBC,” noted Founder and CEO Chris Hobson. “They’re on our website, we talk about them on-air, and they continuously market the benefits of our products while putting us center-stage with established competitors.”

TBC also looks to help brands secure claims before launch. “TBC is one of our go-to testing houses for consumer perception studies pre-launch,” said Remona Gopaul, Manager, Technical Information, SHISEIDO Group USA. “Their knowledge and expertise with consumer testing and regulatory claims compliance are an influential factor in our continued collaboration, especially for our global launches. It’s refreshing to work with a firm that will go above and beyond to accommodate all of our testing needs.”

When electronics giant Panasonic released a new beauty device, they relied on TBC’s testing expertise to help them understand the buyer. “When we introduced our device to the U.S. market, we engaged The Benchmarking Company to do both qualitative and quantitative beauty consumer research,” said Lori Chiazzo, Consumer Marketing Manager, Beauty and Grooming, for Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “The resulting user claims supported advertising, served as proof points on device efficacy, and gave us valuable feedback on how to improve future devices to meet consumer needs.”


U.S. Regulatory Compliance is Possible

Although marketing claims are important, how brands communicate claims is as important as the claim itself. “Popular marketing words such as recover, heal and restore can draw regulatory attention and that was evident in 2016, when consumer class suits and FDA regulatory actions against beauty companies rose steadily,” noted Ronie Schmelz, Esq., counsel at Tucker Ellis, LLP. “It’s really a shame because with proper pre-market attention, these actions could have been averted.”

“When brands use TBC for consumer claims tests, I don’t worry,” she continued. “TBC understands how to structure tests to ensure the questions asked directly correlate to the desired claims. As I routinely counsel my clients, their

money is much better spent doing consumer trials with TBC, rather than legal trials with me.”

TBC also guides foreign brands on claims compliance as they enter the U.S. beauty market. Elemis, Ltd., a leading U.K. skin care brand, conducted consumer testing with a U.S. panel to garner claims targeted to American women, that were also 100 percent regulatory compliant.

“There is no doubt that TBC helped us navigate the murky waters of communication with regards to consumer claims,” said Sean Harrington, President and co-Founder. “It was reassuring to put Elemis in the hands of industry experts and come out with a robust list of usable claims that will help us further sell-in and sell through.”

What’s Next?

This year TBC will unveil a yearly, subscription-based consumer research offering which will enable brands to conduct numerous customized research studies, using TBC’s proprietary PinkPanel.

Does your brand have beauty research needs? Contact TBC at [email protected] or [email protected].