Consumer Perceptions of Oxidation-Related Effects on Facial Skin Aging and Skincare Product Features

Oxidative stress on the skin can exacerbate undesirable skin conditions and promote skin aging. It is unclear how consumers of skincare products recognize, perceive, and describe oxidation effects in skin. It is also unclear what they perceive to be the solution for oxidation in the skin.

To determine which facial skin qualities consumers associate with oxidation, and to determine skincare product qualities that consumers associate with anti-oxidation.

Focus group discussions (FGDs) with 24 female volunteers (aged 25-50 years), and an online survey with 800 female volunteers (aged 20-50 years), were conducted across four Chinese cities (Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi'an) in September 2024. Females of all skin types who regularly used skincare products were eligible to participate. Total unduplicated reach and frequency (TURF) and principal component analyses (PCA) were performed on data collected from the online surveys.

Consumers mainly associated oxidation-related skin effects with the skincare descriptive categories "repair," "firming," and "skin and spot lightening." Consumers who had skin oxidation concerns made a stronger association with "skin and spot lightening" than those who did not have oxidation concerns. TURF analysis found skincare products with the descriptive categories "repair" and "skin and spot lightening" can reach 73% of the surveyed female skincare consumer population.

Participants associated antioxidant effects with facial skin repair and spot lightening. These associations are stronger for participants who have skin aging concerns. Skincare products that can promote skin repair and lightening are estimated to reach 73% of the female skincare consumers similar to the study participants.