Mintel x SEPAWA 2026 – What Makes Science Feel Credible?

Join Susanne Krenz, Director of Beauty, Personal and Household Care at Mintel, at this year’s SEPAWA Congress in Berlin. The 30-minute insights session will take place on 16 October at 10:00 am in Room 2+3 at the Estrel Hotel.

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As skincare consumers demand greater transparency and proof, the line between information hunger and information overload is becoming increasingly blurred. Ingredient-led and science-driven claims have made efficacy a central part of the skincare conversation.

While many consumers express strong trust in scientifically backed ingredients, actual understanding of their benefits often remains limited. Many struggle to link specific actives to their own skin needs, revealing a gap between the aspiration for ingredient literacy and practical knowledge.

This presentation examines how consumers interpret different signals of efficacy, from clinical studies and before-and-after imagery to expert endorsements and on-pack claims. It also explores how expectations of proof vary across different consumer groups. By unpacking the tension between the demand for transparency and the limits of consumer understanding, this talk challenges the idea of the fully ingredient-literate consumer and sheds light on how scientific skincare claims are interpreted in practice.