Meeting the Demand for Transparency: How to Ensure Honest Marketing Claims
As a brand owner, you know that product claims can make or break your launch. When that new moisturizer or vitamin serum hits the shelves, your marketing claims aren't just words – they're promises to your customers. In today's market, backing those promises with substance isn't just good ethics; it's good business.
Why Your Brand Can't Afford Claim Missteps
We recently spoke with a founder who learned this lesson the hard way. Six months after launch, her "clinically proven" claim was challenged by a retailer who wanted to see the studies. The scramble that followed delayed her expansion into three major chains.
"I wish I'd built the substantiation process into product development from day one," she told us. "It would have saved us months of backtracking."
For emerging brands, transparency isn't just about avoiding problems – it's about building the credibility that gets you shelf space and customer loyalty.
The Brand Owner's Claim Substantiation Toolkit
When developing your next product, keep this practical toolkit handy:
✓ The Evidence Inventory: Before finalizing any claim, create a simple spreadsheet listing each claim and the specific evidence you have to support it.
✓ The Reality Test: Show your claims to someone completely outside your industry and ask, "What do you think this means?" Their interpretation might surprise you.
✓ The Competitive Analysis: Review competitor claims and substantiation. Are you holding yourself to a higher or lower standard?
✓ The Manufacturing Partner Check: Ask your manufacturing partner early: "Can you help document and substantiate these claims?" A good partner will flag potential issues before you commit to packaging.
Where New Brands Often Stumble
In our years helping brand owners bring products to market, we've seen common transparency pitfalls:
Assuming industry standard tests are sufficient. Generic tests might not support your specific claim. If you're claiming "reduces the appearance of fine lines in 7 days," you need studies showing results at exactly that timeframe.
Overlooking ingredient concentration differences. Using an ingredient that has research backing at 5% concentration doesn't substantiate claims if your formula uses 0.5%.
Missing the documentation window. Once production is complete, it's often too late to conduct the testing needed for certain claims. Build testing into your development timeline.
How to Build a Claim-Solid Brand (Without a Big Corporate Budget)
You don't need pharmaceutical-level resources to build trust. Here's what works for successful indie brands:
Focused testing investment: Rather than testing everything, identify your 2-3 most important claims and invest in proper substantiation for those. One skincare founder we work with concentrates her testing budget on her hero product's main claim, which becomes the cornerstone of her brand's credibility.
Manufacturing partnership leverage: Work with a manufacturing partner who can provide ingredient traceability documentation and stability testing as part of their service. This foundation of evidence supports multiple claims without additional investment.
Transparency content creation: Turn your substantiation process into content. Short videos showing how ingredients are tested or sourced transform necessary documentation into marketing assets.
The Smart Brand Owner's Claim Development Process
Here's a streamlined approach used by successful brands we manufacture for:
Start with substantiation in mind: Begin the product brief with "Claims we want to make" and "Evidence we'll need"
Validate before committing: Get preliminary evidence before finalizing packaging design
Create a claim library: Maintain a centralized document of pre-approved, substantiated claims for your marketing team
Establish review checkpoints: Schedule regular reviews of all marketing materials against your evidence base
A haircare brand we work with implemented this system and cut their compliance review time by 70% while strengthening their claim substantiation.
Manufacturing Partner Red Flags vs. Green Lights
When selecting a manufacturing partner to help support your claims, watch for:
Red Flags:
They can't provide certificates of analysis for ingredients
They push you toward making stronger claims than your evidence supports
They don't ask questions about your claims during product development
Green Lights:
They proactively discuss claim substantiation during initial consultations
They maintain detailed documentation on ingredients and processes
They can recommend appropriate testing protocols for your specific claims
They ask to review your packaging claims before production
Your Transparency Action Plan
If you're launching or growing a personal care brand, here are three immediate steps:
Audit your current claims: Review packaging, website, and marketing materials against your existing evidence. Identify any gaps.
Prioritize substantiation needs: Which claims most impact purchasing decisions? Focus resources there first.
Consult with manufacturing experts: Schedule a call with a manufacturing partner who can guide your substantiation strategy for upcoming products.
The Competitive Edge of Transparency
The brands winning retail placement and consumer loyalty aren't necessarily those with the biggest marketing budgets – they're the ones who can confidently stand behind every claim with evidence retailers and consumers can trust.
As one successful founder told me, "The moment I could walk into buyer meetings with complete confidence in our claims, everything changed. It wasn't just about selling product anymore; it was about building a trusted relationship."
Ready to develop products with claims you can confidently stand behind? Merit Manufacturing specializes in helping brand owners create formulations with built-in substantiation. Contact our product development team for a consultation on your next launch.
