HOW DO WE TEST
Skincare based on trust.
At Upenya, every claim starts with evidence. We design our products for teen and acne-prone skin, then verify performance and safety with independent testing - so what you read on our site reflects what we measured in real people.
Here’s how we check our products - and how we share the results with you.
What you’ll see on our product pages
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Simple results: We highlight 1–3 key outcomes near the buy button.
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Small print that matters: We say how long we tested, how many people took part, and how we measured.
You’ll also see: “individual results vary.” -
Before/after photos (when shown): Same lighting and angle, no retouching, and a caption with the timeframe and number of participants.
What our tests involve
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Real people, real use: Teens and young adults use the product as directed for a set period (often 4 weeks).
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Two ways we measure:
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What people notice: Short questionnaires about how their skin looks and feels.
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What tools measure: Cameras and skin probes that track visible spots and skin water loss—so we’re not just guessing.
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Safety checks
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Skin tolerance: For leave-on formulas, we run short patch tests on adult skin under a dermatologist’s supervision to check for irritation.
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At-home care: If you’re sensitive, patch-test first and stop use if irritation occurs.
How we talk about results
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We say “clinically tested” and always include how many people and how long.
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We stay within cosmetic language (e.g., “helps reduce the appearance of blemishes”). We don’t promise to treat or cure medical conditions.
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We avoid hype and unclear terms. Plain language only.
Our testing principles
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Compliant & transparent: We follow the EU Common Criteria for cosmetic claims and South African advertising codes.
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Independent assessments: Studies are run by external partners using validated instruments and standardised methods.
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Relevant populations: We test on teens and young adults where appropriate, under normal use conditions.
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Honest reporting: We publish plain-language summaries (not raw lab reports), always stating the test type, duration, and sample size.
Want the details?
Prefer the full breakdown? Each product has a 1-page summary you can download here. It covers:
what we tested • who took part • how we measured • what we found • any limits.
Why not upload the full lab reports?
They include personal and confidential information and are hard to read. Our 1-page summaries give you the important facts in plain English.
Questions?
Pop us a message—our team is happy to explain any result in more detail.
