EXCLUSIVE! Comparatively Speaking: Matter Claims vs. Mind Claims
by Tony O’Lenick

Posted: March 13, 2006

Tony O’Lenick poses the question: What’s the difference between a matter and a mind claim? Industry expert Johann Wiechers explains.

Claims are statements made about the nature, the chemical composition or the performance of a cosmetic product, normally used in advertising in an attempt to enhance sales of a product. The latter, however, is not strictly necessary and words and/or images on the packaging or inserts containing product information can also contain cosmetic claims.

Claims have become much more to the forefront of cosmetic science since the advent of the 6th Amendment to the Cosmetic Directive in Europe about a decade ago. Whereas this created havoc initially in the minds of marketers and teccies, the heart of the matter is that it has helped cosmetic science to progress. Whether it has progressed enough remains to be seen. On a regular basis I am still being asked to deliver talks on the subject whether cosmetic products really deliver their promise.

A matter claim is any claim
that is being substantiated
by performing a measurement.

One of the recent progressions has been the emergence of mind claims in contrast to the more traditional matter claims. Therefore, what is the difference between a mind claim and a matter claim? As the person that invented the terminology, I can be proud and state that my definition is per definition correct simply because I invented it. But it is probably more important to see if these definitions turn out to be useful. I was therefore glad to see that at the recent Advanced Technology Conference, held in Miami in February 2006, Nalini Kaul beautifully described the various cosmetic claims as being either emotive claims, ingredient claims or product claims. It was therefore time for a new sort of claim: the mind claim.