There are many things I love about owning a cosmetic company. I love that I can provide the real information consumers need to make intelligent, rational decisions about their skin care. Presenting the facts doesn’t always make me money; obviously, it would be easier to promise women miracle ingredients that replace cosmetic surgery rather than tell the truth about exactly what my products can and can’t do. Mostly I love formulating new products—that’s the best! Taking research about new ingredients and new understanding of how skin works and then putting that knowledge together in a new formula is thrilling. It is challenging, stimulating, endlessly creative and always rewarding, especially when my customers love the results.

What is often difficult is helping customers understand how to put a skin-care routine together or how one formula differs from another. For example, often one formula is different from another only because the base formula’s chemistry affects the rate of efficacy or a different base is needed to support the product’s claims. How do you explain such technicalities to thousands of people?

Here is where I need your help: The two toners I created for my CLEAR anti-acne line are confusing customers. One is Regular Strength and the other Extra Strength, BUT they both contain 2% salicylic acid. Therein lies the problem! The difference between the two is the base ingredients which don’t seem significant—but they are. Both formulas are liquids but one allows the salicylic acid to penetrate better (that’s the Extra Strength), and the other allows the 2% salicylic acid to be effective but less penetrating so it is essentially a more gentle formula. See what I mean? It’s not so easy to explain when the amount of active ingredient is the same for both products. Based on customer feedback, the names and descriptions we have aren’t helping.

So we are considering renaming both CLEAR toners. Here’s what my team and I have come up with:

The Regular Strength could be named: Soothing Acne Relief Toner with Salicylic Acid
The Extra Strength could be named: Extra Strength Deep Targeted Acne Relief Toner with Salicylic Acid

On the back of the container the percentage of salicylic acid would still be there with the appropriate description.

The Soothing Acne Relief Toner would state:

This toner contains 2% salicylic acid in a gentle formula that allows for effective exfoliation on skin’s surface and inside the pore lining. It is best for sensitive skin or for those with mild acne.

The Extra Strength Deep Targeted Acne Relief Toner would state:

This toner contains 2% salicylic in a penetrating formula that allows for maximum exfoliation on the surface of skin and in the pore, making it more effective for those with moderate or stubborn acne.

So tell me what you think. If this was your cosmetic line, with anti-acne products you knew were some of the most effective available, but there were formula nuances the consumer needed to understand to determine which one to use, what would you change on the label (keeping in mind there isn’t much room)? I would sincerely appreciate your input!