Repeatability and reproducibility of a hyperspectral imaging system for in vivo color evaluation

Background Color imaging is a tried and true method for the evaluation of cosmetic and dermatological effects, but it fails to capture all the information in a scene's spectral reflectance. For this reason, there has been in recent years increasing interest in the use of imaging spectrometers for clinical studies and product evaluation. Material and methods We developed a novel HyperSpectral Imager (HSI) able to take in vivo full-face format images as a next generation instrument for skin color measurement and beyond. Here, we report part of the results of our first full-scale validation test of the HSI. We replicated a make-up foundation screening test by applying three products to a panel of 9 models and evaluated the product L*, a*, b*, and increment E effect immediately after application relative to the bare skin condition. We repeated this test twice in order to study the repeatability of the HSI as an evaluation instrument and during each test two different operators duplicated the data acquisition so we can assess the reproducibility of the measurements. Results We find that the measurements from the HSI provide repeatability and reproducibility as good or better than those of our previous benchmark devices. Conclusion From these results, we conclude that not only is the HSI suitable for use in color evaluation studies, but also that it gives operational advantages over the previous generation of evaluation instruments, as it provides a spectral measurement combined with good spatial resolution. This allows for analysis of color over an area and post hoc selection of study regions and so opens new possibilities for studies of complex in vivo phenomena which neither non-imaging spectrometers nor conventional cameras can pursue. This study also raises points for future work concerning proper inclusion of instrument uncertainty in comparisons of results between instruments and handling of systematic uncertainties from analyses based on a single area.