What’s All the Hype? Demystifying Retinol

There has been a growing trend among people today looking for cost-effective non-invasive methods to improve the appearance of their skin. Many people are turning away from prescription medications and medical procedures and are instead considering over-the-counter (OTC) treatments, such as cosmetic products that contain active ingredients that claim to treat a range of undesirable skin conditions like photoaging, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, scars, blemishes, and skin inelasticity.

We believe that failure to discern “ fact from fiction” related to claims made by popular skincare youtubers has the potential to cause a lot of harm. Many popular youtubers acquire donated cosmetics or are there to promote a product and unfortunately this can often lead to conflicts of interest and the spread of misinformation. To help combat this, the goal of the video is to gather and present a comprehensive summary of recent published scientific data on retinol, one of the most popular skincare ingredients of our day, so that claims made by popular skincare youtubers and other brand promoters can be checked and balanced and people can be more informed about what they are putting on their skin.

It will begin by introducing major claims made in popular media about retinol, including how it is marketed to the broader public, then it will move to introduce retinols chemistry, its known mechanisms of action, what current research says about its efficacy (permeability, mechanism, and clinical effect). Finally, it will revisit popular claims in light of the newly presented information.

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