'Anti-aging' in skincare. Hype or science?

Hello everyone,

I hope you are safe and well.

Trying to look youthful has given rise to a $53billion market for ‘anti-aging’ focused skin-care products. Lifestyle magazines are flush with articles claiming they know the secrets. Being skeptical is an important skill for all of us in a world full of celebrity marketing. But we aren’t dermatologists - so it becomes too hard to work out whether a product has evidence to back it up. That’s where we at Metafact want to help.

This month we published our member review on ‘Anti-Aging’ that you can read here. Why do we age? Is there an age-limit to human life? Are there proven ways to extend longevity? We asked 50 top experts in cell biology, gerontology, and dermatology to share the facts.

To follow up this months review, we were lucky enough to have Dr Angela Tewari, a dermatologist affiliated with King’s College London to share the evidence behind some common skincare treatments. (NB: This gets technical so you’ll have to check your labels).

You can read Dr Tewari’s full answer here. One thing I learnt is that premium, higher-priced skincare brands didn’t translate to better outcomes! Something to consider…

Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5/month to get access to all our monthly reviews, allowing us to support real scientists to share the facts openly.

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How does the skin age?

Sun-induced ageing (photoaging) mostly occurs at exposed sites like the face, neck and hands. Why? Because when the skin is hit with UV radiation, molecules in the top layer of the skin produce something called ‘singlet oxygen’. This leads to an oxidation cascade that damages nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids that can result in skin cancer and photoaging.

 Photoaging has a number of effects, including a thinning of the epidermis or top layer of the skin, a thinning of the dermis, and a loss of elasticity (loss of elastin) – which results in the development of wrinkles and uneven pigmentation. 

 Collagen 1 is the most common protein in the skin, acting as a glue to give it strength.  Elastin is a different protein that helps provide the skin with the ability to stretch and snapback. Other protein/glucose-containing substances known as proteoglycans bulk up the dermis layer of the skin. Collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans all degrade with excessive UV radiation and age.    

With hundreds of skincare products, creams and supplements – what should I use? Here is a breakdown of the evidence for some popular formulations. Note that higher price tends not to be associated with better efficacy.

Summary of popular ‘anti-aging’ skincare ingredients:

Creams containing Alpha-hydroxy acids.

Evidence for some anti-aging properties (skin hydration, keratolytic, collagen 1 depostion in the dermis).

Vitamin C, Ferulic acid 

Evidence for collagen growth and plumping up of the skin, will help reduce pigmentation. No evidence for long term effects once treatment is completed. 

Vitamin E

Evidence to suggest that it may help with redness on the skin, and as an adjuvant with vitamin C derivatives it can have an additional antioxidant effect. Limited evidence available for anti-aging changes on the skin.

Retinoids/retinol

Retinoic acid is a well-documented effective preventative and therapeutic intervention for skin ageing. Retinol is a precursor of retinoic acid. Comparatively retinoic acid (all-trans retinoic acid) produces 2.5 fold more collagen 1 than retinol although other studies suggest that retinoic acid can be 20 times more powerful than retinol.

Nicotinamide

Evidence at 4% to help with skin dyspigmentation, can improve redness and itch on the skin

Polypodium leucotomas

Can improve collagen expression in the dermis and reduce cutaneous inflammation.

Peptides

Limited evidence as an antiageing strategy at present. Evidence still accumulating.

Hyaluronic acid

May improvement skin appearance, effect appears temporary

Bakuchiol

Thought to behave like retinol and appears to improve hyperpigmentation and superficial skin wrinking appearance. More evidence needed.  

Reservatol

Has antioxidant properties and may have some antiaging impact on the skin. No current evidence.

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Is a longevity pill possible?

Metafact Review

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Each month we investigate a topic voted by the community by asking the world's top experts to review the evidence. Reviews are what you need to know. You can read all the reviews online here.

Aging is a universal part of life. That doesn’t stop people and companies promoting and selling anti-aging products that claim to slow or even stop the aging process. From skincare to anti-oxidants to the latest in senolytics, in this review we asked 50 top experts in cell biology, gerontology, and dermatology to share the facts on the biology and science of anti-aging. Is it hype or is a longevity pill really possible? Here’s what we found...

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