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30+/SKIN
SUBJECT HUMAN FACIAL SKINCLASS TOPICAL / LEAVE-ONAGE BAND 30+

Skincare, published as a spec sheet.

Every product in this register is read the way a component datasheet is read. Concentration. Container size. The layer the molecule reaches. The measured change against vehicle, the window it took, the population it was measured in, and the record it came from.

Then, because it is the more useful list — everything that gets a product marked down, and why.

OPEN THE REGISTERHOW WE TEST
SCOPE OF ISSUE
REVIEWS86
BRANDS43
ACTIVES20
REFERENCES31
GRADE A26
SUBJECTS18,570
EXCLUSIONS08
DOCUMENT CONTROL
DOCUMENTREGISTER 12
REVISION2026.10
METHODPUBLISHED IN FULL
EFFECT SIZESMEDIAN, NOT MAXIMUM
PHOTOGRAPHYNONE ON FILE
EVERY FIGURESOURCED

SOURCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS. PUBLISHER PREFERENCES ARE IDENTIFIED SEPARATELY.

F

Featured provider files

READ THE FULL RECORD
  1. FILE 019.8/10 · PREFERENCE

    CoreAge Rx

    Our featured skincare recommendation

    Five formulas, with separate records for their ingredients, advertised prices and prescribing questions.

    Read provider review →
  2. FILE 029.6/10 · PREFERENCE

    SuperHealthy Rx

    Service scope · skincare not verified

    A telehealth comparison for readers also researching weight care. Its checked catalog does not establish a skincare service.

    Read provider review →
  3. FILE 039.4/10 · PREFERENCE

    Likeness Rx

    Five skincare pathways

    Compare its estriol, tretinoin, dark-spot, copper-peptide and clear-skin offers, including term-based payments.

    Read provider review →

Read the complete comparison and billing checklist →

01

What thirty actually changes

FIG. 1 — ILLUSTRATIVE MODEL

Nothing switches off at thirty. Collagen synthesis has been falling by roughly one percent a year since the mid-twenties; turnover has been lengthening; the barrier has been taking longer to close.

What happens around thirty is that the accumulated deficit crosses the threshold of visibility under ordinary light. That reframes the whole category. There is no repair product, because there is no single event to repair — there is a rate, and there are molecules with a published effect on that rate.

Move the scrubber. The honest question is never what fixes this — it is how much of the slope a given molecule takes back, over what window, at what irritation cost.

CURVES ARE A SIMPLIFIED LINEAR MODEL FOR ILLUSTRATION. INDIVIDUAL RATES VARY WITH GENETICS, UV DOSE AND SMOKING STATUS.
FIG. 1 — DECLINE CURVES, NORMALISEDAGE 20–70
1.000.750.500.250.00203040506070COLLAGENELASTINTURNOVERSEBUMTEWLRECOVERY34
READOUT @ 34 YRvs. AGE 25
COLLAGEN DENSITY
0.91×
-9%
ELASTIN RECOIL
0.97×
-3%
TURNOVER CYCLE
36 D
+30%
SEBUM OUTPUT
0.97×
-3%
WATER LOSS (TEWL)
1.04×
+4%
BARRIER RECOVERY
31 H
+29%

ILLUSTRATIVE POPULATION MODEL, NOT A MEASUREMENT OF YOUR SKIN. AGE ALONE CANNOT PREDICT AN INDIVIDUAL RESULT OR SELECT A TREATMENT.

02

The register

86 REVIEWS · 43 BRANDSFULL INDEX →
03

Active datasheet

MONOGRAPH — A-01
A-01RETINOID

Tretinoin

All-trans-retinoic acid

A prescription retinoid used in different finished products for acne and particular photoaging indications. The vehicle, treatment goal and trial population matter alongside its concentration.

REFERENCE0.05%
RANGE SEEN0.001–0.1%
STATUSPRESCRIPTION
ONSET8–24 WK
MOL. WEIGHT300.44 g/mol
ACTS ATDERMIS
STABILITYPHOTOLABILE — DEGRADES IN LIGHT AND AIR
EVIDENCEA
STRATUM CORNEUMEPIDERMIS▸ DERMIS
IRRITATION INDEX6 / 10
TRIALS ON FILE5
MEASURED ENDPOINTS — VS. VEHICLE
Fine facial wrinkling, any improvement+21%
24 WKREF-01
EGSS success, acne+9.6%
12 WKREF-13
Total lesion count reduction+22%
12 WKREF-23
Fine wrinkling, Fitzpatrick IV–VI-14%
24 WKREF-02
Application-site dryness, lotion vehicle-3%
12 WKREF-14
DO NOT LAYER · 35 TRIALS
MECHANISM OF ACTION

Binds the retinoic acid nuclear receptors directly, with no conversion step. Reduces cohesiveness of follicular epithelial cells and microcomedone formation, increases keratinocyte turnover, and over months increases procollagen deposition in the papillary dermis.

NOTES
  • The concentration marker is one reference from this register, not a minimum effective dose or a claim that all lower strengths are untested.
  • Evidence for one strength and vehicle cannot be transferred automatically to every compounded formula containing tretinoin.
  • An acne endpoint and a wrinkle endpoint answer different questions. Read the named product's indication and trial population.
  • TWYNEO contains tretinoin with benzoyl peroxide in a purpose-built formulation; this does not validate mixing separate products.
DO NOT LAYER
  • ✕ OTHER IRRITATING TREATMENTS — REVIEW THE COMPLETE REGIMEN
  • ✕ BENZOYL PEROXIDE — COMPATIBILITY DEPENDS ON THE NAMED FORMULATION
  • ✕ PREGNANCY — DISCUSS AN ALTERNATIVE WITH THE CLINICIAN
PAIRS WITH
  • + NIACINAMIDE
  • + HYDROQUINONE
  • + DAILY SUNSCREEN
READ THE FULL MONOGRAPH
A-04DEPIGMENTING AGENT

Hydroquinone

Hydroquinone

A depigmenting ingredient used in prescription pigment treatments. Diagnosis, concentration, companion ingredients and the clinician's course plan determine which evidence is relevant.

REFERENCE4%
RANGE SEEN4–12%
STATUSPRESCRIPTION
ONSET8 WK
MOL. WEIGHT110.11 g/mol
ACTS ATEPIDERMIS
STABILITYOXIDISES — REQUIRES AN ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM AND OPAQUE PACKAGING
EVIDENCEA
STRATUM CORNEUM▸ EPIDERMISDERMIS
IRRITATION INDEX5 / 10
TRIALS ON FILE2
DO NOT LAYER · 32 TRIALS
A-05DICARBOXYLIC ACID

Azelaic Acid

Azelaic acid

An ingredient used in distinct acne, rosacea and pigment-treatment contexts. A percentage without the vehicle, indication and proposed combination cannot identify the relevant evidence.

REFERENCE15%
RANGE SEEN4–20%
STATUSPRESCRIPTION
ONSET12 WK
MOL. WEIGHT188.22 g/mol
ACTS ATEPIDERMIS
STABILITYSTABLE
EVIDENCEA
STRATUM CORNEUM▸ EPIDERMISDERMIS
IRRITATION INDEX6 / 10
TRIALS ON FILE2
DO NOT LAYER · 22 TRIALS
A-09PHOSPHODIESTERASE-4 INHIBITOR

Roflumilast

Roflumilast

The highest response rates in this register, the cleanest tolerability in it, and the worst price in it. All three at once.

REFERENCE0.3%
RANGE SEEN0.15–0.3%
STATUSPRESCRIPTION
ONSET8 WK
MOL. WEIGHT403.21 g/mol
ACTS ATEPIDERMIS
STABILITYROOM TEMPERATURE · FLAMMABLE PROPELLANT
EVIDENCEA
STRATUM CORNEUM▸ EPIDERMISDERMIS
IRRITATION INDEX1 / 10
TRIALS ON FILE2
DO NOT LAYER · 22 TRIALS
ALL 20 ACTIVE MONOGRAPHS
04 — REDLINE

What gets
marked down

A product page tells you what a company chose to say. The more informative document is the list of things it left out, and what each omission costs it here.

8 ENTRIES — APPLIED IN SCORING
  • 01AN UNPUBLISHED CONCENTRATIONA formula you cannot read is a formula we cannot assess. It is the single commonest failure in this register.
  • 02NO CONTAINER SIZEWithout a fill weight or volume, cost per application cannot be computed and a supply claim cannot be checked.
  • 03A DAY-30 SATISFACTION FIGUREUncontrolled, unblinded, self-assessed by paying customers. It measures how buyers feel, not what a drug did.
  • 04“CLINICALLY PROVEN”Undefined phrase. We ask proven in whom, at what strength, against what comparator, for how long.
  • 05A COURSE SOLD AS A SUBSCRIPTIONHydroquinone, topical steroids and antibiotics all require a stop. A subscription's default behaviour is to continue.
  • 06A WARNING ON THE WRONG PAGEA contra-indication in a help-centre article is not a warning if nobody is sent to it before paying.
  • 07“UP TO” FIGURESA ceiling is not a result. Every figure here carries its sample size and its comparator arm.
  • 08BEFORE / AFTER PHOTOSLighting is a more powerful active than anything in this register.
06

Evidence register

31 RECORDS · 18,570 SUBJECTSFULL REGISTER →

SCROLL THE TABLE SIDEWAYS

REFDESIGNNWKΔGRADE
REF-01Four multi-centre randomised trials, vehicle-controlled, on a comprehensive sun-avoidance programme55924+21%A
REF-02Single-centre randomised controlled trial in darkly pigmented, mostly African-American subjects10724-14%B
REF-03Randomised, active-controlled against all three two-drug combinations in the identical vehicle3388+23%A
REF-04Randomised, active-controlled against all three two-drug combinations in the identical vehicle3038+9%A
REF-05Randomised, vehicle-controlled, co-primary endpoints68312+26.8%A
REF-06Randomised, vehicle-controlled, co-primary endpoints68812+22.3%A
REF-07Multicentre randomised, vehicle-controlled; mean subject age 50.6, range 19–9296112+8.7%A
07

The ledger

HOUSE NOTESALL ENTRIES →
L-162026-09-13
2′

Curology vs Agency: compare the current prescription, price and treatment goal

Curology's acne offer and Agency's renamed aging range are different starting points. A useful comparison records the proposed formula and actual bill before deciding whether either service fits.

COMPARISONCOMPOUNDINGCOST
L-172026-09-13
2′

Adult acne prescription combinations: what the ingredients change

A fixed combination, a custom formula and separate prescriptions create different tradeoffs. Compare the antibiotic, retinoid, vehicle and follow-up plan before counting how many actives fit in a pump.

ADULT ACNEANTIBIOTICSRETINOIDS
L-182026-09-13
2′

Prescription skincare follow-up: what to establish before the first refill

A visit, a messaging window, a refill authorization and a recurring shipment are different things. Put them on one timeline before comparing services or deciding that care is included.

TELEHEALTHFOLLOW-UPPRESCRIPTIONS
RESEARCH / METHODS / LIMITS

Scientific reading

L-21 / 13 MIN

What a Tretinoin Concentration Claim Must Demonstrate

A research register for following a concentration claim from the tested cream to a visible outcome, with separate checks for tissue measurements, uncertainty and replication.

Sources checked October 21, 2026

THE DRAW · NO. 01

Win a year of
prescription skincare

One reader gets a 12 months CoreAge Rx derm plan — the compounded, physician-reviewed subscription we take apart in the register. Worth $780. Leave an address and you are entered.

PRIZE
12 MONTHS OF COREAGE RX
VALUE
$780 — $64.99/MO × 12
ENTRY
ONE EMAIL ADDRESS

VALUE IS THE PUBLISHED $64.99/MONTH SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OVER TWELVE MONTHS, AS RECORDED IN R-10. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. WE REVIEW COREAGE RX — WE DO NOT SELL IT.

DEPTH 000%
THE DRAW · ONE READER

Win a year of
prescription skincare

One reader gets a 12 months CoreAge Rx derm subscription — compounded, physician-reviewed, delivered. See the product records in our review register.

VALUE$780
TERM12 MONTHS$64.99/MO × 12

VALUE IS THE PUBLISHED $64.99/MONTH SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OVER TWELVE MONTHS, AS RECORDED IN R-10. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. WE REVIEW COREAGE RX — WE DO NOT SELL IT.