Chemist Confessions

Today we’re going to attempt to tackle the vast landscape of peptides! It’s a big topic but sadly without a lot of clarity. So let’s nerd out with us on just what peptides are, how they work on skin, what skin concerns they’re good for, and decode a few top peptide products. 

After listening to this podcast long enough, you’ll probably get a sense that good testing data is sparse so we inevitably have to work with what we have! With the recent US ban of OTC hydroquinone products, it's worth noting that a notable few actives have done testing in direct comparison to hydroquinone. Though more testing is always needed, direct comparison studies are considered rare and top...

This is a bit overdue! Arbutin is a hyperpigmentation active with a reputation as a hydroquinone alternative. So today we’re tackling all the major questions around arbutin: Does it convert to hydroquinone on skin? Is it even a good hyperpigmentation active?

It’s time for another wet blanket type episode - dark circles Just why are dark circles so hard to deal with? Do eye creams even work? We go through the data and discuss what you can actually do to treat this stubborn and complex skin concern.

We’ve put it off for long enough, today we’re jumping into the very new, very hot realm of exosomes. These vesicle structures are getting a lot of attention because they’ve been tied to: stem cells, growth factors, fibroblasts…essentially all the juicy anti-aging good stuff. In this episode, the chemists attempt to make sense of exosomes’ true purpose in skincare, share what benefits they can brin...

We're wrapping up our acne series with a deep dive on acne patches. These face stickers often get tied to some pretty enticing claims like absorbing excess sebum and rapidly healing pimples. We discuss the science behind these mystical patches, what they actually do to acne lesions, and what are their real benefits. Finally, we end on our experiences trying 5 different acne patches on the market....

Continuing our acne series, we’ve been able to delve into some solid actives with pretty juicy data behind it, but there are quite a few less validated ingredients that are pretty popular and worth a look. In this episode, we look at succinic acid, mugwort, witch hazel, and tea tree oil. Four popular plant-ish actives that have gained some traction as magical home remedies for acne breakouts. Let’...

When it comes to fighting acne, benzoyl peroxide has been around for so long it almost seems like it’s old-fashioned. However, because of its long history, BPO has a lot of great data and of the ingredients out there we actually have a very good understanding how it works to reduce breakouts. But are we actually using the right concentration? We dive into the research and discuss what concentratio...

Salicylic acid is probably the most common active ingredient you’ll run into when putting together your acne routine. But is it actually a must have? What kind of acne can it actually treat? In this episode, we dive into a few key clinical studies that look at just what 2% salicylic acid really bring to your routine.

One of the more popular questions we get is about collagen supplements and whether or not it’s a scam. We’d be lying if we said we haven’t been avoiding this one, but no longer! In this episode, we go through the clinical data. We discuss why it’s so hard to shop for good collagen supplements. Finally, we list our shopping tips and things to consider if you’re thinking of adding this to your beaut...

After testing 30 sunscreens in 30 days, we’re finally going through our favorites! There was so much to discuss that this ended up turning into a 2 part segment. In part 2, we talked about our thoughts on baby sunscreens, international sunscreens, things we’d do differently in the future, and… pangolins? Let’s wrap the sunscreen series!

After testing 30 sunscreens in 30 days, we’re finally going through our favorites! There was so much to discuss that this ended up turning into a 2 part segment. In part 1, we discuss what factored into our ratings and why. We then go through our “0 star” ratings and why they were so painful. Finally, we discuss our favorites for the mineral and tinted category! Hope you enjoy as we tell all in ou...

You probably hear us often championing glycolic acid as the gold standard of exfoliation and a main active to consider having in your routine. However, AHAs are known to cause photosensitivity. Does that means we shouldn’t use glycolic acid during summer months during higher chances of sun exposure? We discuss the data, what skin types should and shouldn’t use glycolic acid, and how to best use th...

This week we’re taking a break from skincare ingredients, and we’re talking about products. Specifically, toners! Toners will forever be a land of mystery. This category seems to always ends up in the spotlight, there are too many to choose from, and the claims can be all over the place. We decided to break down the product landscape, discuss some of the most popular toners of 2024, and weigh in o...

When tranexamic acid started gaining popularity a few years back, it felt similar to CBD. Suddenly it seemed like every brand was using it, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of data shared on its effectiveness. In this episode, the chemists share the benefits that tranexamic acid can bring to skin, go through the testing (if any), and discuss whether or not it’s a worthy addition to your skincare...

Because of the limitations of azelaic acid, it only makes sense that azelaic acid derviative, potassium azeloyl diglycinate is on the rise! We dive into whether or not this is a good replacement for azelaic acid, what are its actual benefits, and how to use PAD in your skincare routine!

The chemists don’t talk about this ingredient as much as they probably should but azelaic acid has a solid amount of data behind it…at the prescription level 15-20% concentration. Naturally, you have to wonder if the 10% azelaic acid products you can purchase as a cosmetic would actually do anything for skin? They dissect the benefits of azelaic acid, discuss the formulation challenges behind this...

The chemists are gearing up for their 30 for 30 sunscreen challenge test! So naturally this is a great time to check up on some of the latest studies on sunscreens. We cover a large survey study on people’s sunscreen application habits (spoiler alert: it’s not great), an oil based vs water based cleanser study on sunscreen removal, a new J&J SPF50 vs SPF100 study, and an update on the ongoing...

We’ve reached the 100th Episode! This week we’re going down memory lane ranking our top 5 podcast moments and our favorite skincare science. We also decide to reveal some true chemist “confessions”. We share what popular ingredients we might not be fully on board with and even what skincare steps we forget. Time for some fun!

We’re back in the realm of plant extracts in skincare! This is a realm where real clinical data is quite sparse. So even simple questions like “does this extract work?” can be difficult to answer. In this episode, we discuss 3 plant ingredients with just enough interesting testing data for us to say “this is worth trying”.

Journeying into the more controversial ingredients, we first have to talk about petrolatum. One common question that we haven’t answered yet is, “Will petrolatum clog my pores?” There’s a surprising amount of data to discuss on this subject and after, we share best practices on using petrolatum in your skincare routine.

Taking a break from plant stuff and antioxidants, let’s talk about the newer exfoliator on the block, gluconolactone. Uniquely, gluconolactone has been tied to many skin benefits, being called hydrating, brightening, exfoliating, to maybe even…acne fighting? Ultimately we dissect the data to discuss what exactly gluconolactone does for skin and how it compares to the classic AHAs. Tune in to learn...

In this episode, we’re continuing our Vitamin C series and are focusing on actives layering. Most of the questions we get are on whether or not you can layer certain actives with the very fussy ascorbic acid. We first review guidelines on the concept of layering, go through any evidence on ascorbic acid layering combinations, and finally discuss which pairings you should and shouldn’t worry about.

We’ve dedicated many episodes to Vitamin C, but there’s still more to cover! Recently, there have been a lot of Vitamin C launches and they are specifically for tackling hyperpigmentation. What makes this arena slightly confusing is that many of these products use Vitamin C derivatives. But, how helpful is Vitamin C in helping to tackle this very stubborn skin concern? And which Vitamin C molecule...

We’ve encountered many skincare users who have discovered that the Vitamin C realm is just not their cup of tea and neither is it for their skin. Enter resveratrol! We discuss what resveratrol is, its antioxidant capabilities, and why despite the amount of data, we consider this a solid option as a non-Vitamin C antioxidant replacement. You’ve been warned, we get nerdy here, but lets go down the r...