We Tried 5 Research-Based Anti-Aging Serums to Find Out Which One Works Best
It has been a long time—decades, really—since Big Skin Care has delivered a clinically reliable way to reverse signs of aging. Since 1971, when topical retinol was found to blur wrinkles and dark spots, the vitamin A derivative has been treated as anti-aging’s gold standard. Never mind that its side effects can include redness and even mild peeling; what’s a little irritation in the pursuit of a younger-looking you?
Lately, though, several companies have started offering serums and creams that claim to regenerate skin’s youthful function and appearance, rather than resurface it with harsh active ingredients. They all tout painstaking research suggesting they interrupt cellular senescence, the phenomenon that occurs toward the end of all cells’ life cycles, in the time between when they stop dividing and eventually die off. During this twilight period, such cells can do significant harm. “By analogy to one moldy piece of fruit that corrupts the entire bowl, a small number of senescent cells can cause inflammation that damages neighboring cells,” explains Michael Kahn, Ph.D., a chemist whose research led to one of the products below. But is stopping their communication with normal cells really the fountain of youth?
To find out, we tested five of the most promising products for eight weeks, then asked Andrew Menkes, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist who’s conducted clinical trials—and who founded the Menkes Clinic in Mountain View, Calif.—to review the scientific documentation for each one “The science may be convincing,” Menkes says. “But the proof is in the pudding.”
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