ReviewThe Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology2021
Evidence for the Efficacy of Over-the-counter Vitamin A Cosmetic Products in the Improvement of Facial Skin Aging: A Systematic Review.
Review in The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Potential Harms of Ocular and Periorbital Topical Vitamin A Application: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Pooled it
- A Single-Center, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Tolerability of Retinal Encapsulated in a Novel Biomimetic Exosome in the Treatment of Mild-To-Moderate Facial Photodamage.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2026Trial
- Cosmetic retinoid use in photoaged skin: A review of the compounds, their use and mechanisms of action.International journal of cosmetic science · 2025Review
- The state of the art in anti-aging: plant-based phytochemicals for skin care.Immunity & ageing : I & A · 2025Review
- Retinol semisolid preparations in cosmetics: transcutaneous permeation mechanism and behaviour.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Microspheres Based on Blends of Chitosan Derivatives with Carrageenan as Vitamin Carriers in Cosmeceuticals.Polymers · 2024Article
- Article
- Use of Retinoids in Topical Antiaging Treatments: A Focused Review of Clinical Evidence for Conventional and Nanoformulations.Advances in therapy · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSkincare retailers sell a plethora of retinol-containing products, ranging from serums and moisturisers to masks and eye creams.
objectiveThe purpose of this review is to critically appraise the randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials of the use of over-the-counter retinol products in the treatment of facial skin aging in order to assess evidence regarding their efficacy.
methodsA PubMed search was conducted for relevant clinical trial publications, using the terms "retinoid," "tretinoin," "retinol," "retinal," "retinaldehyde," and "skin."
resultsNine randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled clinical trials were found. Four of these trials reported no statistically significant differences between the retinol-containing treatment and vehicle. The remaining five trials provide weak evidence for retinol potentially having a mild ameliorating effect on fine facial skin wrinkle lines only. However, these five trials showed major methodological flaws, which were critically analyzed in this review, calling into question the validity of any positive results.
conclusionIt can be suggested that, in the case of retinols, the "positive" trials should not inform clinical decision-making but rather may serve as tools for advertising. Until at least one high-quality clinical trial of retinol-containing products in the treatment of (photo-)aged skin is published, there is very little, if any, trustworthy evidence available to support the use of over-the-counter cosmetic retinol-containing products to improve the appearance of aged skin.
Indexed as
Identifiers
34980969PMC8675340What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.