RoC puts PDRN in a drugstore retinol serum and says skin looks 7 years younger
RoC launched the serum in early November, pairing encapsulated retinol with PDRN made from ginseng callus cells instead of salmon DNA, at $28.49 for one ounce. Both headline numbers come from one 12-week study of 29 people that RoC reports on its product page. The 7-years-younger figure is based only on crow's feet and under-eye wrinkles at one month. The page doesn't say who ran or paid for the study, and we couldn't find it published anywhere.
RoC says its new Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Triple Serum makes skin look 7 years younger in a month, and that 96% of users saw seven signs of aging reduced after one week.
RoC's study
- What was tested
- RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Triple Serum
- Who ran it
- Not named on the product page
- Design
- 12-week study. The page doesn't say whether there was a comparison group.
- How it was measured
- Clinical grading within minutes and at one week, a corneometer for hydration at one week, and wrinkle measurements of crow's feet and under-eye lines at one month.
- Who paid, and any ties
- Not stated. RoC reports the results itself.
- The paper
- RoC product page footnotes
Why it matters
PDRN has moved from injections and salmon-sourced serums into the drugstore aisle. A years-younger number built from two wrinkle measures in a small, unpublished company study is worth reading for what it actually counted.
The story so far
RoC announces the serum on National Retinol Day.