You mean to say, in short, it's a salicylic acid treatment with an ingredient not proved to be effective for acne. Wow people be really hyping it up when salicylic acid treatments exist.
I think there has to be a level of responsibility from the brand as well - if everyone is getting the same message from the brand's somewhat ambiguous marketing material, I think it's reasonable to assume that they intended that interpretation.
True. There are people out there praising this product, focusing on one ingredient. Hyping it up from claims and scientific studies that are focused on the ingredient (and not the product itself) ahem influencers
I haven’t been able to find a salicylic acid that works well for me. Paulas choice is ok, makes skin really soft but it clogs my pores for some reason. This stuff I got when having a bad breakout & also some PIH going on & it just cleared my face 50% overnight. LOVE it
How I felt making this video: i.imgur.com/UaLpJOK.jpg Update: The Inkey List have since confirmed that they are marketing succinic acid as a drug ingredient (it was heavily implied before, but they've come out and said it now). My background is in medicinal chemistry, including the development of active ingredients - the evidence for succinic acid is, at best, roughly 2% of what's required for it to be approved as a drug.
Thank you sooo much for making this video. I hate not being able to trust companies AND INFLUENCERS you thought were actually honest and different from the rest. It feels like betrayal. It took guts to make this video and I respect the hell out of you for making it.
@@christinunya72 I don't think it's the influencers' fault - unless they have a science or medical background it's really difficult to check the studies with any degree of certainty. They should be able to trust the brand's info, especially one that claims to be science-based. Also sponsored content is approved by the brand before it's posted, and legally in a lot of places it's treated as the brand's own advertising.
And this is based on US packaging. In the UK/EU where it’s a cosmetic “Blemish Treatment” product and just has an INCI, there’s no way most people would know that succinic isn’t the star/ active ingredient. The Inkey List started out really promising and it was great to see The Ordinary facing competition, but it’s disappointing to see their over reliance on sponsored social media marketing, and referring to Instagram and RUclips creators as “experts” that will only help to create more hype around an ingredient like this
and that is exactly what separates them from TO and DECIEM. Brandon always put no coins towards influencer promotions and marketing because he believed in this exact statement happening, and relied heavily on word of mouth instead
any company that uses influencers as a primary source of marketing/pays them etc is immediately suspect in my mind and I tend to not want to purchase from them. now if a line takes off with influencers organically? that’s different. but this is hella shady
I’m a big fan of the Inkey List and have a lot of their products, which I came across by some trial and error and recommendations, including influencers. I don’t have a problem with ads by influencers generally, particularly when they are by channels that give honest reviews (James Welsh for example) but it feels like the newer stuff has suddenly been pushed across so many channels at once including non-skincare channels which feels a bit odd or as if they have less confidence in the products. I could be way off but that’s just my personal feeling on it.
I personally wouldn't trust random influencers with skincare. I only take the advice about skincare from people that specialize in that area. It is silly that others are being considered for promoting the inkey list (haven't seen any myself), but it is the purchaser's own fault if they blindly purchases skincare without doing the research or looking at the ingredients. Though I still agree with Michelle that they are definitley misleading!
The thing that makes me disappointed some of my favourite skincare influencers talked about how succinic acid is great for acne and in the past they mentioned bakuchiol doesn't have enough studies about. Paid partnerships can sometimes be shady. Since this product came out i always wondered the truth about succinic acid. Now i could have searched but ive been being lazy. I felt that there is something about this ingredient because if succinic acid is truly effective it should have been used all these years. Thank you for this informational video!
I don't think general skincare influencers or consumers should be expected to look up and interpret studies - it's something that requires a lot of practice and training to do properly! And I think Inkey have cultivated the sort of reputation where influencers and consumers should be able to trust them to present the scientific position accurately. Maybe Inkey should hire some scientific consultants.
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience i totally agree with you! My major is Molecular Biology and Genetics so i really know how much knowledge it takes to be able to throughly understand scientific papers. Now, the thing i don't like they talked about the ingredient being effective on acne and i don't find it ethical to promote a product in such a way that is only based on marketer claims.
I have never been interested to try Bakuchiol (or even Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate) because there are very few studies about their efficacies. While they are both very promising, i just think we need to stick to proven and well-studied actives when it comes to treating serious skin problems like cystic acne, deep wrinkles and stubborn dark spots. And Succinic Acid ... i mean, we have a lot of skincare products out there that contains it, but none of them claims their products are good for acne. It's the Salicylic Acid and Sulfur in that The Inkey List Succinic Acid product that helps with acne, and not the Succinic Acid. The Inkey List already has a lot of products that contain Salicylic Acid. If they pay a lot of money to American influencers to promote their products, why don't they release a Benzoyl Peroxide or Adapalene product instead, since those ingredients are well-studied and approved by the FDA to be sold over the counter?
For some reson succinic acid is popular in Russia. People take succinic acid pills to "boost metabolism", "support immune system", and for "body detox". I also found diy recipies for anti acne and anti aging masks, where are you are suggested to crash succinic acid pills, mix them with water, and apply to the face (however on the pill box it is not claimed to help with acne!). It is very cheap and can be found in like every drugstore here in Russia. Recently it becomes more popular thanks to TikTok.
Love how you’re the only one who called this out. Inky’s way of advertising their products seem to me mostly through influencers and honestly I’m getting bored of it bc most of these skin influencers aren’t even qualified and label themselves as some type of expert 🙄
I find it fascinating that you seem to be the only person who has picked up on this in the skincare social media community... I mean, it shouldn’t be hard to realise when it lists its named ingredient as “inactive”! Still, it is impressive marketing...
inactive ingredients doesnt necessarily mean they dont do anything- its just that salicylic acid is an fda approved drug for targeting a disease state (acne) and they marketed the product as such. for succinic acid to be part of that labeling it would require a lot more tests, money, time, etc.
Succinic acid though is used as injectable together with HA, and this in-office procedure has quite a lot of research behind it. It's called redermalization. It helps with wrinkles, texture, skin inflammatory conditions and most of all hyper pigmentation. It's done at the doctors clinics and is currently quite popular version of bio revitalization of the skin. If it has positive effects being injected into the skin, I am quite sure it might work as a topical.
@@vaivaivaiful Injectables are delivered at a very different depth compared to topicals, and the specific claims Inkey are making for succinic acid (blemishes, exfoliation, clearing pores, decreased sebum) don't match the ones you've listed for injected succinic acid.
@@dreamof_me no, The Ordinary is quite direct in telling you that which are made with derivatives (HPR) and which are the ones with real retinol. Go to inkey list’s social media and ask them what’s the retinol percent and see their reply VS going to deciem’s page and ask them about their retinol products.
3 года назад+17
This winds me up SO much... It reminds me of how difficult it was to find a retinol or glycolic acid that actually listed the percentage in the early 2010's!
They did this with their "retinol" serum too, to a lesser extent. It actually contains granactive retinol 0.5, which doesnt have as many studies as retinol backing it up, and some gimmicky "retistar" complex with like 1 manufacturer study on it and that's it. They claim it's a 1 percent retinol serum for that. It's super dodgy in my opinion, as despite the lack of evidence for it, granactive retinoid serums are really popular due to the ordinary, so they could've just put that on the front. But then it wouldn't sell near as well because their product has 0.5 percent GR while the ordinary has a whole range of concentrations. If they wanted to be more unique about it, they could've made an actual retinol serum in a waterless formulation, which the ordinary doesn't have and which would have a longer shelf life and be easier to use. It wouldve easily gotten them the same traffic, but why do that when you can use unproven ingredients from obscure studies to make the same profit? What I hate most is that nobody tells you that product has no actual retinol in it.
I believe that it doesn’t have much retinol in it if any, but why does it irritate my eyes then if it has a low percentage ? This made me think it’s real and working :(
@@lixahxj could be the granactive retinoid or another ingredient maybe? A lot of products can sting your eyes even if they don't have any actives in them.
I was really disappointed when I looked into the product as well. It does have some actual retinol in it, but the RetiStar complex used at 1% results in a final retinol concentration of 0.05%, which is really low. It's basically a 0.5% granactive retinoid product and they should name it as such, since they're a supposedly transparent and science-oriented brand. The Ordinary has its faults but at least they're extremely clear in regards to which products are retinol and which are granactive retinoid, and their percentages -- it's right there in the name. (Edited for clarity.)
@@marcia6010 exactly. People may call me controversial for saying this but I don't honestly think the inkey list believes what they spout. They saw the success of the ordinary and how skincare education was getting big on the internet and decided to make money off of that by making a company that sets itself up as a champion of that to get money. While people are getting more aware about skincare, the majority still don't know, say, the difference between a granactive retinoid and retinol and so long as they see clinical packaging and ingredient names on the front, they'll buy it thinking it's the ordinary but better. When really, they're just your typical cosmetic company with shady practices that jumps on trends that pretends to care about people being educated, while themselves spreading misinformation. The ordinary is as you have said indeed not perfect, but I get the feeling that at least they really seem to believe their own, very clinical angle on skincare, suffice to say you won't see them coming out with Apple cider vinegar toners or bakuchiol serums. I mean really, I don't get how people really took them seriously when those were part of their launch. Now they pull this. Honestly, it quite annoys me how so many people will bash endlessly on "the ordinary copycats" that are at least honest about being what they are, namely cash grabs, and say the inkey list is somehow different. It's not. It's just smarter and more subtle about getting your money.
I remember watching a fav RUclipsr when this first came out and the mention of the salicylic acid and sulphur came across like an afterthought. This is some seriously sketchy marketing. Thank you for taking risks like this and choosing to speak up, Michelle. It's really appreciated. ❤
Enjoyed this! Being in the industry for over 35 years as a holistic master esthetician I find so many brands are shady with their marketing. I agree that there are a lot of good products. However the fact is no products will work if you are not consistent , healthy with your body and your skin. I have said it before but foundation and concealers and all of the junk women and men are told makes them more beautiful can actually cause so many skin conditions. I think you need to not only read your labels ( if I can’t eat it or understand it I don’t want it on my skin). But also find a skin care expert, not just a social media person that uses skin as a hobby. You can have beautiful skin, but one little bottle of something is not going to do it. I enjoyed this. Thank You LM. 🍑🙌🏻Lisa
MINDBLOWN. This (the marketing) is so misleading!!!!! People think they're using something new but it's just salicylic acid 😵😖 Awesome and objective review as always!!! 🙌🏽
Great video! When doing my own research on the product, I learned that succinic acid isn’t actually a new skincare ingredient. Hada labo, for example, uses it in some of their products as a pH buffer, but do they advertise those products as anti-acne? Nope!
That product also contains salicylic acid, lol. The azeleic acid in that product is 10%, and we have data for 15% and 20%. But hey, if it works, it works right?
I didn't start seeing real beneficial results in my skin (acne and scarring) until I started using azelaic acid. I get mine from the derm and my skin has come so far.
This answers all the questions I've been having about this product! It seems to be getting universally positive reviews,but if this is such an extraordinary ingredient for skincare why have I literally never heard of it before,ever? I'm far from an expert,but have enough awareness of skincare that it seemed sketchy to me. Thank you for such a thoroughly informative video 💕
Absolutely agree with your assessment here. My interest in this product was actually driven by the colloidal sulfur and BHA combo. After, my brief research it was painfully clear that there was no real evidence for succinic acid as an acne treatment.
I literally didn't think about this and they had me completely fooled. I was so excited to see a new ingredient on the market and when I checked the ingredients list and saw that there was salicylic acid in there, I just thought that oh well it's a nice bonus and mainly attributed the supposed benefits to succinc acid. You really opened my eyes on this one, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!❤️❤️❤️
That ANTM Tyra's reference 🤣 Totally agreed with you! I think this is intentional...yet to try this but if it's working well,no one really gonna dig the fact like you, thanks for the great info!
Because then they couldn't claim it was an acne treatment (in the US) since there's not evidence for succunic acid treating acne. The FDA only allows them to claim it's an acne treatment if there's evidence it works, and that evidence is for the salicylic acid.
I remember seeing this on Cult Beauty in January and looking at the ingredients list to see what percentage of succinic acid this treatment contained. When I saw 1% salicylic acid as the active ingredient and no succinic acid, I rolled my eyes and clicked on another product. Thanks for making this video, Michelle. Some of these brands need to be called out on their marketing tricks. It's exhausting for the average consumer to figure out and there are just too many companies playing this game.
Thank you for this video. The marketing hype peaked my curiosity but I was very confused when I saw the ingredient list. With low level salicylic acid and sulfur, of course it will as a gentle treatment like everyone was saying. I didn't see how it was any different than the existing products. In terms of marketing, I think the green color was also a clever touch to make it stand out as not-like-other-products.
Marketing genius because I heard an OG esthetician mention succinic acid peels which she has been using for years in a podcast and your video came up! lol
Yeah, I agree with you. Also just to add - some people think that the color of the product comes from the succinic acid, it doesn't, there's a pigment in the product, too (which is imo a bit out of character choice for TIL and kinda confirms, imo, that they were trying to make the ingredient the next big trend).
Agree! And notice the fact that everyone seems to be wowed by the colour of this that they've missed the dodgy marketing of it. This kind of thing really frustrates me! 🤦🏾
It was a red flag when I googled the ingredient and no connection to acne showed up. But then I googled the ingredient plus the word acne and the first result was an “article” in a beauty publication where half way down the page, the interviewee named the Inkey product and it was hyperlinked… Thankfully your blog post was second in the search results!!
Thank you for making this video! I really appreciate this insight and the fact that you have the integrity to provide measured criticism of a brand you like.
It’s a good product. They need to sort out the marketing though for sure. I do feel like this is so common in skincare not just TIL like you say. It’s a shame it’s like this because it means the consumer have to scrutinise ingredients instead of just trusting what it says. Triple Threat is an amazing name FYI...are you listening Inkey List?
Thank you! This was such a brilliant analysis. Greatly appreciate your insights. I was researching this product and glad to find your video - also fascinating to see that the product (as listed now on the Sephora Canada and Inkey Canada sites) no longer has the word "acne" in the name.
This is such a great video Michelle!! I really value how you explained this clearly, it could have been a difficult point to understand but you made it easy. I feel like this video is teaching media literacy for beauty product marketing the same way that classes teach media literacy to spot fake news. Spotting misleading marketing is such an important skill that unfortunately isn't widely taught. I appreciate you helping your audience become less like a bunch of lemmings that race toward the latest trend without thinking.
There is nothing unintentional in marketing, they clearly know what they are doing and why. As long as this product doesn’t do harm it’s fine, there have been much worse and scandalous cases. But the main thing is: this kind of marketing strategy is not expected from a brand like Inkey. So it’s not marketing that annoys me, it’s cognitive dissonance. Edit: grammar
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience Waaait... Have you heard about Deciem "partnership" with Estee Lauder? Estee basically owns Deciem now, so... Maybe something similar happened to Inkey?
I JUST ORDERED THIS💀💀💀 Edit: We are safe 😪🙏 Edit 2: Holy shit, the drug label because of the SA is superrrrrr shadyy. That is so misleading what the hell
When I first saw this product on social media, I got excited but as it sprouted out in every corner of social media, I got worried that the hype is hiding something most people wouldn’t know. So, I’m glad you made this video as I really appreciate the breakdown on the marketing strategies around products whether they intend to gloss over important information or not. Thank you for the content you do and please keep it up! ❤️
Thank you for creating this video! Unfortunately, I had already purchased this product because I bought into the marketing and reviews from other RUclips influencers.
For some other products I don't really like the marketing. Initially their Retinol products was released with "1% retinol" mentioned on the packaging, while it is actually 1% RetiStar. Unless there is a wealth of studies on RetiStar, what information does it give. Their Fulvic Acid cleanser contains 1% "Licorice extract", while it's listed under 0.5% Peat. The "C-50" sounds like there's a lot of vitamin C, while it's actually just a reference to the tradename ingredient Stay C-50. A vitamin B, C and E moisturizer, at the concentrations present, giving the product this name and listing all the benefits of the ingredients, it implies that it's going to do a lot, but that feels like a stretch. Their ceramide cream with 3% "ceramide complex", or the 2% "Amino based humectants", while the actual ingredients are under 1%. Listing percentages of complexes, it just feels like it has become a way for companies to make people think there's more in a product than there actually is. A percentage, and it's high, so that must be good and doing something. Ingredients that only have a few in-vitro or in-vivo studies from the supplier, with all kind of claims what it's going to help with. The retinol, and then this Succinic Acid treatment. They have some good products, but those kind of things that just rubs me the wrong way. Just be honest to your consumers, and stop with all these marketing tactics.
I'm not that much into skin care, but I really enjoy your videos. There are quite a few scientific professionals in the cosmetic industry on youtube, but few actually add value to this space by sharing info that isn't widely known. Your definitely one of them.
This product is doing nothing for me and I should have done my research instead of blindly trusting the brand. I don't usually get sucked into flashy marketing but I'm suffering from stupid hormonal acne and from all my research (ie watching RUclips videos... I know) it seems that The Inkey List is one of the few honest and straightforward brands. Le Sigh. Thanks for this video, you are a star
Another awesome video! You are one of only 2 youtubers whose new videos I watch as soon as I possibly can. Even my husband likes watching your more scientific / explanatory videos with me! (And he has nearly no interest in skin care products.)
EL has owned 30% of Deciem for years and they are the ones that kept the company afloat during Brandon's rough times and after his passing. So chances are not much of anything is going to change. They've been heavily involved the whole way through.
@@bgriffiths1840 "afloat", more like ruined him but thats beside the point, now that they just about own the whole damn thing now, we will see what happens
@@isobel64 I said they kept The Ordinary afloat, not kept Brandon afloat. And that is fact, so I'm not sure what part you are questioning. He fired the entire US corporate staff, closed the stores, and was publicly saying the company would be closed (he was suffering from a conspiracy delusion that the company was being used for organized crime). That would have been the end of Deciem if EL didn't push the injunction to save the brand, all of those peoples' jobs, and the financial interests of shareholders. EL didn't some how give Brandon mental illness, they kept the business afloat (as in - in business) during his spiral. Obviously you're entitled to your opinions on the morality of business practices and stuff, but you can't re-write history because you don't like it.
@@bgriffiths1840 says the EL employee rewriting history in an epistle filled with untruths. Things went to hell with him and deciem when EL bought shares and ignored his plans for his own company then ousted him, to pretend that the downward spiral.didnt happen during that buy in is disingenuous. Anyway like I said we shall see how it goes now they have fully taken over. Not going back and forth over what is well known.. Good day.
This is so disappointing. Especially from a brand who is supposed to be so trustworthy and based on real science rather than "trend". The Ordinary and Inkey List did a lot to educate people to the science behind skincare. Now it feels like they are flushing that reputation down the toilet to make a few bucks.
I'd love if you'd do a science video on solid shampoo bars!! There's lots of conflicting info about "how to use them" ('mandatory' weekly vinegar rinses which burn the scalp and leave a bad smell), which products work best, and the waxy buildup they leave on hair (which some claim is a "detox transition period" -- I think it's just a bad formula leaving residue), and it'd be awesome to get your smart and objective take on it. I really want them to work so I can use less plastic, but so far my experiences have been bad!
Mad About Skin posted a video basically saying the actual percentage of the called out ingredients are so small it's a bit misleading and probably not very effective.
I just found your channel and LOVE it! This video was particularly helpful; I bought this product and have been very disappointed in its lack of effectiveness. Now I know why. 😎
Thanks for this video! So many influencers take the marketing spiel on trust rather than drilling down into the details like you do. I’m disappointed as I’m just back using The Inkey List after taking a break from them after the retinol furore. That left such a bad taste in my mouth. They marketed their retinol as containing 1% stable retinol and only after a LOT of prodding did they finally disclose it as having 1% RetiStar (containing 0.05 retinol). I started buying from the brand again after they updated their marketing material and packaging to reflect the actual percentages involved. I understand that they want to compete with The Ordinary and other single-active skincare lines but I think there are better ways to go about it. I would love to see them focus on slightly more elegant formulations (like their eye cream) and maybe double- or triple- active serums (like the tranexamic acid one which also has a vitamin c derivative and an antioxidant).This could have been a total winner if it were marketed as triple threat acne treatment. I think a lot of people want to pare back the number of products they use and there’s an emerging market for combination serums (like retinoid with niacinamide or multiple antioxidants in one formulation).
Thank you so much Michelle for educating us. I have been following for a while now. Every second of your videos is worth watching and teaches better than most of my school classes. 💙💜❤️
Thanks for this info. I thought succinic acid was some kind of salicylic replacement, then when it arrived I noticed it was in there 🤷🏻♀️ I do like this acne treatment, I always seem to get along with sulfur spot treatment products. ❤️That raspberry sunscreen package was adorable! I want some!🤣
A lot of Inkey list launches using the same marketing. They use the one ingredient that sounds new to attract curiosity. I recently saw a Loreal ad claiming that their retinol serum is 100% pure. I've heard it is a good product but It has to have a formulation, not just retinol...
I definitely thought exactly what you suggested so I appreciate you making this video. It helps me know that there's not much point in picking this up until I've used up my treatments with salicylic acid. I'm still interested because I think the packaging and applicator will work better for me than their BHA serum for spot treating, but it doesn't seem as revolutionary as the marketing made it seem. Thank you!
I agree with you about marketing of products and especially that Inkey List can only market that product for acne because they added the salicylic acid to it. At the same time, because CeraVe doesn't say the product is for acne, they have the Foaming SA cleanser which contains salicylic acid not on an active list. To point out that succinic acid is on the inactive list doesn't necessarily mean anything. Many ingredients are considered 'inactive' yet still have benefits to them found in many good studies even if that is apparently not the case for succinic acid. This is really the most important part, that there should be good, fairly thorough studies done if you don't want to be considered shady. Also note that the FDA has a long, laborious process for monograph drugs. Even when new information comes forward on known ingredients, they can't act quickly to change the monograph and then it's up to manufacturers of the products to change the formulation and labeling (a good portion do, but we know that not everyone does). And to approve an new ingredient takes even longer. It's a point in the FDA system that doesn't work very well and definitely needs to be updated. .
I agree, as mentioned in the video, succijic acid could well be the heavy lifter, but the evidence base is too weak to make a drug claim, and too weak to make any strong claim at all. Inkey have now confirmed that they intended to market it as an effective acne ingredient, which is concerning to me - I don't think they understand how standards of evidence work.
And THIS aid why we turn to you for knowledge. No one else has pointed this out in the beauty scene. You’re worth your weight in gold! Can you also review the Inkey’s née Symbright Moisturizer 🙏. I want to give it a try, but it doesn’t have any of the traditional skin brightening or lightning ingredients. I’m curious about what their patented active is all about and if it is effective for hyperpigmentation. Thanks
Waiting patiently for you to validate my fury for Dermablend. (Yes, I was one of the fools who bought it to mix with my spfs, and who was fooled into thinking only their foundation could give blue-light protection.)
I really appreciate this. It's honest and too the point. I felt this was hyped and I agree the name could've been triple threat acne treatment and still been hyped and awesome
I hate that, I'm allergic to salicylic acid and also have acne and it's very difficult for me to find anything that can help, thank you for your work ❤️
I literally just put this on my face thinking is this doing anything or not? have I been conned? And then this popped up in my notifications! Haven't watched it yet so let's see.....
Having read the comments I see I have been conned into buying salicylic acid... Which I already use by Paula's choice daily... I saw some suggestions for azaelic acid but the Ordinary and FaceTheory ones I tried made me breakout like mad
Have you known that you are mentioned in a Russian book about cosmetics and skincare? I am subscribed on you for quite a lot of time but I’ve recently read that book and I was surprised to see your name and channel mentioned
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience it’s called “normally about cosmetics” but there is no translation on English, you can reach out to adeliamft on Instagram, she is the author and ask her cause unfortunately, I can’t send you a screenshot here and it’s difficult to find if you don’t speak Russian But yeah, in the end of the book there are recommendations of what to check out and your channel is listed first as one of the best blogs about research in skincare
Hi Michelle here in the UK where the Inkey List is based, it's difficult to find fragrance free blemish treatments including sulphur (it's far more readily available in other parts of the world). That's why it's been very hyped up here - it's really working for many acne sufferers here. Sulphur based treatments are often prescription only here btw, so the combination of sulphur with the BHA in an affordable over the counter product is something different. The succinic acid is a bit meh for me and I agree it's a slightly dodgy marketing tactic. I like a lot of the inkey list products and their price point. The formulations are often more elegant than it's rival the ordinary. It may not have been intentional to mislead, but it is misleading unfortunately. It's only very recently here that sulphur and benzyl peroxide were allowed to be sold over the counter - they were solely the province of prescription only topicals. Even now they're really expensive to buy OTC, unlike in the US where they are readily available at an affordable price. The product itself is working well for many people, who will continue to buy it. It's a shame that it has become a controversial product, when it's ticking so many boxes - especially in the UK. The ingredients list OTC is very limited compared to other countries, mostly due to our NHS. People have easy access to prescription topicals due to the health care system we have, which is not means tested. In Scotland prescription topicals are free (we do pay through income tax etc), so it wasn't such an issue for a long time. The advent of the pandemic has called for more OTC treatments for many skin conditions, due to the restricted access to Health providers. Best wishes.
Okay Michelle my product says succinic acid blemish treatment not acne treatment. I didn’t even realize there are 2 versions of this product. I guess mine is the UK version not the US version.
I agree! More and more consumers are starting to realize that this science-y branding is yet another marketing tool, and is sadly not the skincare revolution we hoped to see after the success of brands like TO. I like this spot treatment and it's all that matters at the end of the day! But it's pretty ironic to see that a luxury pharmacy brand like Avène is somehow less dodgy than the Inkey List on this one since their Diolényl patented-thingy product (Cleanance expert, haven't tried it) seems to work similarly to succinic acid in my understanding, but has a bit more research behind it and doesn't contain other well-established acne-fighting ingredients, which means Avène's taking the bet that their actives really work on their own.
Not sure - it's generally difficult to deliver actives through cleansers (there are some exceptions, but I would want to see evidence). It does seem to have a higher amount of licorice root extract than fulvic acid though, and it isn't a drug product. The Apple Cider Vinegar peel is another one (10% glycolic acid + 2% apple cider vinegar) - funnily enough, ASOS decided ACV wasn't sexy enough and put "AHA" back into the product name. I don't know, maybe they just have some superstitious non-marketing reason for using the most unique ingredient in their product names 🤷
Their fulvic acid cleanser is touted as containing Nordic peat! There’s no reason to dig up peatland, the best carbon sink on our planet, so Inky can put it in a cleanser.
I find their Retinol serum also pretty deceptive. It's a nice product but the 1% Retistar was pretty confusing even to me and I definitely am more immersed in skincare than the general public.
This is also how I feel about their new “fulvic acid cleanser” it has Nordic peet in it... which they don’t cite to actually do anything for the skin!!
OK but Triple Threat Acne Treatment would be WAY more intriguing to me than the current name.
I would've been amazing as a marketer 😂
I thought the same thing!
I would totally buy it
i know right, it ironically made me want the product more lol
Yes to tomatoes already has a product called triple threat acne treatment with sulfur charcoal and witch hazel
You mean to say, in short, it's a salicylic acid treatment with an ingredient not proved to be effective for acne. Wow people be really hyping it up when salicylic acid treatments exist.
I think there has to be a level of responsibility from the brand as well - if everyone is getting the same message from the brand's somewhat ambiguous marketing material, I think it's reasonable to assume that they intended that interpretation.
True. There are people out there praising this product, focusing on one ingredient. Hyping it up from claims and scientific studies that are focused on the ingredient (and not the product itself) ahem influencers
I haven’t been able to find a salicylic acid that works well for me. Paulas choice is ok, makes skin really soft but it clogs my pores for some reason. This stuff I got when having a bad breakout & also some PIH going on & it just cleared my face 50% overnight. LOVE it
How I felt making this video: i.imgur.com/UaLpJOK.jpg
Update: The Inkey List have since confirmed that they are marketing succinic acid as a drug ingredient (it was heavily implied before, but they've come out and said it now). My background is in medicinal chemistry, including the development of active ingredients - the evidence for succinic acid is, at best, roughly 2% of what's required for it to be approved as a drug.
🤣🤣🤣
LOOOOL
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!
Thank you sooo much for making this video. I hate not being able to trust companies AND INFLUENCERS you thought were actually honest and different from the rest. It feels like betrayal. It took guts to make this video and I respect the hell out of you for making it.
@@christinunya72 I don't think it's the influencers' fault - unless they have a science or medical background it's really difficult to check the studies with any degree of certainty. They should be able to trust the brand's info, especially one that claims to be science-based. Also sponsored content is approved by the brand before it's posted, and legally in a lot of places it's treated as the brand's own advertising.
Pandemic's consequence: talking to your skincare products
At least they haven't started talking back yet 😅
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience oh oh
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience please seek doctor's help if they talking back to you...
And this is based on US packaging. In the UK/EU where it’s a cosmetic “Blemish Treatment” product and just has an INCI, there’s no way most people would know that succinic isn’t the star/ active ingredient.
The Inkey List started out really promising and it was great to see The Ordinary facing competition, but it’s disappointing to see their over reliance on sponsored social media marketing, and referring to Instagram and RUclips creators as “experts” that will only help to create more hype around an ingredient like this
and that is exactly what separates them from TO and DECIEM. Brandon always put no coins towards influencer promotions and marketing because he believed in this exact statement happening, and relied heavily on word of mouth instead
any company that uses influencers as a primary source of marketing/pays them etc is immediately suspect in my mind and I tend to not want to purchase from them. now if a line takes off with influencers organically? that’s different. but this is hella shady
I feel like the Inkey List has really been pushing its marketing via skincare influencers lately and I personally find it a bit of an alarm bell.
Can you share why you think it’s alarming?
I’m a big fan of the Inkey List and have a lot of their products, which I came across by some trial and error and recommendations, including influencers. I don’t have a problem with ads by influencers generally, particularly when they are by channels that give honest reviews (James Welsh for example) but it feels like the newer stuff has suddenly been pushed across so many channels at once including non-skincare channels which feels a bit odd or as if they have less confidence in the products. I could be way off but that’s just my personal feeling on it.
@@ParticularlyChar that’s such an insightful take on this. Thank you!
N KatZ no problem 😊
I personally wouldn't trust random influencers with skincare. I only take the advice about skincare from people that specialize in that area.
It is silly that others are being considered for promoting the inkey list (haven't seen any myself), but it is the purchaser's own fault if they blindly purchases skincare without doing the research or looking at the ingredients.
Though I still agree with Michelle that they are definitley misleading!
I actually bought this for the salicylic acid and the sulfur, the succinc acid just seemed like a cool plus
That's what I thought of the product, before I really looked at the marketing around it... I don't think it needed to be sexed up beyond that but 🤷
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience I agree with you! Super interesting and informative video☺️
Sulfur has always worked for me but hard to find in fragrance free products. That's what made me want to try...
Yeah, that’s why I bought it too. The succinic acid was like meh
I don’t know what it is, but it works great for me. Doesn’t irritate or dry my skin at all
THIS IS WHY WE CANNOT HAVE NICE THINGS. 🤯
This has me RAGING.
The thing that makes me disappointed some of my favourite skincare influencers talked about how succinic acid is great for acne and in the past they mentioned bakuchiol doesn't have enough studies about. Paid partnerships can sometimes be shady. Since this product came out i always wondered the truth about succinic acid. Now i could have searched but ive been being lazy. I felt that there is something about this ingredient because if succinic acid is truly effective it should have been used all these years. Thank you for this informational video!
I don't think general skincare influencers or consumers should be expected to look up and interpret studies - it's something that requires a lot of practice and training to do properly! And I think Inkey have cultivated the sort of reputation where influencers and consumers should be able to trust them to present the scientific position accurately. Maybe Inkey should hire some scientific consultants.
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience i totally agree with you! My major is Molecular Biology and Genetics so i really know how much knowledge it takes to be able to throughly understand scientific papers. Now, the thing i don't like they talked about the ingredient being effective on acne and i don't find it ethical to promote a product in such a way that is only based on marketer claims.
I have never been interested to try Bakuchiol (or even Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate) because there are very few studies about their efficacies. While they are both very promising, i just think we need to stick to proven and well-studied actives when it comes to treating serious skin problems like cystic acne, deep wrinkles and stubborn dark spots.
And Succinic Acid ... i mean, we have a lot of skincare products out there that contains it, but none of them claims their products are good for acne. It's the Salicylic Acid and Sulfur in that The Inkey List Succinic Acid product that helps with acne, and not the Succinic Acid. The Inkey List already has a lot of products that contain Salicylic Acid. If they pay a lot of money to American influencers to promote their products, why don't they release a Benzoyl Peroxide or Adapalene product instead, since those ingredients are well-studied and approved by the FDA to be sold over the counter?
For some reson succinic acid is popular in Russia. People take succinic acid pills to "boost metabolism", "support immune system", and for "body detox". I also found diy recipies for anti acne and anti aging masks, where are you are suggested to crash succinic acid pills, mix them with water, and apply to the face (however on the pill box it is not claimed to help with acne!). It is very cheap and can be found in like every drugstore here in Russia. Recently it becomes more popular thanks to TikTok.
Love how you’re the only one who called this out. Inky’s way of advertising their products seem to me mostly through influencers and honestly I’m getting bored of it bc most of these skin influencers aren’t even qualified and label themselves as some type of expert 🙄
yes, 100% i love some skincare youtubers but get annoyed when they use vague terms like “specialist” - i rather they say skin care enthusiasts
I find it fascinating that you seem to be the only person who has picked up on this in the skincare social media community... I mean, it shouldn’t be hard to realise when it lists its named ingredient as “inactive”! Still, it is impressive marketing...
Because she understands the science. Look at these skincare youtubers out there promoting the ingredient and patting each other on the back
inactive ingredients doesnt necessarily mean they dont do anything- its just that salicylic acid is an fda approved drug for targeting a disease state (acne) and they marketed the product as such. for succinic acid to be part of that labeling it would require a lot more tests, money, time, etc.
@@unbiasly yes god forbid they actually use a proven ingredient or do research before advertising a main ingredient in a product
It’s not the first time Inkey List use deceptive marketing. RetiStar is not 1% retinol as they advertise it to be.
I haven't looked into that! Interesting...
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience you should really have a look...I was upset when I found out !!!
Succinic acid though is used as injectable together with HA, and this in-office procedure has quite a lot of research behind it. It's called redermalization. It helps with wrinkles, texture, skin inflammatory conditions and most of all hyper pigmentation. It's done at the doctors clinics and is currently quite popular version of bio revitalization of the skin. If it has positive effects being injected into the skin, I am quite sure it might work as a topical.
@@vaivaivaiful Injectables are delivered at a very different depth compared to topicals, and the specific claims Inkey are making for succinic acid (blemishes, exfoliation, clearing pores, decreased sebum) don't match the ones you've listed for injected succinic acid.
@@dreamof_me no, The Ordinary is quite direct in telling you that which are made with derivatives (HPR) and which are the ones with real retinol. Go to inkey list’s social media and ask them what’s the retinol percent and see their reply VS going to deciem’s page and ask them about their retinol products.
This winds me up SO much... It reminds me of how difficult it was to find a retinol or glycolic acid that actually listed the percentage in the early 2010's!
Oh and it has 'Blemish' instead of Acne in the name here in the EU! Not surprisingly.
I really like Inkey List products so I feel this kind of marketing on their part is very disappointing
This is such an amazingly made video... I really hope the algorithm blesses this video
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this Michelle. Your commitment to complex analysis and nuance is what sets your channel apart.
Thank you! ❤️
I was literally about to impulse buy this yesterday but didn’t and was starting to regret it. I’m so glad she made this video
They did this with their "retinol" serum too, to a lesser extent. It actually contains granactive retinol 0.5, which doesnt have as many studies as retinol backing it up, and some gimmicky "retistar" complex with like 1 manufacturer study on it and that's it. They claim it's a 1 percent retinol serum for that. It's super dodgy in my opinion, as despite the lack of evidence for it, granactive retinoid serums are really popular due to the ordinary, so they could've just put that on the front. But then it wouldn't sell near as well because their product has 0.5 percent GR while the ordinary has a whole range of concentrations. If they wanted to be more unique about it, they could've made an actual retinol serum in a waterless formulation, which the ordinary doesn't have and which would have a longer shelf life and be easier to use. It wouldve easily gotten them the same traffic, but why do that when you can use unproven ingredients from obscure studies to make the same profit? What I hate most is that nobody tells you that product has no actual retinol in it.
I believe that it doesn’t have much retinol in it if any, but why does it irritate my eyes then if it has a low percentage ? This made me think it’s real and working :(
@@lixahxj could be the granactive retinoid or another ingredient maybe? A lot of products can sting your eyes even if they don't have any actives in them.
I was really disappointed when I looked into the product as well. It does have some actual retinol in it, but the RetiStar complex used at 1% results in a final retinol concentration of 0.05%, which is really low. It's basically a 0.5% granactive retinoid product and they should name it as such, since they're a supposedly transparent and science-oriented brand.
The Ordinary has its faults but at least they're extremely clear in regards to which products are retinol and which are granactive retinoid, and their percentages -- it's right there in the name.
(Edited for clarity.)
@@marcia6010 exactly. People may call me controversial for saying this but I don't honestly think the inkey list believes what they spout. They saw the success of the ordinary and how skincare education was getting big on the internet and decided to make money off of that by making a company that sets itself up as a champion of that to get money. While people are getting more aware about skincare, the majority still don't know, say, the difference between a granactive retinoid and retinol and so long as they see clinical packaging and ingredient names on the front, they'll buy it thinking it's the ordinary but better. When really, they're just your typical cosmetic company with shady practices that jumps on trends that pretends to care about people being educated, while themselves spreading misinformation. The ordinary is as you have said indeed not perfect, but I get the feeling that at least they really seem to believe their own, very clinical angle on skincare, suffice to say you won't see them coming out with Apple cider vinegar toners or bakuchiol serums. I mean really, I don't get how people really took them seriously when those were part of their launch. Now they pull this. Honestly, it quite annoys me how so many people will bash endlessly on "the ordinary copycats" that are at least honest about being what they are, namely cash grabs, and say the inkey list is somehow different. It's not. It's just smarter and more subtle about getting your money.
This retinol actually really worked well on my oily skin so 😅
I have a strong appreciation for the level of complexity you contemplate and present content.
I remember watching a fav RUclipsr when this first came out and the mention of the salicylic acid and sulphur came across like an afterthought. This is some seriously sketchy marketing. Thank you for taking risks like this and choosing to speak up, Michelle. It's really appreciated. ❤
Enjoyed this! Being in the industry for over 35 years as a holistic master esthetician I find so many brands are shady with their marketing. I agree that there are a lot of good products. However the fact is no products will work if you are not consistent , healthy with your body and your skin. I have said it before but foundation and concealers and all of the junk women and men are told makes them more beautiful can actually cause so many skin conditions. I think you need to not only read your labels ( if I can’t eat it or understand it I don’t want it on my skin). But also find a skin care expert, not just a social media person that uses skin as a hobby. You can have beautiful skin, but one little bottle of something is not going to do it.
I enjoyed this. Thank You LM. 🍑🙌🏻Lisa
MINDBLOWN. This (the marketing) is so misleading!!!!! People think they're using something new but it's just salicylic acid 😵😖 Awesome and objective review as always!!! 🙌🏽
Thanks God for my dyslexia. When I bought this acne treatment, I didn't notice that they's such strange succinic acid. I thought it "salicylic" 😄
Lol
Great video! When doing my own research on the product, I learned that succinic acid isn’t actually a new skincare ingredient. Hada labo, for example, uses it in some of their products as a pH buffer, but do they advertise those products as anti-acne? Nope!
I use the Paula's choice Azelaic acid for breakouts and find it so effective
That product also contains salicylic acid, lol. The azeleic acid in that product is 10%, and we have data for 15% and 20%. But hey, if it works, it works right?
I didn't start seeing real beneficial results in my skin (acne and scarring) until I started using azelaic acid. I get mine from the derm and my skin has come so far.
I’m afraid to try this bc the ordinary azelaic acid dries the heck out of my skin for some reason
azelaic acid works amazing for me too.
in 3 days my breakout is completely gone and it helps with the post inflammatory pigmentation
This answers all the questions I've been having about this product! It seems to be getting universally positive reviews,but if this is such an extraordinary ingredient for skincare why have I literally never heard of it before,ever? I'm far from an expert,but have enough awareness of skincare that it seemed sketchy to me. Thank you for such a thoroughly informative video 💕
Well said!
Absolutely agree with your assessment here. My interest in this product was actually driven by the colloidal sulfur and BHA combo. After, my brief research it was painfully clear that there was no real evidence for succinic acid as an acne treatment.
I love how you make us be more thoughtful and critical about our skincare.
This is why you're one of my favorite beauty bloggers and RUclipsrs. Thank you for always serving us evidence-based information. 👏👏👏
I literally didn't think about this and they had me completely fooled. I was so excited to see a new ingredient on the market and when I checked the ingredients list and saw that there was salicylic acid in there, I just thought that oh well it's a nice bonus and mainly attributed the supposed benefits to succinc acid. You really opened my eyes on this one, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!❤️❤️❤️
ITS ALMOST MIDNIGHT MICHELLE I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP. Damn it
So was I!☕️
Sorry! Join me in my disordered sleep schedule 👯
08:30 Sunday morning here in the USA 🇺🇸 east coast.
That ANTM Tyra's reference 🤣
Totally agreed with you! I think this is intentional...yet to try this but if it's working well,no one really gonna dig the fact like you, thanks for the great info!
If they hve confidence in Succinic acid,, why not leave the salicylic out and see 👀??
I would have been keen to give that a go.
Because then they couldn't claim it was an acne treatment (in the US) since there's not evidence for succunic acid treating acne.
The FDA only allows them to claim it's an acne treatment if there's evidence it works, and that evidence is for the salicylic acid.
I remember seeing this on Cult Beauty in January and looking at the ingredients list to see what percentage of succinic acid this treatment contained. When I saw 1% salicylic acid as the active ingredient and no succinic acid, I rolled my eyes and clicked on another product. Thanks for making this video, Michelle. Some of these brands need to be called out on their marketing tricks. It's exhausting for the average consumer to figure out and there are just too many companies playing this game.
Thank you for this video. The marketing hype peaked my curiosity but I was very confused when I saw the ingredient list. With low level salicylic acid and sulfur, of course it will as a gentle treatment like everyone was saying. I didn't see how it was any different than the existing products.
In terms of marketing, I think the green color was also a clever touch to make it stand out as not-like-other-products.
Marketing genius because I heard an OG esthetician mention succinic acid peels which she has been using for years in a podcast and your video came up! lol
Thank you Michelle !!! I am really glad that you pointed this out ! Great video as usual ...keep going girl ! 😘🥳👍🤗
Could you please review their new Fulvic Acid cleanser too and let us know if it’s ok to use daily as it claims to have exfoliating properties
Yeah, I agree with you. Also just to add - some people think that the color of the product comes from the succinic acid, it doesn't, there's a pigment in the product, too (which is imo a bit out of character choice for TIL and kinda confirms, imo, that they were trying to make the ingredient the next big trend).
Agree! And notice the fact that everyone seems to be wowed by the colour of this that they've missed the dodgy marketing of it. This kind of thing really frustrates me! 🤦🏾
It was a red flag when I googled the ingredient and no connection to acne showed up. But then I googled the ingredient plus the word acne and the first result was an “article” in a beauty publication where half way down the page, the interviewee named the Inkey product and it was hyperlinked… Thankfully your blog post was second in the search results!!
Thank you for making this video! I really appreciate this insight and the fact that you have the integrity to provide measured criticism of a brand you like.
It’s a good product. They need to sort out the marketing though for sure. I do feel like this is so common in skincare not just TIL like you say. It’s a shame it’s like this because it means the consumer have to scrutinise ingredients instead of just trusting what it says. Triple Threat is an amazing name FYI...are you listening Inkey List?
Thank you for clarifying. I wasn´t sure why you were against the product. But now I get it, this kind of marketing is really annoying.
Thank you! This was such a brilliant analysis. Greatly appreciate your insights. I was researching this product and glad to find your video - also fascinating to see that the product (as listed now on the Sephora Canada and Inkey Canada sites) no longer has the word "acne" in the name.
Unbelievable! Well done for calling them out!
This is such a great video Michelle!! I really value how you explained this clearly, it could have been a difficult point to understand but you made it easy. I feel like this video is teaching media literacy for beauty product marketing the same way that classes teach media literacy to spot fake news. Spotting misleading marketing is such an important skill that unfortunately isn't widely taught. I appreciate you helping your audience become less like a bunch of lemmings that race toward the latest trend without thinking.
Loving the design of your Raspberry Sunscreen! :D When's the launch of your new sunscreen brand?
There is nothing unintentional in marketing, they clearly know what they are doing and why.
As long as this product doesn’t do harm it’s fine, there have been much worse and scandalous cases. But the main thing is: this kind of marketing strategy is not expected from a brand like Inkey. So it’s not marketing that annoys me, it’s cognitive dissonance.
Edit: grammar
Agreed, I'd be a lot less offended if it was, I don't know, some luxury French department store brand doing this. It feels a bit personal.
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience Waaait... Have you heard about Deciem "partnership" with Estee Lauder? Estee basically owns Deciem now, so... Maybe something similar happened to Inkey?
Excepting I watch you I learn something more. I seldom suffer from acne anymore now that I’m in my late 40’s but love the education
I JUST ORDERED THIS💀💀💀
Edit: We are safe 😪🙏
Edit 2: Holy shit, the drug label because of the SA is superrrrrr shadyy. That is so misleading what the hell
Love you and the debunking of marketing claims, Michelle!
I love how nice and nerdy you are, just like myself :) .. Love from a medschool student in Canada !!
When I first saw this product on social media, I got excited but as it sprouted out in every corner of social media, I got worried that the hype is hiding something most people wouldn’t know. So, I’m glad you made this video as I really appreciate the breakdown on the marketing strategies around products whether they intend to gloss over important information or not. Thank you for the content you do and please keep it up! ❤️
excellent in depth explanation - anyone unfamiliar with regulated drugs, chemistry or marketing can easily understand the problem here.
Thank you for creating this video! Unfortunately, I had already purchased this product because I bought into the marketing and reviews from other RUclips influencers.
For some other products I don't really like the marketing. Initially their Retinol products was released with "1% retinol" mentioned on the packaging, while it is actually 1% RetiStar. Unless there is a wealth of studies on RetiStar, what information does it give. Their Fulvic Acid cleanser contains 1% "Licorice extract", while it's listed under 0.5% Peat. The "C-50" sounds like there's a lot of vitamin C, while it's actually just a reference to the tradename ingredient Stay C-50. A vitamin B, C and E moisturizer, at the concentrations present, giving the product this name and listing all the benefits of the ingredients, it implies that it's going to do a lot, but that feels like a stretch. Their ceramide cream with 3% "ceramide complex", or the 2% "Amino based humectants", while the actual ingredients are under 1%. Listing percentages of complexes, it just feels like it has become a way for companies to make people think there's more in a product than there actually is. A percentage, and it's high, so that must be good and doing something. Ingredients that only have a few in-vitro or in-vivo studies from the supplier, with all kind of claims what it's going to help with. The retinol, and then this Succinic Acid treatment. They have some good products, but those kind of things that just rubs me the wrong way. Just be honest to your consumers, and stop with all these marketing tactics.
I'm not that much into skin care, but I really enjoy your videos. There are quite a few scientific professionals in the cosmetic industry on youtube, but few actually add value to this space by sharing info that isn't widely known. Your definitely one of them.
You are a GEM Michelle!
This product is doing nothing for me and I should have done my research instead of blindly trusting the brand. I don't usually get sucked into flashy marketing but I'm suffering from stupid hormonal acne and from all my research (ie watching RUclips videos... I know) it seems that The Inkey List is one of the few honest and straightforward brands. Le Sigh. Thanks for this video, you are a star
Another awesome video! You are one of only 2 youtubers whose new videos I watch as soon as I possibly can. Even my husband likes watching your more scientific / explanatory videos with me! (And he has nearly no interest in skin care products.)
and given the news that Estee Lauder just bought out The Ordinary, how is TIL going to maintain consumer confidence by pulling crap like this? :(
EL has owned 30% of Deciem for years and they are the ones that kept the company afloat during Brandon's rough times and after his passing. So chances are not much of anything is going to change. They've been heavily involved the whole way through.
@@bgriffiths1840 "afloat", more like ruined him but thats beside the point, now that they just about own the whole damn thing now, we will see what happens
@@isobel64 I said they kept The Ordinary afloat, not kept Brandon afloat. And that is fact, so I'm not sure what part you are questioning. He fired the entire US corporate staff, closed the stores, and was publicly saying the company would be closed (he was suffering from a conspiracy delusion that the company was being used for organized crime). That would have been the end of Deciem if EL didn't push the injunction to save the brand, all of those peoples' jobs, and the financial interests of shareholders. EL didn't some how give Brandon mental illness, they kept the business afloat (as in - in business) during his spiral. Obviously you're entitled to your opinions on the morality of business practices and stuff, but you can't re-write history because you don't like it.
@@bgriffiths1840 says the EL employee rewriting history in an epistle filled with untruths. Things went to hell with him and deciem when EL bought shares and ignored his plans for his own company then ousted him, to pretend that the downward spiral.didnt happen during that buy in is disingenuous. Anyway like I said we shall see how it goes now they have fully taken over. Not going back and forth over what is well known.. Good day.
This is so disappointing. Especially from a brand who is supposed to be so trustworthy and based on real science rather than "trend". The Ordinary and Inkey List did a lot to educate people to the science behind skincare. Now it feels like they are flushing that reputation down the toilet to make a few bucks.
TO is still being transparent tho imo? They haven't used this marketing tactic ever (or any marketing tactic at all) i don't think
The Ordinary did a lot to educate people. The Inky List copied their products and then threw a bunch of money at social media marketing.
The Ordinary is still fine. Brandon's mission still lives on (for now)
@@isobel64 and i hope it always will, even being merged with estee lauder. Deciem is the best
I'd love if you'd do a science video on solid shampoo bars!! There's lots of conflicting info about "how to use them" ('mandatory' weekly vinegar rinses which burn the scalp and leave a bad smell), which products work best, and the waxy buildup they leave on hair (which some claim is a "detox transition period" -- I think it's just a bad formula leaving residue), and it'd be awesome to get your smart and objective take on it. I really want them to work so I can use less plastic, but so far my experiences have been bad!
Is it same with their new Fulvic acid cleanser? Thanks for the video Michelle :-)
Mad About Skin posted a video basically saying the actual percentage of the called out ingredients are so small it's a bit misleading and probably not very effective.
I have the same question!! Seems to be the same deal!
@@katerinarose880 So sad then...
Exactly what I was thinking when watching this!!
I just found your channel and LOVE it! This video was particularly helpful; I bought this product and have been very disappointed in its lack of effectiveness. Now I know why. 😎
Thanks for this video! So many influencers take the marketing spiel on trust rather than drilling down into the details like you do. I’m disappointed as I’m just back using The Inkey List after taking a break from them after the retinol furore. That left such a bad taste in my mouth. They marketed their retinol as containing 1% stable retinol and only after a LOT of prodding did they finally disclose it as having 1% RetiStar (containing 0.05 retinol). I started buying from the brand again after they updated their marketing material and packaging to reflect the actual percentages involved. I understand that they want to compete with The Ordinary and other single-active skincare lines but I think there are better ways to go about it. I would love to see them focus on slightly more elegant formulations (like their eye cream) and maybe double- or triple- active serums (like the tranexamic acid one which also has a vitamin c derivative and an antioxidant).This could have been a total winner if it were marketed as triple threat acne treatment. I think a lot of people want to pare back the number of products they use and there’s an emerging market for combination serums (like retinoid with niacinamide or multiple antioxidants in one formulation).
Gosh you made so much sense! 👏🏾
@@ifeolunu Thanks! :)
Thank you so much Michelle for educating us. I have been following for a while now. Every second of your videos is worth watching and teaches better than most of my school classes. 💙💜❤️
Me seeing all the influencers promoting this product but like where’s the evidence tho 🤔 Great video breaking it down!
That ANTM reference at the beginning was seamless
Thanks for this info. I thought succinic acid was some kind of salicylic replacement, then when it arrived I noticed it was in there 🤷🏻♀️ I do like this acne treatment, I always seem to get along with sulfur spot treatment products.
❤️That raspberry sunscreen package was adorable! I want some!🤣
A lot of Inkey list launches using the same marketing. They use the one ingredient that sounds new to attract curiosity. I recently saw a Loreal ad claiming that their retinol serum is 100% pure. I've heard it is a good product but It has to have a formulation, not just retinol...
Thank you, Michelle! ❤️
I definitely thought exactly what you suggested so I appreciate you making this video. It helps me know that there's not much point in picking this up until I've used up my treatments with salicylic acid. I'm still interested because I think the packaging and applicator will work better for me than their BHA serum for spot treating, but it doesn't seem as revolutionary as the marketing made it seem. Thank you!
I agree with you about marketing of products and especially that Inkey List can only market that product for acne because they added the salicylic acid to it. At the same time, because CeraVe doesn't say the product is for acne, they have the Foaming SA cleanser which contains salicylic acid not on an active list. To point out that succinic acid is on the inactive list doesn't necessarily mean anything. Many ingredients are considered 'inactive' yet still have benefits to them found in many good studies even if that is apparently not the case for succinic acid. This is really the most important part, that there should be good, fairly thorough studies done if you don't want to be considered shady.
Also note that the FDA has a long, laborious process for monograph drugs. Even when new information comes forward on known ingredients, they can't act quickly to change the monograph and then it's up to manufacturers of the products to change the formulation and labeling (a good portion do, but we know that not everyone does). And to approve an new ingredient takes even longer. It's a point in the FDA system that doesn't work very well and definitely needs to be updated. .
I agree, as mentioned in the video, succijic acid could well be the heavy lifter, but the evidence base is too weak to make a drug claim, and too weak to make any strong claim at all. Inkey have now confirmed that they intended to market it as an effective acne ingredient, which is concerning to me - I don't think they understand how standards of evidence work.
And THIS aid why we turn to you for knowledge. No one else has pointed this out in the beauty scene. You’re worth your weight in gold! Can you also review the Inkey’s née Symbright Moisturizer 🙏. I want to give it a try, but it doesn’t have any of the traditional skin brightening or lightning ingredients. I’m curious about what their patented active is all about and if it is effective for hyperpigmentation. Thanks
Thank you for review, I think we all have been rooting for inkey indeed!
Thank you for arming us with knowledge. I appreciate all the thought and effort you put into every one of your videos.
One year late but I noticed this on my recent venture into inkey list. Nice to see my observation being affirmed.
Thank you! I was very sceptical when it came out! ❤️✌️
Waiting patiently for you to validate my fury for Dermablend. (Yes, I was one of the fools who bought it to mix with my spfs, and who was fooled into thinking only their foundation could give blue-light protection.)
yeah! They are such a shady brand.
Ahhh sneaky sneaky Inkey List 😏. Excellent video, Michelle!
A brilliant point, and a brilliant presentation to make your point be easily understood. Thank you!
I really appreciate this. It's honest and too the point. I felt this was hyped and I agree the name could've been triple threat acne treatment and still been hyped and awesome
Wow! This is really deceptive! This is fascinating! Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I appreciate you very much! 💕
I hate that, I'm allergic to salicylic acid and also have acne and it's very difficult for me to find anything that can help, thank you for your work ❤️
try azelaic acid and niacin
Love this video! You explain it in such an easy way to understand ✨💕
I literally just put this on my face thinking is this doing anything or not? have I been conned? And then this popped up in my notifications! Haven't watched it yet so let's see.....
Having read the comments I see I have been conned into buying salicylic acid... Which I already use by Paula's choice daily... I saw some suggestions for azaelic acid but the Ordinary and FaceTheory ones I tried made me breakout like mad
Have you known that you are mentioned in a Russian book about cosmetics and skincare? I am subscribed on you for quite a lot of time but I’ve recently read that book and I was surprised to see your name and channel mentioned
No I didn't! What's the book called? 😮
Your comment just prompted me to do a Google Scholar search on myself, and I found a paper where my blog was analysed in a massive amount of detail 😮
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience it’s called “normally about cosmetics” but there is no translation on English, you can reach out to adeliamft on Instagram, she is the author and ask her cause unfortunately, I can’t send you a screenshot here and it’s difficult to find if you don’t speak Russian
But yeah, in the end of the book there are recommendations of what to check out and your channel is listed first as one of the best blogs about research in skincare
@@mamas7310 Oh that's so lovely! 🥰
Hi Michelle here in the UK where the Inkey List is based, it's difficult to find fragrance free blemish treatments including sulphur (it's far more readily available in other parts of the world). That's why it's been very hyped up here - it's really working for many acne sufferers here. Sulphur based treatments are often prescription only here btw, so the combination of sulphur with the BHA in an affordable over the counter product is something different. The succinic acid is a bit meh for me and I agree it's a slightly dodgy marketing tactic. I like a lot of the inkey list products and their price point. The formulations are often more elegant than it's rival the ordinary. It may not have been intentional to mislead, but it is misleading unfortunately. It's only very recently here that sulphur and benzyl peroxide were allowed to be sold over the counter - they were solely the province of prescription only topicals. Even now they're really expensive to buy OTC, unlike in the US where they are readily available at an affordable price. The product itself is working well for many people, who will continue to buy it. It's a shame that it has become a controversial product, when it's ticking so many boxes - especially in the UK. The ingredients list OTC is very limited compared to other countries, mostly due to our NHS. People have easy access to prescription topicals due to the health care system we have, which is not means tested. In Scotland prescription topicals are free (we do pay through income tax etc), so it wasn't such an issue for a long time. The advent of the pandemic has called for more OTC treatments for many skin conditions, due to the restricted access to Health providers. Best wishes.
Okay Michelle my product says succinic acid blemish treatment not acne treatment. I didn’t even realize there are 2 versions of this product. I guess mine is the UK version not the US version.
Thank u for telling us about the monopoly/sneaky marketing technique used in this product. 🌻
You're next level smart! Good job...
thank you for speaking up about this!
I agree! More and more consumers are starting to realize that this science-y branding is yet another marketing tool, and is sadly not the skincare revolution we hoped to see after the success of brands like TO. I like this spot treatment and it's all that matters at the end of the day! But it's pretty ironic to see that a luxury pharmacy brand like Avène is somehow less dodgy than the Inkey List on this one since their Diolényl patented-thingy product (Cleanance expert, haven't tried it) seems to work similarly to succinic acid in my understanding, but has a bit more research behind it and doesn't contain other well-established acne-fighting ingredients, which means Avène's taking the bet that their actives really work on their own.
Are they doing the same thing with the fulvic acid cleanser?
I am also wondering..
Not sure - it's generally difficult to deliver actives through cleansers (there are some exceptions, but I would want to see evidence). It does seem to have a higher amount of licorice root extract than fulvic acid though, and it isn't a drug product.
The Apple Cider Vinegar peel is another one (10% glycolic acid + 2% apple cider vinegar) - funnily enough, ASOS decided ACV wasn't sexy enough and put "AHA" back into the product name. I don't know, maybe they just have some superstitious non-marketing reason for using the most unique ingredient in their product names 🤷
Their fulvic acid cleanser is touted as containing Nordic peat! There’s no reason to dig up peatland, the best carbon sink on our planet, so Inky can put it in a cleanser.
I find their Retinol serum also pretty deceptive. It's a nice product but the 1% Retistar was pretty confusing even to me and I definitely am more immersed in skincare than the general public.
You are golden! Thank you for illuminating us with the truth 🙌🏼✨
This is also how I feel about their new “fulvic acid cleanser” it has Nordic peet in it... which they don’t cite to actually do anything for the skin!!
same. and their new moisturiser as well. a bit disappointed in them for having turned to gimmicks :/