A new study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology and funded by The Estée Lauder Companies reports that a three-product facial regimen produced a measurable decrease in predicted age in a multiethnic panel of users, based on a validated model designed to assess visible aging across diverse skin types.
Study uses validated model to measure visible age shifts
The research team evaluated 72 participants over 12 weeks using a three-product regimen: a serum, soft crème, and eye crème twice daily. High-resolution facial images were assessed using an 11-point photonumeric scale for seven facial parameters.
These values were entered into an age prediction algorithm previously developed by DiCanio et al and published in JCAD earlier this year to quantify perceived age independent of ethnicity and skin type.
The model relies on weighting seven parameters based on their contribution to perceived age: nasolabial folds, under-eye lines, elongated cheek pores, forehead lines, under-eye puffiness, uneven skin tone, and marionettes.
Improvements reported across all seven facial parameters
Each parameter showed improvement over the study period. In the early phase of use, “forehead lines and elongated cheek pores significantly improved as early as Week 2,” the researchers wrote. As the study progressed, “under eye lines and forehead lines showed the greatest calculated improvement over time.”
The regimen included a dedicated eye crème, and the authors noted past research identifying the eye area as a central driver of perceived age.
The regimen was described as well-tolerated. “Only two subjects experienced localized skin reactions that resolved after a few days,” the researchers reported, and the events did not require discontinuation.
The study authors noted that while elongated cheek pores improved, the team wrote that “the overall magnitude of change was the lowest (–0.14) for this facial parameter,” consistent with the limited dynamic range identified in the model’s development dataset.
Multiethnic sample aligns with model design but shows enrollment gaps
The study sought to reflect United States demographics and match the multiethnic dataset originally used to build the age-prediction model. The researchers wrote that the design aimed to ensure representation across Fitzpatrick skin types I through VI.
However, “no subjects with Fitzpatrick skin type I were enrolled,” the researchers reported. They noted that lighter skin types tend to show photoaging earlier, and the absence of this group “may have led to a greater than expected mean reduction in calculated predicted age.”
Most participants were Fitzpatrick type III or darker.
Study design limits ability to isolate ingredient effects
While the results were encouraging, because all three products included moisturizing, anti-irritant, tone-evening, antioxidant, and sirtuin-targeting ingredients, the authors wrote that they were “unable to attribute the observed effects to sirtuin-targeted agents or other active anti-aging agents.”
The lack of a control arm also limited interpretation, and researchers noted that comparator designs like split-face testing, or cleanser-only run-in periods could have helped establish the regimen’s contribution to the results versus baseline care.
Additionally, only one trained grader assessed all images, although the authors referenced previous work demonstrating strong inter-rater consistency using the proprietary visual scales. Future validation studies, they wrote, will compare graders with different backgrounds and explore AI-based approaches.
Source: The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2025;18(12):34–41. “Clinical Age-reversal Quantification of a Facial Skincare Regimen with Sirtuin-targeting Ingredients in a Multiethnic Population.” Authors: E. Bruning, et al.
