Bakuchiol vs retinol: what the clinical trials actually show
Dhaliwal's 2019 trial put 0.5% bakuchiol head-to-head with 0.5% retinol over 12 weeks. The result, the methodology, and where the marketing copy breaks.
May 15, 2026
Senior Beauty Editor
Maya Chen
Maya Chen has covered editorial beauty for nearly a decade, with bylines tracing the K-beauty wave from cushion compounds to glass-skin to today's cloud-skin pivot. She writes the technique deep-dives and product-science pieces.
Areas of focus
- editorial makeup
- product science
- K-beauty
- complexion technique
- foundation chemistry
Articles by Maya Chen
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product-science -
technique Inner-corner brightening: white pencil placement that opens the eye
A V of cream pigment at the tear duct re-spaces the eye more than mascara can. Placement rules, tone choices by undertone, and when the waterline backfires.
May 15, 2026
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product-science Retinyl palmitate: does pro-retinol eye cream actually work?
Pro-retinol eye creams are everywhere. The conversion math from retinyl palmitate to retinoic acid says they barely qualify as retinoids at all.
May 14, 2026
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technique Velvet matte: the modern matte finish that doesn't flatten skin
Old matte powder killed dimension. The new velvet matte uses ultra-fine silica and light-scattering pigments to keep skin soft-focused without going flat.
May 14, 2026
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product-science Polyhydroxy acids: the gentle cousin of glycolic
PHAs (gluconolactone, lactobionic acid) exfoliate without the AHA sting. Larger molecules slow the burn. Here's the chemistry and which serums actually deliver.
May 13, 2026
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technique Tightlining: the inner-rim trick that thickens lashes
Tightlining packs pencil into the upper waterline so the dark base reads as lash density, not eyeliner. Here's why it changes the eye more than a wing.
May 13, 2026
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product-science Cica: what madecassoside actually does to your skin
Cica's marketing is vague. The chemistry isn't. Four triterpenoids do the work, and one of them is doing more than the others. A breakdown of what each does.
May 9, 2026
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technique Where to put a floating crease, by eye shape
The floating crease lives or dies by where you place it. A field guide to the right placement on almond, hooded, monolid, and downturned eyes.
May 9, 2026
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history Twiggy's painted bottom lashes: the 1966 mod eye, deconstructed
Twiggy wore three pairs of false lashes on top and painted every lower lash on with a brush. The 1966 mod eye, taken apart line by line.
May 8, 2026
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product-science Why your sunscreen pills under foundation: the silicone problem
Sunscreen pilling is a polymer-film failure. Here's the silicone chemistry behind it, and the three changes that actually fix it for good.
May 8, 2026
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trends Jelly blush vs cream blush: which actually melts into skin
Jelly blush searches climbed 1,300% year over year. The jiggly texture behaves nothing like a cream stick, so here is how each formula sits on real skin.
May 7, 2026
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product-science Niacinamide and vitamin C: the incompatibility myth, debunked
The rule against layering niacinamide with vitamin C traces to old tube-test chemistry. Here is what actually deactivates ascorbic acid, and what does not.
May 7, 2026
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history Oshiroi: how geisha white makeup went from rice to titanium
Oshiroi has been worn in Japan for fourteen centuries. Tracing its formula, lead, then zinc, then titanium dioxide, ends at the molecule in your sunscreen.
May 7, 2026
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product-science What peptides actually do in your moisturizer (and don't)
Peptides are sold as 'Botox in a bottle', but the evidence base is thinner than for retinoids. Here is what each class actually does on real skin.
May 7, 2026
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technique The Case for Contouring Before Foundation
Underpainting flips the order: contour and highlight first, sheer foundation on top. The result is a sculpt that reads as bone, not product.
May 6, 2026
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product-science Why Your Foundation Turns Orange by Lunch
What everyone calls foundation oxidation is mostly iron oxide pigment agglomerating with sebum and skin pH. Real chemistry, real fixes.
May 6, 2026