Why Most Skincare Doesn’t Work (And What Actually Does)

Walk down any skincare aisle and you’ll see hundreds of products promising smoother, firmer, younger-looking skin. Yet for many people, results are minimal — or nonexistent.

The issue usually isn’t the ingredient list.
It’s delivery.

The Skin Barrier Problem

Human skin is designed to keep things out. The outermost layer — the stratum corneum — blocks the vast majority of ingredients applied to the surface. Even clinically proven actives often fail to reach the layers where collagen production and cellular renewal occur.

Why Ingredients Alone Aren’t Enough

Retinoids, peptides, vitamin C, and copper complexes all have research behind them. But studies consistently show that topical absorption is limited, especially for larger or unstable molecules.

This explains why people can use high-end serums for months with little visible change.

What Actually Improves Skin Quality

Research-backed approaches share two things:

• Stimulation (triggering the skin’s repair response)

• Delivery (getting actives beneath the barrier)

Treatments like microneedling, micro-infusion, and certain energy-based devices work because they address how ingredients reach the skin — not just what they are.

Bottom line:
Skincare works best when biology, delivery, and consistency align.