Impressively Bad Skincare Science: Matter of Fact

Update (14/9/2022): Dr Julian Sass (@scamander14 on IG), a biostatistician and full-time employee of Matter of Fact (Director of R&D and Education) has publicly accused me of bullying him in a video. My response: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/... Relevant to this video: He didn't disclose his employment by MoF, even in his video accusing me. This is illegal according to FTC guidelines. He was one of the influencers paid to compare ascorbic acid to hydroquinone. A few weeks before the post went live, I had privately explained to him that a similar claim in a sponsored post counted as the brand’s claims. Interestingly, it seems that his job at MoF includes… checking social media posts for illegal claims. Some of the criticisms he’s interpreted as “bullying” are to do with the accuracy of his posts. In his video he seems to have confused “organic” with “inorganic”, and thought zinc oxide and titanium dioxide contain hydrogen... or just didn’t care enough to read what he was citing. Neither option is reassuring. Additionally, Matter of Fact’s social media “science education” is still questionable – for example, saying asiaticoside is also known as “purified centella asiatica extract”, and glycyrrhetinic acid “purified extract of licorice root”. This makes as much chemical sense as calling gold “purified mud”. I think these points further speak to Matter of Fact’s bastardisation of science for profit, muddy ethics, and continued insistence on hiring for appearances, rather than appropriate qualifications and experience. Fake molecules, unproven claims, questionable inventions... they really didn't have to stick me in their ad as well. Here's me debunking Matter of Fact's "science" (well, sciencewashing) for 25 minutes. In this video: 0:44 Science-washing for fun and profit 2:58 Matter of Fact brand overview (in their words) 4:08 How they tried to prove their vitamin C serum had "Unmatched Stability" 7:49 "Science" as aesthetic (aka I roast them a whole bunch, then they decide to stick me in an ad) 18:33 What is this "breakthrough discovery"? 21:55 Is their serum even stable? ERROR: OH MY GOD I shouldn't have trusted their calculations - their accelerated stability actually shows 93.92% stability at 8 weeks (16 months simulated), not 94.25% or 94.3% as shown in their press release/graph etc. That's because the actual starting average % by assay was 20.07%, not 20%. You'd think I'd know better than to trust anything they put out by now... Subscribe for videos every fortnight: http://bit.ly/labmuffinyt Thanks to Kevin T S Vun for providing voiceovers (sorry for making you work while recovering from surgery!) ---ABOUT--- Lab Muffin Beauty Science is a channel by me, Michelle - I'm a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist and science educator, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup! ---FOLLOW--- Blog https://labmuffin.com Instagram Instagram: labmuffinbeautyscience Facebook Facebook: labmuffin Twitter Twitter: labmuffin TikTok TikTok: labmuffinbeautyscience ------------------------------------- Want smooth, glowing skin? Grab a copy of my FREE Essential Guide to Exfoliation! https://labmuffin.com/exfol ------------------------------------- ---RELATED POSTS AND VIDEOS--- Free exfoliation guide https://labmuffin.com/free-guide Busting cleansing myths: Washing Your Face Wrong? Busting Cleansing... Vitamin C Guide Pt 1: Ultimate Vitamin C Skincare Guide Part 1: ... Busting haircare myths:Busting hair care myths! Build-up, silicon... Zinc sunscreens don't work better: Zinc Sunscreens Don't Work Better: Every M... Inkey List and Succinic acid: Sneaky Marketing? The Inkey List Succinic ... Clean beauty is a scam: Clean Beauty Apps Won't Give Us Safer Prod... Skincare products I hate: I Hate These Skincare Products | Lab Muffi... Busting retinoid myths: Busting Retinoid Skincare Myths | Lab Muff... The only skincare that works? ASAP Science response: Scientist reacts: The ONLY face cream that... Debunking bad sunscreen fearmongering: Is octocrylene sunscreen safe? Benzophenon... Debunking Colorescience, Skinnies: Do They Work? Colorescience SPF Powder, Sk... Critiquing Good Molecules' "Nothing to Hide" Ingredient Lists: Fake Transparency: Good Molecules' "Nothin... Fixing my boyfriend's horrifying skincare routine: Fixing My Boyfriend's Horrifying Skincare ... ---SKINCARE GUIDE--- The Lab Muffin Guide to Basic Skincare is here! Find out more: https://labmuffin.com/skin