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/2PACX-1vSZJGmDj4fGeJiOHu7w69vNtko_8CY23EEeTDuR1BNN3LjpSDiRpj3Jr8OaLBRbk6R_o8j0c9kpIel9/pub 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 https://instagram.com/labmuffinbeautyscience Facebook https://facebook.com/labmuffin Twitter https://twitter.com/labmuffin TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@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: https://youtu.be/gZB3SLdGpeA Vitamin C Guide Pt 1: https://youtu.be/U68MTXuOG9k Busting haircare myths:https://youtu.be/ri_SqZVthaU Zinc sunscreens don't work better: https://youtu.be/4JOWwwEFI8A Inkey List and Succinic acid: https://youtu.be/RxTp0T_l9A0 Clean beauty is a scam: https://youtu.be/wkWX2AXNuxg Skincare products I hate: https://youtu.be/TW8GIzC8L0k Busting retinoid myths: https://youtu.be/GLfiGlnwdhk The only skincare that works? ASAP Science response: https://youtu.be/4vAiORBk1zw Debunking bad sunscreen fearmongering: https://youtu.be/o5BPmsPPQBU Debunking Colorescience, Skinnies: https://youtu.be/iDInh3ruRzI Critiquing Good Molecules' "Nothing to Hide" Ingredient Lists: https://youtu.be/puKxKlzobh0 Fixing my boyfriend's horrifying skincare routine: https://youtu.be/R5b3cXJyDgs ----SKINCARE GUIDE---- The Lab Muffin Guide to Basic Skincare is here! Find out more: https://labmuffin.com/skin