Kenvue on proactive steps and why retinol is “gold standard” in cosmetic skin care

Kenvue offers skin care solutions from Neutrogena and Aveeno on the sidelines of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Personal Care Insights sits down with Menas Kizoulis, senior director of Scientific Engagement, Skin Health & Beauty at Kenvue’s event to discuss the world of proactive skin care with products such as SPF and retinol.  

You hosted this event for social media influencers. Could you explain the significance of this gathering and what Kenvue hopes to achieve?
Kizoulis: [The] event is part of our overall objective to share the great science and history behind two of our most iconic brands, Neutrogena and Aveeno. Being in Amsterdam, around the EADV meeting, is a good backdrop for this scientific session and engagement with the influencers. We are communicating science-backed solutions not only to the influencers themselves but to their audiences. We can share what we’ve known for decades — the power behind our brands and some examples of that. 

How would you define preventive care as it relates to the personal care industry?
Kizoulis: Proactive skin care is self-care. We’re seeing consumers become more sophisticated and knowledgeable about that. There’s continuing an opportunity to keep educating them about the appropriate use of skin care.

Skin care plays a huge role in being able to maintain healthy skin and treat a variety of conditions, but also, from a preventative standpoint, it allows your skin to be more resilient to potentially prevent accelerated signs of aging — for example, to limit the number of eczema flares you get in the winter. Many of the products we highlighted today, whether Aveeno or Neutrogena, have that ability, and some core examples of that might be sun protection. Sun protection has a critical role in the skin care paradigm of being able to protect your skin, prevent accelerated signs of aging and prevent skin cancer, for that matter.Aveeno's oat-powered skin care can aid with skin conditions.

Eczema flares are a real issue, especially in the winter. For eczema patients, having the right skin care routine and moisturizer is very important. An example would be Aveeno’s triple oat-containing formulas, which are beneficial and effective for eczema sufferers. Other new territories we’re looking at now include this concept of pre-aging. [Consumers in their] mid-20s to late 30s don’t often see the more significant signs of aging [compared to the age of] 40 but the aging process is happening, so educating the consumer and developing the right products to be able to have solutions that are appropriate for this pre-aging time frame is vital. Use products that help protect what you have, preserve the collagen that you have and protect the quality of the skin that you have in a more meaningful way to set yourself up for the future.

What is Kenvue currently working on in terms of preventative skin care for both research and available products?
Kizoulis: We’re continuing to study sun protection, the role of sunscreens, how to develop products that people like to use, and how to advance the level of sun protection. It’s been a big focus for us for years and continues to be on the basic research and product innovation sides. With pre-aging, we have been studying the skin aging journey of subjects or consumers from their mid-20s through their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond, and trying to understand the changes happening in the skin.

For example, we lose 1% of collagen every year, which might sound like a small amount, but it adds up pretty quickly, year over year, starting in your 20s. For some people, it’s even more, depending on how much sun damage and exposure you have. As we study these fundamental research areas, it better informs us of the potential innovation opportunities and products we should be delivering to our consumers. Neutrogena is heavily focused on this pre-aging space, and we’re launching, just launching in the US now, our Collagen Bank line of products geared toward these consumers to protect what they have and set up the skin for looking healthier longer as they age.

What role does SPF play in preventative skin care, and what has Kenvue recently worked on in that area?
Kizoulis: Sun protection is so critical. However, we also know that the everyday consumer might not want to use sunscreen regularly. The formulation expertise that a brand like Neutrogena has is essential to now understanding the pain points that we’re seeing, in this case with the use of daily moisturizers with SPF and developing a super lightweight, non-whitening formula using a more advanced filter sunscreen package to deliver not only robust sun protection but aesthetic to drive daily usage. In the end, the best sunscreen is the one you will use regularly every day. Kenvue scientists conduct interactive experiences for Neutrogeena's sun care.

The new Hydro Boost Hydrating Fluid with SPF 50 is a testament to the expertise our formulators have in the lab to deliver something that is not only nice in terms of aesthetics but also hydrating and delivers on the Hydro Boost benefit of skin hydration, not only immediately but long term.

How does Kenvue’s work in preventative care relate to the work of the EADV?
Kizoulis: This year, we’re presenting seven different studies through our signage and posters. Many of them highlight pre-aging research and clinical studies. We have several studies we’re presenting around using oatmeal, such as our Aveeno oat, in different populations. Some of the benefits of those products are preventative and help treat skin conditions. We are also showcasing the innovations we highlighted in the influencer event around sun protection. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Fluid with SPF 50 product is also highlighted in the scientific posters. 

Neutrogena and Aveeno are prominently featured in our booth. Our R&D scientists create an interactive experience at the booth, engaging with everyday dermatologists to help them learn more about the brand and, more importantly, the science behind the products that we’ve been developing for their patients or the general consumer every day.

What role does retinol play in preventative skin care? What is Kenvue currently working on with that?
Kizoulis: Retinol has become the gold standard in cosmetic skin care. In the US, for example, it is the number one recommended anti-aging cosmetic ingredient for many reasons. Namely, dermatologists believe in the power of retinoids, all vitamin A derivatives that dermatologists and consumers use in many ways. Retinol is one of those. It’s the pure form of vitamin A, and we’ve been studying it for about 30 years as Neutrogena. 

Retinol is often reccomended by dermatologists for anti-aging.It is about the question, how do you formulate retinol in a stable way? Retinol has a lot of potential to benefit a consumer, but it’s also an ingredient that’s difficult to develop. It oxidizes quickly in the presence of light and oxygen. So, one of the significant areas of focus for a brand like Neutrogena is that our formulation experts develop unique ways to stabilize the retinol and protect it from degrading in light and oxygen. That’s an area of expertise that we’ve pioneered in the industry, and very few brands have that level of expertise and knowledge.

Our retinol range, Retinol Boost, which we’re highlighting here in Europe, is a testament to that. We’ve developed a wide range of products, including nighttime moisturizers, daily moisturizers, SPF, serums and a whole host of other retinol-based products that really take advantage of that formulation expertise stabilizing the retinol.

Core to our technology is being able to stabilize the retinol and understand how to deliver the retinol in a controlled way that minimizes some of the other things that consumers see, such as irritation. Pulling that all together uniquely to deliver efficacy, minimize irritation and a superior aesthetic experience is critical, as is the unique know-how that Neutrogena and our scientists have to deliver those types of products. Not all retinol is created equal, and choosing the right stabilized, bioactive retinol is critical.