PoreWise One finding · Human trial · 2016
Study title
Classification by causes of dark circles and appropriate evaluation method of dark circles
- Kind of evidence
- Human trial 2016 · 24 people · adults with mixed-type dark circles · PMID 26346687
- Measured outcome
- Skin effect
- Year
- 2016
- Who was studied
- 24 adults with mixed-type dark circles.
- Sample size
- 24
- Measured outcome
- In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled split-face trial, 24 people with mixed-type dark circles used a test product containing 3% vitamin C, 0.1% vitamin A and 0.5% vitamin E for eight weeks. Brightness (L*), melanin index and image-analysis lightness improved significantly on the treated side compared with the placebo side.
- Certainty
- Low
- Who was measured
- Instrument-measured brightness, melanin index and skin thickness in mixed-type (pigment plus vascular) dark circles over eight weeks.
- Study limits
- Three actives were used together. 24 people took part, all with the mixed type of dark circles; a separate 100-person study was used first to choose which measurements to trust. The abstract reports instrument readings.
Where it comes from
- Classification by causes of dark circles and appropriate evaluation method of dark circles
Published by Skin Research and Technology (Park SR, et al.) · Last checked 2026-11-11
Ingredients it was measured on
Skin concerns studied
Other findings on the same ingredient or concern
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- Skin effectNovel Vitamin C and E and Green Tea Polyphenols Combination Serum Improves Photoaged Facial Skin
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- Skin effectAnti-aging and brightening effects of a topical treatment containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract: A split-face, randomized controlled trial
In a split-face randomized controlled trial of 50 women, a serum with 20% vitamin C, vitamin E and raspberry leaf cell culture extract significantly improved skin radiance measured by Glossymeter GL200, along with skin colour and elasticity, over 2 months.
Human trial · 2020 · 50 people · women aged 30-65 · Women aged 30-65 applying the serum to one side of the face for 2 months, with the untreated side as control. · Split-face with an untreated.
- Legal limitsCommission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 — vitamin A (retinol, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate), Annex III entry 376
Retinol, retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate are restricted under Annex III entry 376 of the EU Cosmetics Regulation: at most 0.05% retinol equivalent in body lotion and 0.3% in other leave-on and rinse-off products, with a mandatory label warning.
Official legal text · 2024 · Products placed on the EU market. Other jurisdictions set their own limits. · 2024 · This is a legal limit. · 2024
- IrritationImprovement of photoaged facial skin in middle-aged Japanese females by topical retinol (vitamin A alcohol): a vehicle-controlled, double-blind study
Nightly 0.075% retinol caused enough irritation for 3 of 57 participants to withdraw from the study; at 0.04% over 13 weeks irritation was reported as minimal, with less improvement in fine wrinkling.
Human trial · 2009 · 57 people · Middle-aged Japanese women with mild photoaging · Facial use once nightly in middle-aged Japanese women with mild photoaging, at 0.075% for 26 weeks and 0.04% for 13 weeks. · Withdrawals were counted. Both findings come from the same single-centre study.