Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

Anti-retinol, $325 Hyaluronic Acid Serum, & 24 Hour Sunscreen? Let’s unpack(the tip of the iceberg)

11 Mar 2026 · 2 min

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1:31

In this video Shereene Idriss calls out the spread of inaccurate skincare claims, specifically the claim that retinol thins skin and should be avoided in daylight. She references multiple studies—including a 2016 paper—that demonstrate retinol actually thickens the epidermis and up‑regulates collagen types I and III, reducing wrinkles. Idriss then pivots to a cost critique, exposing a $325 hyaluronic‑acid serum and a $240 face cream sold by the same influencer, arguing that hyaluronic acid is a very inexpensive raw material (roughly five cents per 30 ml bottle at 1% concentration). She labels the combined $565 price point as “ridiculous” and hints at further controversy surrounding a 24‑hour sunscreen claim, inviting viewers to share their thoughts.

Chapters

I'm not a hater, but respectfully, this is the shit I hate. Publication of scientific nonsense by people who are not experts. Like this: retinol makes your skin thinner, said she. And if you use retinol, you should not be in daylight, said no one ever. Because as countless studies have shown us, naturally aged skin improves with vitamin A, aka retinol. Under the microscope, the most superficial layer of your epidermis thickens following using retinol. In fact, all subjects had thickening of their epidermis, AKA their skin. You don't believe me? Here's another study from 2016 that shows you that it does upregulate, meaning it increases collagen type 1 and type 3, minimizing facial wrinkling. That was bad, but what really killed me was this. I'll give you guys a moment to read this. Of course she does, because she sells a hyaluronic acid serum for $325, not to mention a darker skin tones— what, what does this mean— face cream for $240. How much is $325 plus $240? $565 per, which is redonkulous because as someone who owns a brand, hyaluronic acid as a raw ingredient is one of the cheapest raw materials you can buy for a formula. In fact, even like at 1% in a 30ml bottle, which is this bottle, would probably come down to 5 cents. And forget it, we're not even going into the sunscreen drama, but let me know what you guys think.