She's Helped to Create 200+ Products. Here’s What a Scientist Wants You to Know Before You Buy Your Next Moisturizer

How does a skin scientist evaluate a worth-it product? What ingredients are too good to be true? This week, we're partnering with our friends at Parëva Beauty to learn the answers to these questions directly from the founder Smitha Rao — a scientist who's spent nearly two decades formulating over 200 products for brands like StriVectin and Olaplex before launching her own line.

Smitha breaks down what's actually happening with buzzy ingredients like exosomes and NAD+, what “clinically proven” really means, and the informed difference between anti-aging and skin longevity.

Tune in to hear:

• What biotech skincare actually means, and why Smitha says “the future is biology, not chemistry”
• How exosomes work to help skin regenerate its own collagen — and why not all exosome technologies are created equal
• NAD+ and NMN, decoded: why you keep seeing these phrases pop-up on skincare labels
• The questions to ask before trusting any “clinically proven” claim
• The biggest mistake even savvy INCI-label readers make when building a routine, according to Smitha
• Smitha's take on the ingredients having a moment that she's most skeptical of
• An inside look at Parëva's latest launch, the GFP12 Collagen Eye Serum

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🎙️ MEET THE HOSTS

• Carlene Higgins: https://www.instagram.com/carlenehiggins/
• Jill Dunn: https://www.instagram.com/jilldunnbeauty/

🎙️ For more related conversations like this, check out these episodes:

• Meet the Buzzy Skincare Brand That Wants You to Use Human-Derived Exosomes On Your Face
• How-to Think (And Shop!) Like a Cosmetic Chemist with Glow by Ramón
• Sunscreen Dos and Don'ts With Dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry. Plus! Myth-Busting SPF Headlines

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*Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, all products reviewed are gratis media samples submitted for editorial consideration.*

Hosts: Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn

Theme song, used with permission: Cherry Bomb by Saya


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