Skinbetter Science Reports New AlphaRet Study in Retinoid-Sensitive Users

By Regina Bonham Bordeaux

September 14, 2026 · 7:27 p.m. ET

Skinbetter Science has reported new 12-week clinical findings for AlphaRet Overnight Cream in 56 participants with self-identified retinoid sensitivity and mild-to-moderate photoaging.¹

For shoppers who have struggled to use retinoids consistently, that population makes the study worth watching. The key limitation is that the headline 98% result reflects participant agreement that AlphaRet could be used nightly; it is not a head-to-head tolerability result against another retinoid.

What the study found

Skinbetter reports that 98% of participants agreed AlphaRet Overnight Cream could be used nightly and 95% agreed their skin felt smoother, firmer and comfortable. The company also reports a 42% improvement in hydration and a 48% improvement in skin dullness after 12 weeks.¹

The study was multicenter and dermatologist-led, with nightly use in 56 participants who identified themselves as sensitive to retinoids.¹

Why it matters

For shoppers who stop or reduce retinoid use because their skin does not tolerate the routine well, tolerability is part of the buying decision. A study designed around retinoid-sensitive users is therefore more relevant than a general satisfaction claim.

But the wording matters. “98% agreed AlphaRet can be used nightly” does not mean 98% experienced no irritation. It also does not establish that AlphaRet is more tolerable than retinol, retinal or prescription tretinoin because the newly announced study did not report a direct comparator.¹

What we know

Skinbetter’s U.S. product page now includes the 98% nightly-use result from the new 56-participant study. The same page separately cites an older 12-week split-face randomized study in 48 participants with mild-to-severe photoaging that compared AlphaRet with 0.025% tretinoin.²

Those studies answer different questions and should not be treated as one evidence set. The new study focuses on use in people who identify as retinoid-sensitive, while the older study used a direct tretinoin comparison.¹²

The public announcement does not provide enough detail to determine how sensitivity was defined beyond self-identification, how irritation or adverse events were graded, whether anyone discontinued or reduced use, or how the reported hydration and dullness changes were measured. The release establishes the findings Skinbetter is reporting; it does not make them independent evidence.

What we’re watching

BB will be watching for a full study report with irritation grading, adverse-event and discontinuation data, measurement methods and a comparator. Those details would make it easier to judge whether AlphaRet offers a meaningful tolerability advantage for shoppers who have struggled with other retinoids.

For now, the study adds useful brand-reported evidence in a retinoid-sensitive population. It does not establish irritation-free use or superiority to other retinoids.