Research
A closer reading.
Good ingredients invite scrutiny. These are the studies and material specifications behind our interest in vitamin E, bakuchiol and hemisqualane.
Bakuchiol: wrinkles and uneven pigmentation
A randomised, double-blind study followed 44 participants for 12 weeks. One group used a cream containing 0.5% bakuchiol twice daily; the other used a 0.5% retinol cream once daily.
Both groups showed reductions in wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation, with no statistically significant difference between them. The retinol group reported more scaling and stinging.
What it tells us: bakuchiol has human clinical evidence for improving visible signs of skin ageing in the formulation studied.
What it does not tell us: this was not a tretinoin study, a test of Liquid Gold, or proof that all bakuchiol formulas perform identically. The trial was small and used different application frequencies. It does not establish that bakuchiol replaces sunscreen.
Dhaliwal et al. · British Journal of Dermatology · Read the study
Vitamin E: antioxidant activity in skin
Research examining human epidermis identified both alpha and gamma tocopherols. Their concentrations correlated with the tissue’s free-radical-scavenging activity in a laboratory assay.
What it tells us: vitamin E contributes to the skin’s antioxidant environment, and mixed tocopherols are a meaningful subject of ingredient research.
What it does not tell us: this was not a clinical trial showing that our serum treats acne, repairs sun damage or prevents skin disease. Oral vitamin E findings also cannot be assumed to apply to a topical serum.
Human epidermal vitamin E and antioxidant activity · Read the research
Material quality: understanding the specification
Our mixed vitamin E raw material is specified at a minimum of 95% total tocopherols, derived from non-GMO soy. The supplier’s published certificate records 97.6% total tocopherols for the listed lot, with a tocopherol profile of 13% alpha, 2% beta, 60% gamma and 25% delta.
Those are raw-material measurements for a particular lot. Liquid Gold contains 33% of the mixed tocopherol raw ingredient; it is not a 95% vitamin E serum. Batch documentation, rather than colour alone, verifies composition.
View the supplier specification and linked certificate
Hemisqualane: the role of an emollient
Sugarcane-derived hemisqualane is used for its light feel, spreadability and skin-softening properties. We chose it as the fluid foundation of Liquid Gold. Its role here is cosmetic and sensory.
Ingredient research and the finished formula
Liquid Gold has not undergone a clinical efficacy study. The research above concerns ingredients, tissue samples or other formulations. We keep that distinction clear as our product development continues.
