OneSkin is an anti-aging cosmetic brand. The company claims to sell “the first skin longevity treatment scientifically proven to target the root cause of skin aging.”

But is OneSkin actually proven to work in research studies? Does the brand use research-backed ingredients? What about unhealthy additive ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of OneSkin?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review clinical studies on OneSkin to give our take on whether or not the brand is likely to be effective.

We’ll also analyze the ingredients in one of OneSkin’s top products, and feature real customer reviews of the brand.

Key takeaways:

• Peptide promoted by OneSkin doesn't appear proven effective yet in humans
• Anti-aging cream we analyzed contained a preservative we recommend avoiding
• We do not currently recommend OneSkin

Is OneSkin Proven to Work?

OneSkin claims on their website that the peptide used in their formulations, called “OS-01,” is proven to reverse the skin’s biological age:

image source: oneskin.co

The company cites a 2023 clinical trial which found that this peptide “promoted a healthy skin phenotype with structural and molecular resemblance to young ex vivo skin.”

It’s important to note that this was an in vitro (test tube) study, which is a weaker standard of evidence than an in vivo (live human patient) study.

Nevertheless, this early-stage research is highly impressive and the study authors concluded that this peptide can reduce the biological age of human skin.

The only other research citation on the OneSkin “Science” page is a medical review published in the Clinical Therapeutics journal that outlines a novel research process for identifying potentially effective anti-aging compounds.

Overall, we consider OneSkin’s peptide somewhat likely to work, given that it was shown in a test tube study to have an anti-aging effect.

However, this peptide does not appear to have been proven to work yet in live human subjects; just in human skin samples.

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in “OS-01 Face,” which is the anti-aging facial cream sold by OneSkin, are shown below:

There are a number of research-backed ingredients in this formulation beyond the OS-01 peptide.

Glycerin is clinically shown to increase skin moisture content, suggesting it has a hydrating effect.

Sorbitan olivate and cetearyl olivate may have synergistic effects to naturally hydrate the skin, according to a clinical trial published in the Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology journal.

Carapa guianensis seed oil was shown to promote collagen synthesis in a 2018 clinical trial.

Niacinamide is a type of B-vitamin that’s been shown in research studies to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, as we documented in our Agency Skincare reviews article.

Bentonite is a mineral-rich clay that was shown to have a healing effect on skin in a 2017 medical review.

There are other active ingredients in this formulation with research backing, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll simply state that it’s clear this cream has a large number of effective ingredients.

Phenoxyethanol is the only inactive ingredient in OS-01 that may be questionable from a health perspective, as this synthetic preservative was found in a 2020 in vitro clinical trial to be toxic to human skin cells.

Overall, we consider OneSkin’s facial cream likely to be effective not only for anti-aging, but also for skin hydration and skin barrier repair, given its numerous effective active ingredients.

We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of phenoxyethanol, but we do consider it to be of above-average quality.

OneSkin vs. Popular Anti-Aging Brands

Here's how OneSkin compares to other popular anti-aging brands in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Depology

Contains a trademarked peptide blend which is clinically shown to reduce visible wrinkles by over 30%.

Both products we reviewed were entirely free of unhealthy additives, and we consider this K-Beauty brand to be one of the highest-quality anti-aging brands.

Winner: Depology

itk Skincare

This brand uses bakuchiol, which is one of the best research-backed compounds for promoting taut skin.

However, both formulations we analyzed contained more than one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy, so OneSkin wins from a health perspective.

Winner: OneSkin

Agency Skincare

Inactive ingredient profile is more unhealthy than OneSkin, including one ingredient which was clinically described as a "demonstrated neurotoxin."

Winner: OneSkin

Our Clean Skincare Pick

MindBodyGreen Best Skin+ is our top anti-aging skin supplement.

It contains orange extract which is clinically shown to increase skin moisturization, skin elasticity and skin radiance.

This supplement also contains astaxanthin which is clinically shown to cause "wrinkle formation reduction."

This supplement is free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

OneSkin Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Novel technology
• May actually reverse aging in skin
• Many research-backed active ingredients
• Clinically proven effects in human skin samples

Cons:

• Expensive
• Doesn’t appear clinically tested in humans
• Contains phenoxyethanol

Conclusion

OneSkin appears to be developing legitimate proprietary anti-aging technology, which is a refreshing change from most cosmetic brands we review on Illuminate Health that use similar active ingredients and just brand them differently.

This company has developed a peptide that reverses aging in skin in test tube studies.

We haven’t found any clinical trials in humans proving these results, but we’re hopeful that the company will fund such studies in the future.

We don’t currently recommend this brand due to the lack of studies with human participants, as well as the inclusion of synthetic preservatives.

We consider OneSkin to be a healthier choice than itk Skincare and Agency Skincare, but a less healthy option than Depology.