Impressively Bad Skincare Science: Matter of Fact

Relevant to this video:
* He didn't disclose his employment by MoF, even in his video accusing me. This is illegal according to FTC guidelines.
* He was one of the influencers paid to compare ascorbic acid to hydroquinone. A few weeks before the post went live, I had privately explained to him that a similar claim in a sponsored post counted as the brand’s claims. Interestingly, it seems that his job at MoF includes… checking social media posts for illegal claims.
* Some of the criticisms he’s interpreted as “bullying” are to do with the accuracy of his posts.
In his video he seems to have confused “organic” with “inorganic”, and thought zinc oxide and titanium dioxide contain hydrogen... or just didn’t care enough to read what he was citing. Neither option is reassuring.
* Additionally, Matter of Fact’s social media “science education” is still questionable – for example, saying asiaticoside is also known as “purified centella asiatica extract”, and glycyrrhetinic acid “purified extract of licorice root”. This makes as much chemical sense as calling gold “purified mud”.
* I think these points further speak to Matter of Fact’s bastardisation of science for profit, muddy ethics, and continued insistence on hiring for appearances, rather than appropriate qualifications and experience.

Fake molecules, unproven claims, questionable inventions... they really didn't have to stick me in their ad as well. Here's me debunking Matter of Fact's "science" (well, sciencewashing) for 25 minutes.

In this video:
0:44 Science-washing for fun and profit
2:58 Matter of Fact brand overview (in their words)
4:08 How they tried to prove their vitamin C serum had "Unmatched Stability"
7:49 "Science" as aesthetic (aka I roast them a whole bunch, then they decide to stick me in an ad)
18:33 What is this "breakthrough discovery"?
21:55 Is their serum even stable?

ERROR: OH MY GOD I shouldn't have trusted their calculations - their accelerated stability actually shows 93.92% stability at 8 weeks (16 months simulated), not 94.25% or 94.3% as shown in their press release/graph etc. That's because the actual starting average % by assay was 20.07%, not 20%. You'd think I'd know better than to trust anything they put out by now...

Thanks to Kevin T S Vun for providing voiceovers (sorry for making you work while recovering from surgery!)

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Lab Muffin Beauty Science is a channel by me, Michelle - I'm a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist and science educator, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup!

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[kellyk]

As someone in STEM too, sometimes I find it offensive when a brand's marketing revolves around "Person who has no experience in science discovered x thing because they're smarter than all the know-it-all scientists!"
It's literally just a dressed up version of "woman discovered secret to aging, dermatologists HATE her"
Like yeah sure because degrees and experience and hard work are clearly so useless 🙄

[Turtletoots]

Paul heard of Paula's Choice and figured he was already halfway there.

[justilou]

Paul Baek, the “My mum did a Chemistry Ph.D so I wouldn’t have to…” and “I was far too busy nurturing my genius.” A cross between Elon Musk and Warnie.

[merlie]

This may sound strange but science-washing frustrates me more than the “clean, ” “non-toxic” approach to selling skincare. For me the latter borders on the absurd at times and I don’t find myself getting sucked into the claims. If I’m not paying attention though I may at least initially be swayed by an approach that sounds like it’s based in science. Both approaches are dishonest though and I wish advertising would center more on actual product efficacy but I guess that doesn’t sell. 😕

[Motley]

God this video is incredible. Paul’s going to have to formulate a new breakthrough cream to cure the burn you just gave him because none on the market are strong enough.

[LabMuffinBeautyScience]

OH MY GOD I shouldn't have trusted their calculations - just noticed that their accelerated stability actually shows 93.92% stability at 8 weeks (16 months simulated), not 94.25% or 94.3% as claimed in their press release/graph etc. That's because the actual starting average % by assay was 20.07%, not 20%. You'd think I'd know better than to trust anything they put out by now... 🤦🏻

[jerry]

As someone who’s studying and doing a lot of labs, the segment where you start weighing the pH paper, mixing with the pipette bulb, drinking from a beaker….. really made me break out laughing

[SamMKKK]

Agreed about The Ordinary. Anyone can say want they want about the brand’s inelegant formulas or whatever, but The Ordinary pioneered a kind of skin care business (and interest therein) that kinda revolutionized the industry imo.

[Minsooky]

Hehe they can delete comments off their IG but they can’t delete this 👀

[DrLeslieBaumann]

I am certain they never even read that chapter in my book. I love your posts! So nice to have an honest authentic voice out there educating people!

[UlrikeScherer]

I was so mad on your behalf at them using your likeness in their ad without your consent! Disappointing to think that other science-based influencers work with them.

[Selene_Rosara]

You just know Matter of Fact is watching this, taking notes, completely ignoring everything you said, and just looking for the ways to "fix" their posts on IG, again. Again, again. 😂

[fray-adjacent]

I am an atmospheric science researcher and we see this sort of thing with "disruptors" in weather and climate science too. For example, I saw a presentation from a startup claiming they were going to launch hundreds of small satellites with radars to have continuous radar observations over the entire planet, then brushed off the detailed technical questions from me and other experts on the call. You also see private weather and climate companies making big claims about the quality of their products without publishing any verification studies at all. So much of what you've talked about here felt familiar.

[imaginingdefeat]

The second-hand embarrassment at watching a CEO and wannabe scientist plagiarize - incorrectly - a blog post from a single skincare science influencer and use everything that he learned - incorrectly - in relentless marketing posts 😬😬😬 Not only is it intensely cringey, it’s gross that he’s using your write-ups without asking for permission or paying you. I know you wouldn’t/shouldn’t have agreed to work with him, but had you theoretically consented to having your work used in such an enormous capacity, you absolutely would have been compensated, and rightfully so.

Also, I love the bird of paradise “plant” behind you with its cute articulated stems and chunky petals ⚙️🌺

[poplikid]

I got second hand embarrassment from their attempts at referencing

[chasingautumns]

Paul Baek, a wannabe Elizabeth Holmes? AND he managed to find suckers to invest in what looks like a scam? This is hilarious. Great video and sorry you had to put your life on hold to address this con man and his game playing.

[johnnyarellano]

18:28 For the brand to block Michele comments speaks volumes about their brand! Hope they go out of business. We love you Michelle ❤️

[BlushingForeigner]

Eventually they will unblock your comments and incorporate your helpful feedback with scientific sources like: Muffin, Lab. Michelle, Dr. Australia, 3022.

[danyf.]

Omg really? I wouldn't have managed to be so professional and diplomatic towards this company if I were you, they look sketchy af and you did the right thing to stand by your morals, hats off to you Michelle!
And quoting Jesse from Breaking Bad...YEAH, SCIENCE!!!🙌🙌🙌

[TaliaOutwrong]

Obviously old mate Paul is a cynical VC techbro interested primarily in making bank on hype alone. What I appreciate most about this video is that in spite of this, you have made a really enormous effort to make your response generous and constructive. We don’t deserve all the hard work and research you do, and that goes double for Matter of Fact, but you are providing excellent resources and comms, and your doing it with a lotta heart! 💖