When it comes to skincare, I prefer to keep things as simple as possible. I’m not an expert in
dermatology, but it makes sense to me that the only things I really need are cleanser, moisturizer, and
sunscreen. Everything else is extra.
That being said, “extra” things can actually be quite useful. I have started using a hyaluronic acid serum
that made my skin glow, and certain products, such as retinol, have been researched for years, effectively
proving that they contribute to reducing or preventing wrinkles. Good for them!
Now, what about the things that haven’t been researched? Social media influencers sometimes portray
seemingly unachievable or super-complex skincare routines that make me wonder: does one really need
all those products and tools? Should I be taping my face too? Are those patches really doing anything or
is it merely for the aesthetic?
There are many questionable skincare techniques that I could talk about, but there is one that recently
caught my attention. The Medicube AGE-R Booster-Pro, Korea’s number 1 beauty device (as stated on
their website), has rapidly become a must-have for skincare enthusiasts. What does it do, exactly? Well,
eh. That’s the thing. Does it really do anything?
Well, this £350 product does the following:
- Transforms your skin into GLASS GLOW SKIN
- Combines the latest skincare technology: electroporation, microcurrent, EMS, electric needles,
LED and sonic vibration - Improves skincare product absorption, enhanced radiance, elasticity care, facial contouring, and
pore care
It sounds miraculous. And something I’ve learned is that, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For the sake of science, I would have preferred to test it on myself and document the results, but I’m not willing to spend that kind of money on a miraculous tool that may or may not actually do something. Therefore, I decided to do a brief literature review on these technologies that the tool has incorporated into a single device and determine if it was worth buying. To be fair, I’d buy it just because it’s pink and cute – but I’m trying to be more sceptical about these things. What can I say? I’m a simple girl.
Anyway, my opinion is the following: if this specific product has not been thoroughly tested and
researched, I will not be a testing subject myself. Reading through Medicube’s site, it had a section called
“clinical test”. Fair enough, I thought. I clicked on the section to expand it, and it cleverly says: - Skin Permeability: improved by 785%
- Skin Radiance: improved by 11.4% after 2 weeks of use
- Discoloration: improved by 1.98% after 4 weeks of use
- Skin tone: improved by 1.8% after 4 weeks of use
- Hydratation: improved by 1.73% after 2 weeks of use
Among additional values.
A list of percentages doesn’t really tell us anything (especially since no reference values or scales were
provided, one may raise the question: improved in respect to what?). So I followed the rabbit hole:
besides this list of statistics, another link within the Medicube site takes you to various scientific papers:
some of them unrelated to the specific product and more related to the techniques it uses. Another report,
issued by the Global Institute of Dermatological Sciences, evaluates the effectiveness of the AGE-R
Booster by testing the product on a pool of 22 women from 20 to 60 years. However, the “Global Institute of Dermatological Science”, is the name of Medicube’s own Research & Development department… which is misleading, to say the least.
Disregarding this questionable practice, I wondered if there were any studies that backed up similar
techniques, such as electroporation for dermal absorption (which is the main thing that the AGE-R is
meant to do). The results were confusing, at least for me.
To summarize, electroporation is a method that has been around for more than 10 years, and other (not
Medicube’s) researchers have claimed that it is safe for non-invasive drug delivery and as a permeation
enhancer, promoting drug permeation by high voltage and short duration pulses (Kis, et. al). This
technique has the potential for sustained and controlled drug release (Denet, Vanbever, Preat), however,
these studies have been focused on the permeation of drugs that you need inside of your body, and not
much research on skincare products under electroporation has been performed.
Typical skincare products are formulated and tested considering that they will only be absorbed up to a certain layer of the skin, but deeper absorption of these products has not been tested, and nothing would assure you that higher absorption equals better results. Additionally, due to the high voltage and constant use (as Medicube suggests using 1 to 3 times a day) it may cause damage to your skin or blood vessels – damage that is only a speculation, since no proper thorough testing has been done.
In conclusion, you can go through tons of research papers justifying why or why not certain techniques or
products should be used, but whenever something seems sketchy or too good, it is most likely not yet
ready to make those claims!
Although it is still too early to disqualify the Booster-Pro as a tool for improved skincare, it is also too early
to assure it does what it’s supposed to do. We’re still years behind in terms of research – and many
products that are pink-packaged and advertised as “miraculous” or “designed just for you”, are, in reality, a combination of things that kind of work, but not quite. If you’d like to give it a try, you’re not going to die from it – but you may face a big investment that will lead to the same results as if you only did your regular skincare routine.
Sources:
Myung Sun Choi (2022). A study to evaluate the effectiveness of ‘MEDICUBE AGE-R BOOSTER-H’ and
one other cosmetic product in the improvement of 2.5 mm dermal hydration, epidermal hydration, skin
brightness, skin volume, skin texture, dermal density, skin barrier function, skin elasticity, depressed skin
volume on five facial area (forehead, glabella, outer corner of eye, nasolabial, mouth corner), skin
sagging on facial (cheek) area, skin pores volume, the number of skin pores, and under-eye skin tone.
Global Institute of Dermatological Sciences, APR Corporation.
Kis, N. et. al. (2022). The effect of non-invasive dermal electroporation on skin barrier function and skin
permeation in combination with different dermal formulations. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and
Technology.
Denet, A. et. al. (2004). Skin electroporation for transdermal and topical delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery
Reviews.