RoC Skincare is expanding a clinical research program that tests its Patented Clinical Retinol in adult female identical twins, adding wearable biometric data to conventional skin measurements.
The company says the pilot phase was designed to establish whether identical twins could provide a more precise model for studying visible skin aging. Art Pellegrino, chief scientific officer at RoC, says the answer was yes. Because twins begin with the same genetic blueprint, he says, differences between them are harder to attribute to genetics and easier to connect with lifestyle, environment or product use.
A natural control
Identical twins share DNA and much of their early environment, making them a close approximation of a natural control group, according to Pellegrino. If their skin ages differently, he says, lifestyle and environment become likelier explanations. RoC says the model can help it see what its Clinical Retinol is actually doing on the skin.
In the pilot, Pellegrino says twins in the placebo group had similar or worse signs of aging at the end of the study, while twins in the treatment group had as much or more than 20% improvement in four weeks. Those are company-reported pilot findings.
Oura Ring and clinical measures
For the next phase, RoC is recruiting at least 30 pairs of adult female identical twins aged 40 and older in the US. Participants will follow a regimen for 12 weeks and wear an Oura Ring, which tracks metrics including sleep, stress, heart rate, heart-rate variability and temperature trends. RoC will pair that lifestyle data with expert grading, digital photography, corneometer readings and participant self-assessment.
Pellegrino says wearables offer a way to account for how people live when recommending skin care. Since RoC cannot ensure twins have identical sun exposure or diets, it is recruiting pairs with similar levels of environmental damage where possible and tracking sleep and stress closely during the study. The company expects the combination to help quantify external stressors and their impact on skin condition.
By holding genetics constant and tracking lifestyle, the researchers hope to examine whether periods of poor sleep or higher stress line up with differences in hydration, fine lines or other skin measures between sisters. They are also interested in whether participants who see visible skin improvements report feeling less stressed.
The pilot did not attempt to measure how much skin aging comes from genes versus lifestyle; RoC says the expanded study is intended to address that question. The company describes the phase as one stage in a longer research program on “skin span,” or how long skin keeps looking its best. Pellegrino says the findings will inform product development for skin longevity and the design of future clinical studies. RoC expects results by mid-2027.