embrace
Pro-Aging Dual Retinoid Treatment
Built for people who gave up on retinol.
Most retinoid products ask you to choose: results or comfort. Dry out for a few weeks, or skip it and stay where you are. embrace was built to refuse that tradeoff.
The formula starts with a question — what is actually causing the irritation? Retinoids work by accelerating cell turnover and activating retinoic acid receptors. That part is the goal. The irritation, flaking, and sensitivity that often follow are a side effect of delivery — how the retinoid arrives at the skin, how fast it converts, and what the surrounding formula does or doesn't do to support the barrier while renewal happens.
embrace addresses all three. Two next-generation retinoids chosen for their specific roles and delivery profiles. A barrier-reinforcing, anti-inflammatory supporting cast built around the biology of reactive skin. And a finished formula that, across 36 subjects in a supervised 56-day clinical study, produced zero reports of itching, burning, or irritation.
That last result is the one that matters most to us. It means the formula design worked.
Why two retinoids. And why not retinol.
Retinol has been the default retinoid in skincare for decades. Not because it is the best option, but because it was the first to be widely available in over-the-counter formulations. It is well-studied, and at the right dose it produces results. But understanding what retinol actually is in the skin makes it clearer why we chose differently.
Retinol is not the active form. It is a precursor. When applied to the skin, it must be converted through two separate enzymatic steps before it reaches retinoic acid — the form that actually binds to cellular receptors and triggers renewal. This conversion is inefficient, varies between individuals, and is the primary reason retinol causes the irritation it is famous for.
Storage form
The truth about Retinyl Propionate.
Retinyl Propionate is a retinol ester — meaning retinol bound to propionic acid. It sits further from the active form than retinol itself: three conversion steps to retinoic acid, not two. On paper that sounds like a disadvantage. In practice, it is not — for a specific and well-documented reason.
Dr. James Fulton, the scientist behind both prescription Retin-A and Retinyl Propionate, identified RP's structural advantage in his original patent work: the propionate ester is precisely the right molecular weight and configuration to penetrate the skin transdermally and reach the active site where it is needed. Other retinol esters — palmitate is too large to penetrate deeply, acetate is too small and recrystallises — fail for structural reasons. RP threads the needle.
A 2023 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology adds important nuance: RP has a more skin-efficient metabolic profile than retinol because it converts primarily into retinol in the viable epidermis and dermis, where the conversion to retinoic acid can then continue. Retinol, by contrast, is largely esterified and stored when it enters the skin — only a fraction actually converts forward. RP skips the storage step and converts where it counts.
The clinical record at 0.3% — the dose used in embrace — is solid. A 12-week double-blind trial comparing 0.15% retinol with 0.3% RP found both effective for wrinkles and hyperpigmentation, with RP performing marginally better. A separate Procter & Gamble study found a cosmetic regimen built around 0.3% RP was better tolerated, worked faster, and delivered results comparable to 0.02% prescription tretinoin. The minimum effective dose appears to be above 0.15%; at 0.3% the efficacy becomes clearly demonstrable.
Why retinaldehyde and RP together — and not one or the other.
embrace combines two retinoids because they serve fundamentally different time horizons. Both are necessary.
Retinaldehyde (0.05%) acts fast. One enzymatic step from retinoic acid, it activates quickly — driving the accelerated cell turnover and receptor signalling that produces early visible results. The overnight improvement in active breakouts, the brighter skin at day 14 in our clinical data, the texture change that users notice first — retinaldehyde is doing that work.
Retinyl Propionate (0.3%) acts slowly and sustainedly. The three-step conversion is not a weakness here — it is the delivery mechanism. RP releases its retinoid signal gradually, extending the period of cellular activity across the night and into the days that follow. It is the long arc of the formula: consistent, compounding renewal that builds collagen, improves firmness, and deepens the even-tone results over weeks and months of use.
Together they cover both timescales. The retinaldehyde gives you something real to notice early, which matters for trust and consistency. The RP builds the longer-term skin quality improvement that makes a retinoid worth committing to. Neither alone does what both do together.
Every ingredient has a job. Here is what each one does.
embrace is not built around one hero ingredient and a list of fillers. Every component was selected for a specific role in the formula's overall architecture. The retinoids renew. The supporting cast protects, soothes, and maintains the barrier while renewal happens.
One enzymatic step from retinoic acid, retinaldehyde activates quickly to drive collagen stimulation, accelerated cell turnover, and melanin regulation. It delivers the early visible results — brighter skin, smaller breakouts, more refined texture — within the first one to two weeks of use.
Encapsulated in polyurethane-polyurea microcapsules for controlled delivery. RP converts to retinol in the viable epidermis, where conversion can continue — bypassing the storage inefficiency of retinol itself. At 0.3%, clinical data shows wrinkle and hyperpigmentation reduction comparable to 0.1% retinol with better tolerability. The encapsulation further extends the delivery window, reducing peak irritation potential.
Rosemary, Chamomile, Centella, Licorice, Japanese Knotweed, Skullcap, and Tea — selected from 200 plant compounds for their ability to suppress NF-kB, IL-8, TNF-a, IL-6, and mast cell histamine release. At this exact 3% dose, a clinical study (Seoul National University, n=30) showed 76.5% reduction in eczema severity, 40.9% reduction in TEWL, and 37.6% reduction in pruritus. The histamine inhibition pathway directly addresses the itch response retinoids can trigger.
At 20%, this Immortelle water forms the active base of the formula. Research at this concentration shows measurable increases in collagen deposition in both fibroblasts and skin stem cells, suppression of the cellular ageing marker p16, and upregulation of stem cell renewal genes Bmi1 and TERT. Anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound-healing — it actively supports skin during retinoid-driven renewal rather than just sitting in the background.
Derived from Mondo Grass, AD-Resyl targets the three-part cascade of compromised skin: barrier disruption, microbiota imbalance, and Th2 inflammatory response — the same cascade retinoids can trigger in sensitive skin. It stimulates filaggrin synthesis, the protein most critical to skin's natural moisture barrier. Clinical evidence across 310 subjects in three separate cohorts.
Identified through bioinformatic mining of human ECM proteins, this tetrapeptide (GEKG sequence) induces Collagen I, hyaluronic acid synthase, and fibronectin gene expression. At 10 ppm — the exact concentration in embrace — in vivo studies showed approximately 40% skin elasticity improvement and measurable wrinkle reduction after 8 weeks.
36 subjects. 56 days. Dermatologist supervised.
embrace was evaluated in a single-blind clinical study under dermatologist supervision. 36 female subjects, ages 25 to 45, with wheatish to dark complexions and documented concerns including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and visible fine lines. Results were measured by dermatologist assessment, instrumental measurement, and subject self-evaluation.
Dermatologist and instrumental outcomes — 56 days
Dermatologist assessed, 56 days
Dermatologist assessed, 56 days
Dermatologist assessed, 56 days
Cutometry
Mexametry
Chromametry
What subjects reported
Zero irritation. No itching. No burning. No reported discomfort.
Across all 36 subjects, over 56 days, on a retinoid formula. That is the result this formula was built to achieve.
Results are gradual. That is how real renewal works.
embrace is not designed for a dramatic first-use experience (although it may give really good results really soon for some people; depends on your starting point and skin condition). It is designed for consistent, compounding improvement over weeks and months — the kind that comes from real cellular renewal, not surface-level effects.
One of the most immediate things I noticed with regular use was what it did to active breakouts. By the morning after application, I could see them visibly smaller — healing faster than anything else I had tried. Acne forms when dead skin cells and sebum accumulate in the pore; accelerated cell turnover speeds up the clearing process from within. It is not a spot treatment effect — it is the formula doing exactly what a retinoid should do, just faster and without the usual fallout. From the founder
About purging. And why it means the formula is working.
If you are new to retinoids, there is a phase you should be prepared for. It is called purging — and it can look like a temporary worsening of breakouts or congestion, usually in the first two to four weeks of use. It is not a sign that something is wrong.
Think of your skin like a pipe that has been running the same water for years, slowly accumulating residue on the inside. When you start running fresh, fast-moving water through it, the first thing that happens is the old residue comes loose and gets pushed out. The pipe looks worse before it looks better. The only way to get clean water flowing is to move through the dirty phase first.
Purging works the same way. Retinoids accelerate cell turnover, which means everything already sitting clogged in the pores — existing congestion, micro-comedones that hadn't yet surfaced — moves to the surface faster than it would have on its own. You are not creating new breakouts. You are fast-forwarding the clearing timeline.
The way to distinguish purging from a genuine reaction: purging happens in areas where you normally break out, clears within four to six weeks, and is followed by a visible improvement in skin clarity. A reaction looks different — redness, sensitivity, or breakouts in places you don't normally get them. If you are unsure, reduce to three nights a week and give your skin time to calibrate.
The discomfort of purging is temporary. What follows is not.
Clinically supported benefits
- Visibly smoother texture, progressively improving from week 2
- More even skin tone with measurable improvement over time
- Reduction in the appearance of fine lines and crow's feet
- Reduction in dark spots and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- Improved skin firmness and elasticity
- Brighter, more luminous complexion
- Accelerated clearing of active breakouts and congestion
- Well-tolerated daily use, including for retinoid beginners
Five steps. Every night.
- Apply a pea-sized amount to clean, dry skin in the evening
- New to retinoids: start two to three nights a week. Build to alternate nightly use over four to six weeks
- Follow with a moisturiser to support the barrier — In My Defence is formulated to work alongside embrace
- Wear SPF every morning without exception — retinoids increase photosensitivity
- Expect purging in the first two to four weeks. Stay consistent through it
Clinical study: single-blind, dermatologist supervised, 36 female subjects, 56 days. Retinyl Propionate references: Draelos (2007); Fu et al., BJD (2010); Wang et al., J Cosmet Dermatol (2023); Fulton, US Patent 5,043,356. Ingredient efficacy data attributed to individual supplier studies at indicated concentrations. Finished formula claims supported by completed clinical evaluation.
