RoC Skincare is moving into the next phase of a clinical program that uses identical twins and wearable biometric data to evaluate its Patented Clinical Retinol. The company plans to recruit 30 pairs of adult female identical twins aged 40 and older living in the US for a 12-week regimen, according to Art Pellegrino, the brand's chief scientific officer.
The approach pairs standard clinical skin measurements with lifestyle tracking. Participants wear an Oura Ring, which records metrics including sleep, stress, heart rate, heart rate variability and temperature trends. RoC's clinical assessments include expert grading, digital photography, corneometer readings and subject self-assessment.
Why identical twins
Because identical twins share DNA and much of their early environment, differences in how their skin ages are more likely to be explained by lifestyle or external factors than by genetics. Pellegrino described identical twins as about as close as researchers get to a natural control: if their skin ages differently, lifestyle and environment become the likelier explanation.
The pilot phase was designed to test whether the twin model could provide a more precise way to study visible skin aging. Pellegrino said the answer was yes. At the end of that pilot, twins in the placebo group showed similar or worse signs of aging, while twins in the treatment group showed improvement of 20% or more in four weeks, he said.
What the wearable adds
RoC cannot ensure that twins have identical external influences such as sun exposure or diet. To limit that gap, the brand is recruiting twins with similar levels of environmental damage wherever possible and tracking sleep and stress closely throughout the study.
Combining the genetic control of twins with direct lifestyle tracking is intended to let researchers examine how stressors relate to changes in each participant's skin. Pellegrino said the team will be able to compare twins during the study, for example checking whether weeks of poor sleep line up with lower hydration readings, or whether the twin with lower stress levels sees fine lines improve faster.
The brand is also interested in the reverse question: whether participants who see visible skin improvements also feel less stressed. Pellegrino said wearables are opening an opportunity across the industry to factor in how people live when recommending skin care.
Scope and next steps
The pilot did not attempt to measure how much skin aging comes from genes versus lifestyle. That is the aim of the expanded study, which will examine how daily life factors such as sleep and stress change the picture when genetics are held constant. Pellegrino said the focused group of at least 30 pairs is intended to produce cleaner data, and the company sees the work as one stage in a longer research program on extending skin span, or how long skin keeps looking its best.
RoC expects results from the twin study by mid-2027. Pellegrino said what the company learns will shape how it develops new products for skin longevity and how it designs clinical studies going forward.