Kenvue’s Ricciardone Explains New Data on the Value of Teamwork in Moisturizers and Retinoids

Data presented at the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, supported the “full sandwich” moisturizer method for new retinoid users who may experience sensitivity from retinization during the skin acclimation period while also suggesting that Neutrogena® Hydroboost Water Gel or Hydroboost Water Cream Moisturizer can be used long-term in the “open sandwich” regimen with topical retinoids to provide barrier benefits without impacting retinoid bioactivity.

Explants treated with the “full sandwich” regimen demonstrated reduced retinoid bioactivity (p<0.05), indicating lower penetration, in a study presented by Asha Patel Shah, MD, MBA, FAAD, and colleagues in “Tretinoin and Retinol Bioactivity are Retained when Layered with Adjunctive Gel-Matrix Moisturizer or a Cream Moisturizer in an ‘Open Sandwich’ Regimen.” Explants treated with the “open sandwich” regimens in either order of application maintained comparable bioactivity to the retinoid treatment alone, demonstrating compatibility of the regimen.

We spoke with Adam Ricciardone, Kenvue’s Head of R&D, Global Skin Health & Beauty, about the study results.

HOW MUCH DEMAND WAS THERE FOR THIS TYPE OF SOLUTION TO SUPPLEMENT RETINOL AND TRETINOIN TREATMENTS?

There is no better gold standard for anti-aging treatment or aging prevention treatment than retinol in most cases and tretinoin for more serious needs, but we also know one of the barriers to usage is that initial period of getting your skin accustomed to the effects of retinol. We know that moisturizers are being recommended and used as an adjunctive treatment to help acclimate the skin to the use of retinol. What we had not known until now was whether that is effective. Is it impacting the effectiveness of the retinol? Is it actually helping with the acclimatization process? This study really helped to answer those questions that we were hearing from dermatologists as well as consumers. Dermatologists were saying, ‘This is what I recommend, but there’s no actual scientific data to prove that it’s the right approach.’ They think, anecdotally, that it works, but what does the science say? We were able to demonstrate that through this study.

WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FULL SANDWICH AND OPEN SANDWICH APPROACH A SURPRISE? HOW MUCH OF A POSITIVE IS IT TO HAVE ONE STRATEGY IS BEST FOR NEW USERS AND ONE FOR LONG-TERM USE?

There is a reason I’m a scientist—I’m never surprised, but always impressed by the value of what the science can tell us in this category. What it does definitely show here is that there are two viable approaches, depending on whether you’re new to using retinol or not. With the open-sandwich approach, we didn’t see any impact from using a water-based moisturizer like Hydro Boost either before or after applying the retinoid. That didn’t impact the efficacy of the retinoid, so that’s a very viable approach if you’re a regular user and you want that additional hydration benefit on top of the benefits that a retinoid can give. For those who are new to the category, the data on the full-sandwich approach shows that there is an impact in the retinoid activity, but that will also help allow the skin to get accustomed to the retinoid, and it will help prevent potential irritation as the user is introducing their skin to the benefits and the effect that retinol has. So, they are very viable approaches, whether you are an existing user and you want that additional moisturization and hydration benefits through the open sandwich, or you’re a new user and you want to ease yourself into using a retinoid through the full-sandwich approach.

WHAT WILL BE THE NEXT STEPS IN THIS RESEARCH AND WHAT SORT OF TIMELINE DO YOU ANTICIPATE?

We’re very excited to be partnering and communicating with the scientific experts who meet with consumers about their skin everyday—our dermatologists! Ensuring that they know about the results from this study and how the science works is invaluable. Part of our approach at Kenvue is making sure we work collaboratively with our dermatologists to really understand the needs of their patients. What are they seeing and what scientific and clinical information do they need to help them make decisions for their patients and recommend treatment approaches? As we present this data, we will ask dermatologists, is this sufficient data? Does it offer more reassurance and credibility for your patients? Or is there some additional data or studies that you think is needed to confirm that? Overall, our approach at Kenvue is to collaboratively partner with our dermatologists and make sure we’re answering the needs they see from their practices and how we can continue to advance the science of skincare.