"95% reported smoother skin": what an NAD+ body cream's perception study can — and cannot — tell you

Watchdog coverage is not about whether a moisturizer feels nice — by the study's own numbers, it plainly did, with 84% reporting more hydrated skin by day 3 and self-rated hydration scores rising from 4.74 to 8.22 over four weeks. It is about the distance between what was measured (perceptions, in an unblinded single-arm study funded by the seller) and what the ingredient story implies (liposomal NAD+ and methylene blue reaching and re-energizing skin-cell mitochondria).

What was actually measured?

Perceptions only. Women aged 30 to 65 with at least one self-reported sign of body skin aging applied the cream once daily for four weeks and rated their own skin: 95% reported smoother skin, 89% reported improvement in rough or uneven areas and in the appearance of fine lines, 84% agreed crepey-looking areas appeared reduced and skin felt firmer. The press release itself carries the honest footnote: "This was a virtual, single-arm consumer perception study; results reflect participants' self-reported perceptions." No skin NAD+ levels, mitochondrial function, elasticity instruments, blinded photo grading or control cream appear in the design.

Why can't perception studies separate the cream from its ingredients?

The formula also contains squalane, coconut oil and caprylic/capric triglycerides — competent moisturizers that reliably make skin feel smoother and look less crepey within days, especially in an unblinded study where participants know they are testing an anti-aging product. With no placebo arm, the design cannot divide credit among hydration, expectation, and the headline NAD+/methylene-blue complex — and it measures none of the mitochondrial outcomes the ingredient narrative invites readers to imagine.

How should readers price claims like these?

Read "95% reported smoother skin" as exactly that: a satisfaction score from 38 completers, useful if you want a moisturizer people enjoyed, and silent on cellular aging. The evidentiary next steps would be a randomized, blinded, vehicle-controlled trial with objective skin measures — and, for the mitochondrial claim specifically, any measurement of NAD+ or mitochondrial function in skin at all. Until then, the mitochondria in this story are marketing, not measurement.

Where the evidence stands

• Established: NAD+ and methylene blue have genuine mitochondrial biology in laboratory research; moisturizers with squalane and plant oils reliably improve perceived skin smoothness and hydration; unblinded single-arm perception studies cannot establish efficacy.
• Preliminary: Per Renue By Science's October 20, 2026 PR Newswire release, a 4-week Citruslabs consumer perception study (40 enrolled, 38 completed, no control group) found 95% of participants self-reported smoother skin and 95% were satisfied with the Renue Blue NAD+/NMN/NR/methylene-blue body cream.
• Absent: Controlled efficacy data, objective skin measurements, and any measurement of skin NAD+ levels or mitochondrial function for this product.