Retinal, without the dropout.
AEON builds skincare formulations grounded in molecular discovery.
Retinal Flux is our first system, built to reduce irritation-driven drop-off and make nightly retinal use easier to maintain.
AEON is a vertically integrated consumer med-tech company integrating:
molecular discovery
formulation engineering
manufacturability
long-term, real-world use
Designed together so products stay stable, predictable, and usable over the long term.
Who we are.
Retinoids work. Irritation stops people from using them.
Retinoids are among the most well-studied actives in skincare.
Yet irritation is the primary reason people reduce frequency or stop entirely, often in weeks 1–3 before benefits accumulate.
This is not an ingredient problem.
It’s an exposure curve and consistency problem.
RETINAL FLUX
Built for the dropout window
Retinal Flux applies time- and use-based design to address the core limitation of retinal use: early irritation that breaks consistency.
It’s designed for the first 4–8 weeks, the window where most people either build tolerance or drop off.
Retinal Flux is designed to:
reduce early irritation peaks
support a gradual, repeatable ramp
make long-term use easier to maintain
The objective is not intensity.
It is consistency.
THE DUO
Designed to behave predictably.
Retinal Flux is delivered as a two-step protocol:
A preparatory mist
A self-emulsifying retinal serum
The mist wets the surface evenly and sets a consistent hydration state so the serum emulsifies and spreads more uniformly, without hotspots.
This is why Retinal Flux is offered as a complete duo.
HOW IT’S USED
Structured for sustained use.
The protocol includes:
a gradual increase in frequency
guidance to adjust if irritation appears
flexibility based on individual response
Most users aim to reach nightly use over 4–8 weeks, depending on baseline sensitivity.
WHAT TO EXPECT (WEEKS 1–4)
What it feels like, and how to adjust.
In the first 1–4 weeks, it’s common to notice mild dryness, tightness, or light flaking as skin adapts to retinoid signaling. The goal is mild and manageable, not “powering through.”
Early signs you’re on track are improved tolerance and steady consistency. Visible changes tend to be gradual and show up over weeks of regular use.
If irritation becomes more than mild (burning, persistent redness, stinging that lingers), hold at your current frequency or step back for several nights, then resume more slowly.
Discovery, built alongside products.
Alongside formulation work, AEON is building AI-assisted discovery tools to explore small molecules relevant to skin longevity.
These tools support:
efficient exploration of chemical space
prioritization across biology, stability, and manufacturability
iterative experimental testing
Retinal Flux is currently in beta with a small number of clinics. What we learn about tolerance, adherence, and protocol behavior feeds back into future formulations and candidates.
How retinal works
Retinal (retinaldehyde) is a vitamin A derivative that the skin converts into retinoic acid, the form that actually “talks” to cells. Retinoic acid binds to nuclear receptors (RAR/RXR) that control gene programs involved in epidermal renewal and long-term dermal support. In other words: retinal is not a surface exfoliant. It’s a signaling molecule that changes what skin cells do over time.
Peak exposure vs. AUC
When you apply a retinoid, the skin doesn’t experience a single number. It experiences a dose over time curve.
Two features of that curve matter:
Peak exposure (Cmax): the highest concentration the skin sees soon after application.
AUC (Area Under the Curve): the total “signal” delivered over time.
A useful way to think about it:
Irritation correlates strongly with peak exposure. A sharp early spike can overwhelm barrier tolerance, trigger inflammation, and feel like stinging, dryness, and peeling.
Long-term results correlate more with sustained exposure over time. What matters is spending enough time above a functional threshold to keep the signaling pathway “on,” night after night.
What we’re engineering for
Most strong retinoids are effective but hard to use nightly because they can produce a high early peak. That creates a cycle: people stop, restart, and never maintain consistent exposure.
We’re engineering the opposite profile:
Lower peak
Longer exposure
Nightly consistency
That means less “shock” to the barrier while maintaining meaningful cumulative signaling.
Why this takes months
The outcomes people actually want, smoother texture, improved resilience, visible changes in firmness and fine lines, are downstream of slow biology.
ECM remodeling (collagen support, elastin organization, matrix quality) is not a one-week event. It requires:
repeated activation of the relevant gene programs
consistent exposure above a threshold
enough time for the tissue to turn over and reorganize
That’s why the correct target isn’t a single aggressive night. It’s months of tolerable, nightly use.
Our goal is a retinal experience designed for long horizons: sustained signaling, controlled irritation, and consistent adherence..
Our thought process. lab notes.
lab notes are short, ongoing updates from inside the build process, written like a record instead of a marketing post. they document what we’re testing, what we’re learning, what changed, and why. the goal is transparency and technical clarity, not hype: decisions, tradeoffs, constraints, and next steps. sometimes the update is a win, sometimes it’s a setback, but it’s always grounded in the basic science and the work behind the scenes.