Sleep, sunscreen, retinoids, even skin tone, diet, brows, smiling, face yoga and collagen, each graded by the strength of the evidence behind it, plus what to skip and what belongs with a clinician.
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Short answer
The safest places to start are the boring ones: daily sunscreen (moderate evidence: one long randomised trial), enough sleep, and (with a pharmacist’s or dermatologist’s advice) a retinoid, both graded limited for how a face reads. Even skin tone, eating more fruit and vegetables, tidy brows and a genuine smile have moderate or limited support. Face yoga and collagen are optional at best. Skip mewing, gum chewing, jaw trainers, taping and bonesmashing. Nothing here guarantees a result or a timeline.
Graded by evidence
What
Grade
What the evidence says
Sleep
Limited evidence
In controlled studies, the same people photographed after short sleep were rated as more tired, less healthy and less attractive.Axelsson J, 2010; Sundelin T, 2017
Daily sunscreen
Moderate evidence
A randomised trial of 903 adults over 4.5 years: the daily sunscreen group showed no detectable increase in skin ageing, and its skin ageing was 24% less than in the group who used sunscreen when they chose to. One trial, so the app grades it moderate.Hughes MC, 2013
A retinoid for fine lines and uneven tone
Limited evidence
A 2025 network meta-analysis of 23 randomised trials found retinoids among the most effective topical treatments for photoageing; the app grades the step limited, because those trials measure skin ageing, not how a face reads in a photo. Ask a pharmacist or dermatologist first; not in pregnancy or when trying to conceive.Lin L, 2025; American Academy of Dermatology, AAD public guidance
Even skin tone
Moderate evidence
Skin with a more even colour was judged younger, healthier and more attractive in a perception study.Matts PJ, 2007
More fruit and vegetables
Moderate evidence
In a study of 35 people over six weeks, eating more fruit and vegetables changed skin colour in a way observers rated healthier-looking (the study was on light skin).Whitehead RD, 2012
Medical decisions with real risks. We don’t recommend or price them.
What to expect from a rescan
Photos vary: light, distance and angle move numbers even when nothing about you has changed. On the app’s overall, a change of 0.6 points or less is within photo noise. Rescan in the same light, at the same distance, after some weeks, and judge the trend, not one number.
How the app handles this
Every step in the app’s plan carries an evidence grade (strong, moderate or limited) that the kind of sources behind it caps, plus its cost, a "when you could tell" line, who should skip it and its references. The potential estimate is capped and is an estimate, not a promise.
Questions people ask
What is the fastest glow-up?+
There is no honest fast route, and no guaranteed one. Sleep, a tidy haircut and groomed brows and facial hair are the quickest visible changes; sunscreen and skin care are slower.
Does sunscreen really slow ageing?+
A randomised trial of 903 adults over 4.5 years found skin ageing was 24% less in the daily sunscreen group than in the group who used it when they chose to.
Should I take collagen?+
The trials are small and short. It is optional and doesn’t replace sunscreen or sleep.