Particle Data Platform
Inflection Point

Retinol: The magical molecule's bizarre history

5/20/202633 min

In this episode, hosts David Anderson and Gina Vitale travel as far back as ancient Egypt to unearth the wide-ranging uses of retinol. They also bring in C&EN reporter Craig Bettenhausen to discuss why retinol is such a powerhouse molecule for skin care, and they hear from a contraceptives researcher about how an early candidate for a birth control pill for men affected the retinol pathway.

C&EN's award-winning podcast Inflection Point leans on our 100-year archive to trace headline topics in science today back to their disparate and surprising roots. In each episode, we explore three lesser-known moments in science history that ultimately led us to current-day breakthroughs. With help from expert C&EN reporters, this show examines how discoveries from our past have shaped our present and will change our future.

Subscribe to Inflection Point now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Clips

Forty Times The Dose
Agent Orange On Prisoners
Smuggled Whiskey Breakthrough
Why Liver Helped Night Blindness
Retinol’s Path To Power
A New Male Contraceptive Path

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. David Anderson· Host0:00

    [birds chirping] So Gina.

  2. Gina Vitale· Host0:02

    Yes, David.

  3. David Anderson· Host0:03

    Do you know where we are right now?

  4. Gina Vitale· Host0:05

    Well, it's very hot.

  5. David Anderson· Host0:08

    Mm-hmm.

  6. Gina Vitale· Host0:08

    Um, a lot of sand.

  7. David Anderson· Host0:10

    Yeah. Well, I'll spoil it for you.

  8. Gina Vitale· Host0:12

    Okay.

  9. David Anderson· Host0:12

    We're in Egypt.

  10. Gina Vitale· Host0:13

    Egypt, okay. And my- Mm-hmm ... phone is not exactly working, so I'm guessing we're pretty far back in time.

  11. David Anderson· Host0:21

    They haven't invented cell phone towers yet, so no service out here.

  12. Gina Vitale· Host0:24

    Mm-hmm.

  13. David Anderson· Host0:25

    I guess I should have said earlier, ancient Egypt, 1500 BCE.

  14. Gina Vitale· Host0:29

    David, what are we doing here? Why did you bring us to ancient Egypt?

  15. David Anderson· Host0:34

    Okay. Well, we are here standing in front of the pyramids to discover the little-known origins behind a molecule that I think you might recognize, retinol. Ever heard of it?

  16. Gina Vitale· Host0:45

    Retinol?

  17. David Anderson· Host0:46

    Yeah, retinol.

  18. Gina Vitale· Host0:46

    Like, the skincare, anti-aging treatment retinol?

  19. David Anderson· Host0:50

    That's the one, but its uses go way beyond skin.

  20. Gina Vitale· Host0:54

    Hmm.

  21. David Anderson· Host0:55

    Right? It's a pretty important molecule since, God, well, I don't know, since probably the- Since ancient Egypt ... All right. Now you're getting it.

  22. Gina Vitale· Host1:01

    Okay.

  23. David Anderson· Host1:02

    But buckle up because this adventure, it takes some twists and turns.

  24. Gina Vitale· Host1:06

    Some twists and turns?

  25. David Anderson· Host1:07

    Later in this episode, we're gonna visit a prison in 1951 to learn the dark and sinister origins of retinol as a skincare cream.

  26. Gina Vitale· Host1:17

    Okay, not looking forward to that.

  27. David Anderson· Host1:19

    Yeah.

  28. Gina Vitale· Host1:20

    But we're also going to explain how retinol works for skincare and explain the difference between the different types of retinol.

  29. David Anderson· Host1:27

    And also later in the episode, we're gonna go to 1959

We value your privacy

We use cookies to understand how you use our platform and to improve your experience. Click "Accept All" to consent, or "Decline non-essential" to opt out of non-essential cookies. Read our Privacy Policy.