Hi, I’m Joshua Franz, and Beauty After Thirty is where I keep my notes. Careful, slightly obsessive notes about skincare, makeup, hair, and sun protection for skin that has been around a while.
Here’s the honest version of how I got here. Somewhere in my thirties I noticed my skin stopped behaving the way it used to, and I got tired of buying products based on the promises on the front of the bottle. So I started reading the ingredient lists instead. Then the actual research behind the ingredients. Retinaldehyde versus retinol, why niacinamide shows up at 4% and 10%, what pH does to an acid, why most of what a moisturizer costs is fragrance and marketing. It turned into a hobby, and then into this site.
The way I work is simple and a little tedious: one variable at a time. I introduce a single active, use it consistently for a few weeks, and watch what my skin actually does before I write a word about it. If something is overhyped, thin on evidence, or just not worth the money, I say so. I am not a dermatologist, and I will tell you when a question is genuinely one for a professional.
Everything here is written by a real person who reads the studies so the marketing has a harder time. No miracle claims, no before-and-after theater. Just measured, cited, unhurried notes.
You can reach me at [email protected].