Rhode Barrier Restore Cream
Everything behind the verdicts on this product: the rule that fired for each concern, the three answers and the documents they rest on, every study on the row with the date it was opened, and the versions of the tables that produced them. Nothing here is edited by hand; it is generated from the same records the verdicts are.
The scaleRecommendedGoodSupportingEarly evidenceNot for thisAvoidhow it works
Engine 5.2.0 · rules 0.5.1 · evidence table ev-2026.10-r231 · computed October 13, 2026 · how we decide · the evidence table · the anchors
for Dryness
Squalane is a reference standard by mechanism for dryness; this cream carries it high in the ingredient list.
A trial-supported active, or a reference standard by mechanism, at a working level; or a first-line active below its studied range.
- Rule
- R5 → Good choice. A supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism); declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level.
q1 = supported · q2 = adequate | plausible
Why this rule exists: Trial-supported or guideline-supported active, adequately or plausibly dosed.
Rule R5 decided 9,843 verdicts across the catalog; “Good choice” is the verdict on 10,340 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Squalane
- 1 · Standing
- Supported — its mechanism is established (a reference standard, not a trial result)
- 2 · Form
- Adequate — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 1–100%, from the trials on the row; needs leave-on contact - 3 · Tolerability
- Gentle
- Evidence dots
- Limited evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 17, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 100 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook — declared function — Personal Care Products Council
- Harry's Cosmeticology / Baran & Maibach Textbook of Cosmetic Dermatology — humectant, emollient and occlusive classification — standard reference text
← Back to the verdict All dryness products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
for Compromised Skin Barrier
Niacinamide is a reference standard by mechanism for compromised skin barrier; this cream carries it high in the ingredient list.
A trial-supported active, or a reference standard by mechanism, at a working level; or a first-line active below its studied range.
- Rule
- R5 → Good choice. A supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism); declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level.
q1 = supported · q2 = adequate | plausible
Why this rule exists: Trial-supported or guideline-supported active, adequately or plausibly dosed.
Rule R5 decided 9,843 verdicts across the catalog; “Good choice” is the verdict on 10,340 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Niacinamide
- 1 · Standing
- Supported — its mechanism is established (a reference standard, not a trial result)
- 2 · Form
- Adequate — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 2%, from the trials on the row; needs leave-on contact; judge it after about 8 weeks - 3 · Tolerability
- Gentle
- Evidence dots
- Limited evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 17, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 100 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- Moisturizing effects of topical nicotinamide on atopic dry skin — International Journal of Dermatology (2005), opened July 16, 2026
- Two randomized, controlled, comparative studies of the stratum corneum integrity benefits of two cosmetic niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers vs. conventional body moisturizers — Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (2012), opened July 16, 2026
- Niacinamide-containing facial moisturizer improves skin barrier and benefits subjects with rosacea — Cutis (2005), opened July 16, 2026
- Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrier — British Journal of Dermatology (2000), opened July 16, 2026
← Back to the verdict All compromised skin barrier products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
for Dehydration
Nothing here targets dehydration directly; humectant hydration is the recognised companion to treating it, and this cream does that without known triggers.
Nothing here targets the concern directly, but the product’s job — barrier care, gentle cleansing, photoprotection — is the recognised companion to treating it. Rinse-off products carrying leave-on actives land here too.
- Rule
- R8 → Supporting role. An active with early or mechanistic evidence only or an active researched for the concern and found wanting or an active with no evidence row for the concern yet; the product’s category job is a recognised companion to treating the concern.
q1 = plausible | none | not-assessed · supportive = true
Why this rule exists: The category's job (barrier care, humectant hydration, gentle cleansing, photoprotection) is the documented supportive role for this concern. This is the honest verdict for a moisturizer on an acne page.
Rule R8 decided 3,793 verdicts across the catalog; “Supporting role” is the verdict on 7,796 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Niacinamide
- 1 · Standing
- Not assessed
No evidence row exists for this active and concern; it is in the research queue. - 2 · Form
- Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
- 3 · Tolerability
- Gentle
- Evidence dots
- Not from a trial row
- What readers report
- 100 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
← Back to the verdict All dehydration products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
for Aging
Niacinamide has early evidence for aging, and hydration and barrier support is the recognised companion to treating it — a reasonable supporting choice, short of a recommendation.
Nothing here targets the concern directly, but the product’s job — barrier care, gentle cleansing, photoprotection — is the recognised companion to treating it. Rinse-off products carrying leave-on actives land here too.
- Rule
- R8a → Supporting role. An active with early or mechanistic evidence only; declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level; the product’s category job is a recognised companion to treating the concern.
q1 = plausible · q2 = adequate | plausible · supportive = true
Why this rule exists: A plausible-tier active in a category with a supportive job: the sentence names the active instead of saying nothing targets the concern (the AmLactin / CeraVe SA case for keratosis pilaris, where no guideline and single trials leave the keratolytics at early evidence).
Rule R8a decided 1,509 verdicts across the catalog; “Supporting role” is the verdict on 7,796 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Niacinamide
- 1 · Standing
- Plausible — trials support it
- 2 · Form
- Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 4–5%, from the trials on the row; needs leave-on contact; judge it after about 8 weeks - 3 · Tolerability
- Standard tolerability — photosensitization
Cautions: a photosensitising active — use sun protection. - Evidence dots
- Moderate evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 17, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 100 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- Topical niacinamide reduces yellowing, wrinkling, red blotchiness, and hyperpigmented spots in aging facial skin — International Journal of Cosmetic Science (Bissett DL et al — The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati) (2004), opened July 16, 2026
- Niacinamide: A B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance — Dermatologic Surgery (Bissett DL, Oblong JE, Berge CA — The Procter & Gamble Company, Miami Valley Laboratories) (2005), opened July 16, 2026
- The clinical anti-aging effects of topical kinetin and niacinamide in Asians: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, split-face comparative trial — Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (National Taiwan University Hospital) (2007), opened July 16, 2026
- Evaluation of anti-wrinkle effects of a novel cosmetic containing niacinamide — Journal of Dermatology (Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka) (2008), opened July 16, 2026
- A randomized, controlled comparative study of the wrinkle reduction benefits of a cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate product regimen vs. a prescription 0·02% tretinoin product regimen — British Journal of Dermatology (P&G-funded; 5 P&G employees + 5 paid P&G consultants) (2010), opened July 16, 2026
- Skincare ingredients recommended by cosmetic dermatologists: A Delphi consensus study — Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology — expert Delphi consensus, NOT a graded guideline (2025), opened July 16, 2026
← Back to the verdict All aging products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
as a moisturizer
Does what a moisturizer is for: draws in water, softens and smooths.
- Rule
- J2 → Does the job. The category-job reading is 65 or more.
Category job score over the measured features 65–85. - Measured from the label
- draws in water, softens and smooths, seals moisture in, supplies barrier lipids, right weight for the job
- Tolerability
- Gentle
Listed for Dullness, with no verdict: the actives here have no evidence row for that concern yet. That is a gap in our table, not a mark against the product.
- Dullness: The actives here (Niacinamide, Squalane, teprenone, Matrixyl Peptides) are in the research queue for dullness; no verdict until their rows are written.
- A photosensitising active — use sun protection
A verdict is Dermington’s assessment of how well a product’s ingredients fit a concern — never a claim about what the product treats. Every rule is public and the same for every product; a brand cannot buy a reading. How we decide · what has changed · disclaimer.