In this episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ekta Yadav sits down with Jack Jia of Musely to unpack one of the most misunderstood ideas in beauty: efficacy. In a market flooded with promises, this conversation cuts through the noise to ask a more fundamental question—what can skincare actually do? What emerges is a clear divide between perception and reality. Most products on the market aren’t designed to treat skin conditions at a biological level. By definition, they can’t. Once a product begins to alter the structure or function of the skin, it moves out of the cosmetic category and into pharmaceutical territory—where regulation, cost, and accessibility shift entirely. The result is a system where the majority of products, regardless of price, operate within the same limits.