Last Updated on November 2, 2026 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

growth factors safe or not

I admit it. I’m late to jump on skincare trends. I don’t care about how well an ingredient works. I need to know it’s safe before I put it on my skin. Don’t you feel the same? That’s why I’m currently on the fence about growth factors. On the one hand, they’re said to repair skin, boost collagen and get rid of wrinkles (and who doesn’t want that?). On the other, no one bothered to study if they’re dangerous in the long run. Hmmm… Should you take the plunge? Here’s everything you need to know about growth factors in skin care and why I think it’s a little too premature to add them to your skincare routine yet:

What Are Growth Factors?

Growth factors are natural proteins in your body that support your skin’s natural signalling properties. In plain English, they tell your skin cells how to be behave. They tell some cells to produce more collagen for skin firming. They order others to repair broken skin. You get the drill. Now, your skin can do this on its own. When it’s young and healthy. But as you grow old, the levels of growth factors start to decline. With less growth factors around, your skin can’t do the signalling job well and everything starts going south. Literally.

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that minimises wrinkles, prevents premature aging, and gives your complexion a youthful glow? Download your FREE “Best Anti-Aging Skincare Routine” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):

What Are The Benefits Of Growth Factors For Skin?

Growth factors have quite the job description. They tell your skin to make collagen, repair damage and generally act like it did when it was younger. If only getting older were that easy to fix, huh? Here’s what they can do:

  • Make wrinkles look smaller: Collagen is what keeps your skin looking smooth and plump. The more you lose, the more wrinkles start showing up. Growth factors encourage your skin to make more of it. The catch? The improvement was very little. Don’t throw away your retinol yet. 
  • Keep skin firmer: Nobody likes looking in the mirror and noticing their skin isn’t quite as firm as it used to be. You know now that growth factors stimulate collagen production, helping your skin maintain the support it needs to stay firm. Unfortunately, they can’t magically lift everything back into place. Once skin has sagged, it has sagged for good (unless you have a facelift or something).
  • Help skin heal faster: This is where growth factors really earn their keep. Studies show that epidermal growth factor (EGF) can speed up wound healing.

Related: 8 Ways To Rebuild Lost Collagen

How Do Growth Factors Work?

As a group, growth factors make aging and damaged skin look better. Individually, each growth factor has its own specific job to do. Here are a few examples:

In other words, growth factors help skin repair itself, boost collagen and soothe inflammation. All things that help your skin fight wrinkles and stay younger for longer.

Related: 8 Science-Backed Ways To Rebuild Lost Collagen

Can Growth Factors Penetrate Your Skin?

In skincare, size matters. As a rule, anything that is larger than 15,000 Daltons can’t penetrate skin. And if something can’t penetrate skin, how can it stimulate collagen production, improve the visible signs of aging and do all the other things growth factors are said to do? Growth factors may just be the exceptions to this rule. Like peptides, growth factors work even when left on the surface of the skin. How?

Think of growth factors like messengers. They bind to receptors on the surface of the skin, telling them how cells should behave. This message is then carried all the way to those cells buried deep into your skin. Those are the cells that can boost collagen, produce elastin and do all the important antiaging jobs.

Related: Peptides In Skincare: Do They Really Work?

Can Growth Factors In Skincare Cause Cancer?

We. Don’t. Know. A few years ago, a company selling skincare products with growth factors was sued for making something that can give people cancer. It was later dismissed because it’s really difficult to demonstrate that growth factors can cause cancer – especially when cancer is sadly a common disease that has many causes. Still, this leaves some questions unanswered.

Let’s be clear. I don’t believe growth factors cause cancer. I didn’t see any proof they do. But there’s a small chance that the way they work can encourage the formation of cancer. Let me explain. Growth factors encourage cellular regeneration and proliferation. In theory, it’s possible that if they signal pre-cancerous cells to multiply, the result may eventually be cancer indeed. BUT, there’s no proof that this happens in practice. There’s no proof it can’t happen either.

In other words, we have plenty of studies that prove growth factors boost collagen, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and keep your skin young but very few proving their safety (or lack of it). What does this mean? Well, for the time being I’m giving them a pass and stick to tried and tested antiaging powerhouses like retinol and vitamin C.

If you’re the type who prefers to avoid any ingredients with a bad rep even when science says they’re safe (parabens, anyone?), I encourage you to do the same. If you’re a bit more adventurous, I guess you’ve already given them a go. Just don’t forget to go to a derm for your annual checkup.

Related: 5 Antiaging Superstars You Should Include In Your Skincare Routine

Do You Need A Growth Factor Serum In Your Skincare Routine?

Here’s a question the skincare industry would rather you didn’t ask: What exactly is a growth factor serum going to do for your skin that your current routine isn’t already doing?

If you’re already using retinol, vitamin C and sunscreen, you’ve got most of your anti-aging bases covered. Adding another serum doesn’t automatically mean better results. Especially when there’s no solid proof that piling growth factors on top of these ingredients will give you noticeably younger-looking skin.

And these serums aren’t exactly cheap. Before you part with your hard-earned cash, I’d want to see studies showing that adding growth factors to a good skincare routine makes a real difference. Until then, I’d save my money.

FAQs

How Long Do Growth Factor Serums Take To Work?

You might notice your skin feels more hydrated and smoother within 2-4 weeks, but the real anti-aging magic (like fewer fine lines and firmer skin takes about 8-12 weeks of consistent use. Waiting months for results isn’t exactly thrilling, but that’s how long your skin needs to respond to all that cellular signaling.

Do Growth Factor Serums Need To Be Refrigerated?

Here’s where things get sketchy. In laboratory, scientists store growth factors at temperatures below -20°C to keep them stable. But obviously, you’re not going to do that at home. Some companies use fancy airless packaging or tell you to refrigerate them, but most don’t actually test whether the growth factors in your bottle are still working. So yeah, what went into the bottle might not be what comes out. Not exactly reassuring.

Can You Use Growth Factors With Retinol And Vitamin C?

Growth factors don’t play nice with acidic products, so keep them away from your vitamin C and AHAs. If you’re set on using both, use vitamin C in the morning and save growth factors for nighttime with your retinol. Some derms say to apply the growth factor serum first on clean skin, wait 5-10 minutes, then layer your retinol on top. Just heads up: combining a bunch of actives ups your chances of irritation, especially if your skin’s on the sensitive side.

Related: Mix And Match: Which Skincare Ingredients Should You Never Use Together?

Are growth factors better than retinol?

Nope. Retinol has decades of solid research backing it up, while growth factors are the new kid on the block with way less long-term data. Sure, growth factors might be gentler if you’ve got sensitive skin, but retinol and vitamin C are still the proven antiaging workhorses. Most dermatologists recommend nailing down a good routine with retinol and antioxidants before you even think about adding growth factors. Want results you can trust? Stick with what’s actually proven to work.

Should people with a history of skin cancer avoid growth factors?

Good question, and honestly, we don’t have a great answer. Some skin cancers have receptors for epidermal growth factor, and research suggests various growth factors might play sketchy roles in cancer development. Now, it’s extremely unlikely that growth factors in skincare actually cause cancer since they’ve probably lost most of their activity and can’t penetrate deep enough anyway. But still, if you’ve had skin cancer before, you might want to skip these products until we have more research. When in doubt, talk to your derm.

What’s the difference between plant, animal, and human-derived growth factors?

Growth factors can come from human stem cells, animals (yep, snails are a thing), or plants. Human-derived ones cost more but might work better since they’re closer to what your own cells recognize. Plant and animal sources are options too: some vegan brands use barley seed DNA to create growth factors that mimic human ones. Honestly though, the source matters less than whether the company actually has stability testing and real research to back up their claims. And spoiler alert: most don’t.

The Bottom Line

Growth factors are some of the most intriguing ingredients in modern skincare. They boost collagen, soothe inflammation and fight wrinkles. I’m just not convinced we have enough proof of their safety yet.