I Got Tired of Beauty Brands Lying to My Face

So I built the only retailer that shows you the receipts.

Hey, I'm Trey Augliano. I'm 20, a junior at Syracuse University, and I spend way too much time reading clinical trials that beauty brands hope you'll never see.

How This Started

At 16, I had terrible acne. Like, the kind where you'll try anything—and I mean anything—that promises clear skin.

I spent over $200/month on serums, creams, and treatments. Most of them didn't work. The ones that did took months to show results that the marketing promised in "just 2 weeks!"

One night, I decided to actually read the clinical trial for a $90 "miracle serum" I'd been using.

12 participants. Funded by the brand. No control group. No peer review.

That's when I got pissed.

The Rabbit Hole

I started digging. Chemical engineering forums at 2am. PubMed searches during study hall. Ingredient databases that look like they were designed in 1997.

What I found shocked me:

• Most "clinically tested" claims are based on studies with 10-30 people (my high school chemistry class was bigger)
• Brands pay labs to run tests designed to get the results they want
• "Clean beauty" has no legal definition and often means less effective formulas
• The ingredients that actually work? They're usually in boring packaging with zero hype

I couldn't unsee it. Every beauty ad became a case study in manipulation.

From Frustration to Obsession

I started a spreadsheet. Brands I was considering. Their claimed benefits. The actual clinical data (if any existed). Ingredient analysis. Price per active ingredient.

Friends asked to see it. Then friends of friends. Then strangers on Reddit.

By the time I got to Syracuse, the spreadsheet had 400+ brands and I'd cold-emailed about 2,000 companies asking for their clinical data.

95% couldn't provide it. Or wouldn't.

The Protocol™ Was Born

I realized this needed to be more than a spreadsheet. It needed to be a standard—something you could trust when you saw it.

So I created the Utopia Beauty Protocol™:

Every product must pass three filters:

1. Scientific Validation - Show me the clinical trials, efficacy studies, or documented ingredient research. No "studies show" without the actual study.
2. Innovation Standards - I prioritize biotech actives, advanced delivery systems, and formulations that push the category forward. Not just "clean" or "natural"—actually better.
3. Radical Transparency - Full ingredient lists. Clear sourcing. No marketing BS about what's "free from" without explaining what actually matters.

If a brand can't meet these standards, they don't make it onto Utopia Beauty. Period.

Why This Matters

We've evaluated over 5,000 products. Only 150 are on this site right now.

That's a 97% rejection rate.

This isn't a store that carries everything and slaps "curated" on it. This is a genuinely selective platform where "clinically proven" actually means something.

When you buy from Utopia Beauty:

• ✓ Someone (me) has read the clinical data
• ✓ The formulation uses ingredients with documented efficacy
• ✓ You're not paying for marketing hype
• ✓ Zero paid placements—brands don't buy their way onto this site

The Vision

I want Utopia Beauty to be the place you trust completely. The anti-Sephora. The Consumer Reports of beauty.

Where you can shop without:

• Reading ingredient labels for hours
• Wondering if "clinically tested" is bullshit
• Falling for TikTok trends that waste your money
• Questioning if you're just paying for pretty packaging

I'm building this from my dorm room at Syracuse, bootstrapped, with no investors telling me to compromise the standards. Just me, a laptop, and an unhealthy amount of caffeine.

Let's Be Honest

I'm not a dermatologist. I'm not a cosmetic chemist (yet). I'm a 20-year-old who got frustrated and decided to do something about it.

But I've spent thousands of hours learning this stuff. I've filed patents since I was 12. I've built and sold e-commerce businesses. I've talked to formulators, researchers, and brand founders who actually care about efficacy.

And most importantly: I'm not trying to sell you everything. I'm trying to sell you the right things.

What's Next

Every week, I evaluate new brands. I publish what I find—the good, the bad, and the blatantly dishonest.

I reject products you've probably heard of. I approve brands you've definitely never seen at Ulta.

If you're tired of beauty marketing BS and want someone to just tell you what actually works (with receipts), you're in the right place.

Welcome to Utopia Beauty. Where "clinically proven" means I've actually read the clinical trial.

– Trey

P.S. — Want to nominate a brand for me to evaluate? [Submit it here →] Think I got something wrong? Email me: trey@utopiabeauty.co (yes, I actually read these)