iS Clinical

iS Clinical is an American professional skincare brand founded in 2000 and based in Burbank, California. It is the flagship brand of Innovative Skincare, and was co-founded by biochemist Bryan Johns and Alec Call [1]. The company positions itself in the cosmeceutical segment — skincare formulated around clinically studied active ingredients — and sells primarily through dermatologists, plastic surgeons, medical spas and other skincare professionals rather than at the open retail counter.

The brand remains active. As of mid-2026 it reports a professional network spanning more than 125 countries, and in June 2026 its founders publicly launched a separate prestige line, Icon Skincare, under the same parent company [9].

iS Clinical began with two founders from contrasting backgrounds. Bryan Johns had worked in genetics and biochemistry for a firm researching the internal causes of aging; his interest later shifted toward topical anti-aging applications, and he proposed building a cosmeceutical skincare brand. Alec Call had spent roughly a decade in the entertainment industry before Johns approached him with the concept [7]. The two launched the company in 2000, with Johns serving as chief executive and Call as chief operating officer [1].

According to the company, iS Clinical has stayed "rooted in integrity, positivity, and innovation" since that founding, framing skincare as something it believes can affect both physical and emotional well-being.

iS Clinical presents itself as an innovation-led professional skincare brand built on clinically validated formulations. Its stated approach is to simplify routines around a four-step system it calls Cleanse, Treat, Hydrate, Protect, with multitasking products intended for all skin types, genders and ages. The company says its products are supported by independent, peer-reviewed clinical studies, and summarises its outlook with the tagline "Your Skin, Our Science, Pure Chemistry."

Manufacturing is kept in-house. The brand states that every product is made at its Burbank, California facility, giving it oversight from formulation through to packaging, and that formulas pass seven quality checkpoints — a figure its founders have noted is higher than the industry norm [7]. iS Clinical also says every formulation is free from parabens, phthalates and sulfates and is not tested on animals.

The brand's best-known product is Active Serum, an exfoliating treatment serum it describes as age-defying, clearing and brightening. According to one editorial review, the serum's formula draws on plant-derived ingredients including arbutin from mushroom, bilberry, white willow bark and sugarcane extract [8]. Other products it highlights among its core range include Pro-Heal Serum Advance+, the Cleansing Complex, Hydra-Cool Serum and Reparative Moisture Emulsion.

iS Clinical also markets a professional in-clinic treatment, the Fire & Ice Facial, which pairs a warming resurfacing masque with a cooling masque and is intended to refine skin texture with little to no downtime [3]. On the formulation side, the company points to two proprietary technologies it brands as Extremozyme and GeneXC.

The company also describes a set of sustainability commitments covering responsibly sourced ingredients, recyclable and eco-friendly packaging, energy-efficient operations and efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

Charitable work has been part of the brand since early in its history. In 2003 it established iS Cancer Care, a self-funded program created at the Washington Cancer Institute in Washington, D.C. to provide skincare education and products for people undergoing cancer treatment, along with "Spa Day" events for patients [6]. The program later extended to institutions including the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Cedars-Sinai Breast Medical Center. The founders have also supported the National Breast Cancer Coalition, a U.S. breast-cancer advocacy organisation, serving on its leadership over a number of years.

iS Clinical is active and operating globally. The brand maintains live e-commerce with current promotions, and its founders, Bryan Johns and Alec Call, launched a new prestige skincare brand, Icon Skincare, on 1 June 2026 under parent company Innovative Skincare [9]. In the announcement of that launch, iS Clinical was described as "one of the leading global cosmeceutical brands," with the venture said to be "backed by 25 years of clinical expertise" — consistent with the brand's stated 2000 founding [9].