First, a little back-story: Epidermal growth factors (or EGFs) aren’t really anything new—they were discovered in 1986 by two scientists, who received a Nobel Prize for determining how EGFs function—they’re just not as buzzed about as ingredients like stem cells. But you definitely should know what they are because they have potent skin-regenerating properties, which means major anti-aging benefits. Since the name makes them sound a bit like they’re the brainchild of a mad scientist, we turned to skincare expert Kerry Benjamin to answer all of our questions.