I think it's impossible that those photos weren't photoshopped. Many people tried calendula without luck, though the researchers claimed via email that they used a Brazilian subspecies of calendula which made it more effective. I can confirm that organic olive oil infused with calendula did not make my condition worse after months of use, during which time my lips showed slight improvement (not sure if there's a link there or not), and was one of the least visible natural topicals I ever used.