Retinol, Retinal & Retinyl: How to Make Sense of the Retinoids
Retinoids are honestly a bit of a miracle, and well deserve the hype they get. Initially formulated to treat acne, dermatologists noticed their patients’ skin started to look more radiant and youthful as a side effect. It turns out, the way retinoids stimulate cell turnover is brilliant for a whole host of skincare concerns. They can treat acne (as initially intended), as well as reducing wrinkles and evening out hyperpigmentation or scarring.
You might have heard some scary retinoid stories involving purging, peeling and an increased need for sun protection. There is an element of truth behind them – retinoids are very much a ‘fuck around and find out’ ingredient. If you go straight in with a high-strength product, use too much of it, or indulge too frequently, you will get punished. It requires patience, and just a little bit of knowledge, to safely incorporate retinoids into your regime. Considering the benefits and level of research surrounding them though, it’s well worth it.
What’s the difference between retinoids and retinol?
If you’re wondering why I’ve been saying retinoid and not retinol, it is on purpose. Retinol is an acceptable umbrella term for any retinoid product, but it is also its own type of retinoid. As you’ll soon see, it’s really important to be specific about retinoid type, as the type indicates how strong it is and, in turn, how likely it is to irritate you.
The strongest type of retinoid is retinoic acid (commonly called Tretinoin or ‘Tret’). It is available by prescription only. Retinoic acid is what all the other types of retinoid eventually convert into. And the more steps it takes to convert, the gentler it is. So, as retinoic acid is already fully converted, it is the strongest of them all.
Some over-the-counter retinoids you might find are retinal (one step to convert), retinol (two steps to convert) and retinol esters (three steps to convert). So retinals are stronger than retinols, which are stronger than retinol esters.
Confused? Don’t blame you. Let’s look at it in a chart I’ve borrowed from Suganda.
You can see the correlation between conversion steps, effectiveness, and irritation. You can also see they all have different common percentages. This is why it’s so important to know what retinoid you’re using: if your skin had tolerated a 0.5% retinol for a while and you were looking to level up, you’d be in for quite a surprise if you accidentally switched to a 0.5% retinoic acid product. Equally, if your skin really struggled with a 0.2% retinol, getting your skin used to a gentler retinol ester product first could make the world of difference.
If you’re like me, you’ll be immediately attracted to anything that says it’s ‘very effective’ and totally disregard the risks. However, you really don’t need to hit the prescription-grade products to get results. And I can tell you from experience that overdoing it and having to spend 4-6 weeks repairing your skin barrier is infinitely more frustrating than patiently sticking with a friendlier product. Consistency is more important than strength.
How do retinoids work? Are they exfoliants?
No. Despite some similarities in the benefits, they work very differently. Chemical exfoliants like AHAs and BHAs target the skin’s surface layers, whereas retinoids stimulate collagen production much deeper. It’s why it takes time to see the results of using retinoids: the new collagen has to travel to the surface of the skin before it is visible.
It’s also why you still might want to include exfoliants in your regime. Exfoliants speed up the skin’s renewal cycle, which will help see the results of the retinoids more quickly. A word of warning: layering actives can be a risky business, so I’d use exfoliants in the AM and retinoids in the PM – or on completely different days.
How do I apply retinoid products?
In the evening, after cleansing, take a pea-sized amount of your chosen product and dab across your dry face with your fingertips.
Applying retinoids to a wet face allows them to absorb too quickly and will irritate you
It’s a lot less product than you probably expect – using your fingertips will help you control the amount of product you use, and prevent most of it absorbing into the hands
Be careful to avoid the areas around the lips and eyes – these areas are too sensitive for retinoids
Continue with your PM skincare routine.
I would recommend keeping it simple if you’re using retinoids. You can follow with a hydrating toner and serum, but just sticking to a basic moisturiser is best
Wear SPF the next morning.
Using retinoids makes the skin more sensitive to the sun – don’t undo all your anti-ageing efforts by going out into the sun unprotected
How frequently should I use retinoids?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but I like Caroline Hirons’ age-based approach. Use retinoids on as many days of the week as you are decades old. I am 36, so with her method I would use them three times per week. When I hit 40, it’s time to add on another day. Again this all depends on your specific situation – better to use once a week and stick to it, than four times one week and none the next.
When will I see results from retinoids?
Isn’t it fun to continuously get ‘it depends’ answers. It’ll take at least six weeks to see any results, because that’s how long it takes for the skin to cycle (on average). The results will additionally be affected by the frequency of retinoid use and the strength of your product. You should give yourself multiple skin cycles before you really judge the outcome. Retinoids are for life, not just for Christmas.
When SHOULD I increase mY retinoid strength?
If after multiple skin cycles, you’ve been tolerating your product well and want to improve the results, you could choose to increase the strength of your product. Lots of brands have the same product in different percentage strengths, which makes it very easy to progress. You could also graduate from a retinal to retinoic acid. Whatever you decide, do it cautiously – it might be wise to e.g. scale back usage to once a week for a few weeks to make sure your skin can handle it.
It can be tempting to constantly want to change to stronger products, but getting greedy will undo all your hard work. Unless you’re sure your skin is ready for a stronger product, it’s better to stick with the one you’re already using for the long term. This is a tortoise and the hare story.
What if my skin doesn’t tolerate retinoids?
On the opposite side of things, if retinoids are really irritating your skin you have a few options. You could move onto a weaker product, or stop using them completely. Or try a moisture sandwich! To contradict what I said earlier, you can apply your retinoid after you’ve moisturised. You can then add an additional layer of moisturiser on top. By sandwiching the retinoid between two layers of moisturiser, you buffer the skin from direct contact and give it plenty of moisture to lessen the irritation.
What’s purging?
If you have acne-prone skin, it is possible retinoids can make your skin worse before it gets better. This is called purging. I think this is a really personal and tricky thing to manage. It’s easy to say ‘trust the process’, but if you’ve struggled through six weeks of worsening acne and it’s bothering you, do whatever you think is best. There are lots of stories of people who’ve persevered through a purge and come out completely clear on the other side, but there are no guarantees in life.
It can also be hard to tell the difference between a purge and sensitised skin. If your skin is redder and sorer than usual, it could be that you just need to switch to a gentler product rather than endure a purge. If in doubt, time for a trip to a dermatologist.
Can I mix retinoids with other active products?
I mentioned earlier that you can use exfoliants and retinoids in the same regime, but it would be unwise to use them at the same time. I’d also tread carefully with ingredients like Vitamin C, which can already cause irritation on its own. You should be fine with mixing with products containing well-tolerated ingredients like niacinamide or ceramides.
Is bakuchiol a retinoid?
You might have come across bakuchiol. I’ve never personally used it, but it’s a plant-based retinoid alternative. It’s much gentler than retinoids so might be worth considering if your skin is on the delicate side. It doesn’t sensitise your skin to the sun either, so it’s safe to use in the AM. The one I see everywhere is from the brand Herbivore, but I can’t comment on how good it is.
What are some good retinoid products?
Ok, ok. Enough chat. Here are some products I’d recommend – I’ve got one per retinoid type. No affiliation with these brands, I just like the products.
Retinoic acid – Tretinoin, Dermatica, £30.
This is what I’ve used on and off for years now. It’s about £30 a month (including postage) for prescription-strength tretinoin. You have to fill in a form with your skin complaints, and they’ll adjust the formula based on your needs. The formulation I get combines tret with niacinamide, which helps with brightness and keeps the skin calm.
The downside to Dermatica is it’s a subscription service so you’ll need to cancel if you ever want to stop using the product. I did sometimes find I ended up with too much back stock, but they are pretty flexible about taking breaks, etc, so I wouldn’t let it put you off too much.
Retinal – Crystal Retinal, Medik8, £69.
I’m a fan of the Medik8 brand in general. Lots of science behind their products, and they’re very transparent. This range takes you from 0.01% retinal (Sensitive) all the way to 0.24% (Expert), so you can find one that works for you. The Regular strength already costs £69 so you might feel the sting if you wanted to switch to Advanced (£99).
Retinol – Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment, Paula’s Choice, £61.
Paula’s choice is just a safe bet for any skincare products you are looking to try. This product mixes retinol with vitamin C for brightness, along with peptides to help boost collagen production even more. I did say tread carefully mixing vitamin C and retinoids, but as it’s combined in the same product the formulators will have accounted for the risk of irritation. It costs £61 which is about average for a good quality retinoid.
Retinol esters – A313, £13. Lots of people are obsessed with this because they think it’s a French beauty secret. I think most French people use it for burns instead of covering their face with it, but still it’s got a lot of fans and the price is right. Just one consideration: retinol esters are the weakest type of retinoid so do go in with realistic expectations. It’ll be a great beginner retinoid but you’ll probably want to move onto a stronger product later on.
