Retinol is one of the most powerful tools in your skincare regime as you get older, but it comes with a slightly scary reputation. We decode how to use retinol for the cautious amongst us!
The Capsule Group Chat is like most group chats, in that it is fevered, round-the-clock and full of non sequiturs. But I don’t think Kelly and I have ever responded so fast than when Alice mentioned she might be interested in trying a retinol a month before her wedding, and we reacted as if she’d suggested she might try heroin.
“Alice, NO!”
“My face peeled for a month!”
“It’s TOO RISKY.”
If you’ve heard of the skincare ingredient, you’ve probably heard one of two things: 1) it’s very effective and 2) it can be very harsh on your skin. A kind of high risk, high reward that we might like to dabble in when we suddenly meet the wrong fluorescent light at the wrong time of the day and panic that Age Has Come For Us.
Try the wrong type, or rush in full steam ahead, and you will pay the price. I tried one of the absolute stars on the market and – see above: my face peeled for a month. But in a world where a lot of skincare claims are based on vibes and marketing rather than science, the retinoid family are the only ingredient with the scientific research to actually back-up those big anti-ageing claims.
“Retinol has been known as the gold-standard in skincare as it is clinically proven to benefit aging, photo-aging and acne-prone skin and can be used without a prescription,” says Sheree Butchers, the guru behind Skinsmiths formulas. “Retinol is the most powerful ingredient found in topical skincare when it comes to promoting skin renewal.”
There are two big reasons why retinol is included in skin-care regimes for people across the age brackets: it’s proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles that are already there AND it can help slow down the ageing process. “Depending on the type of Retinoids you are using, it is preventative for aging concerns by slowing down the process by maintaining a strong skin structure,” says Caci’s skincare trainer Linda Sharrem.
So it’s a product that both Present You and Future You can see the benefits of, in terms of skin texture and clarity.
A Tiny Rant About ‘Anti-Ageing’
There are two competing forces currently at war in the skincare marketing world – the emotional equivalent to Godzilla versus King Kong, if you will. For the past few years, the term ‘anti-ageing’ is no longer seen as appropriate – it’s negative against ageing, something we are all going to do if we are lucky, and so now we have terms like ‘age-defying’. Sure, okay. Keeping in mind it’s just another way to sell you things and also, as excellent beauty writer Jessica DeFino writes, anti-ageing really comes down to anti-exposure. The move away from the term ‘anti-ageing’ for those aged 35+ is a marketing rebrand, not a societal shift.
Then on the other side, you have the rise of anti-ageing content on TikTok, where youths in their teens and 20s give zero shits what PC term you want to call it, they are absolutely terrified of getting older. Remember those stories about 12 year olds wanting to use retinol? Yep, it’s a TikTok trend. The search tag “anti-ageing” has 3.1 billion views on TikTok, points out this article from Mashable.
So if you are in your 30s, 40s and 50s, you might be caught between these two worlds, where 25-year-olds get ‘preventative Botox’ and no-one knows what a 40-year-old face is supposed to look like. Retinol might just be the most achievable way to do ***something***, without having to do ***everything***.
The Short Version:
– Go slow: If you want to go straight to retinol or retinal, use it 1-2 times a week until your skin is used to it and make sure you keep your skin well-moisturised to off-set side effects.
– The sun is your enemy more than ever: retinol increases your skin sensitivity, so make sure you are applying SPF every single day – and only use retinol at night.
– Look at your alternatives: If you’ve got sensitive, dry, or rosacea-prone skin, or you’re afraid of the peeling possibilities, go for a moisturiser with retinol for a gentler start or steer clear of retinol all together, and go for Bakuchiol as your phyto-retinol instead for good results with less risk.
The Long Version: So What Actually IS Retinol?
“Retinol is part of the retinoid family and is the derivative of Vitamin A (retinoic acid) often found in skincare,” says Sheree. Again, it’s one of the only skincare ingredients that has actual scientific research over decades to back up the claims. “It was used as a dermatological treatment for acne since the 1950s-60s, and in that time, dermatologists found the unexpected benefits of using it in reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles.”
Should I Be Afraid Of Retinol?
Because it’s such a powerful product, Sheree says retinol can lead to temporary irritation, dryness, redness or peeling. “Because of these side effects, anyone with a compromised skin barrier including very dry skin, rosacea, eczema or psoriasis should avoid retinol,” she says. It’s also not suitable for pregnant or breast-feeding women. “Topical retinoids such as retinol has the potential be systemically absorbed into the blood stream and pose possible risk to a developing baby.”
You also need to team up retinol with other products to keep your skin happy and healthy. “Because Retinol needs to go to the cell to be converted to Retinoic acid, the prep you do is one of the most important parts of using retinol,” says Linda Sharrem, Caci’s Skincare Trainer. “So always use retinols coupled with good hydration and due to photosensitivity of the retinol molecule using SPF is a must. I would not consider using retinols if you are not good with SPF and reapplying it.” (Emphasis ours, because this seems like an incredibly important point to consider).
How Do I Start Using Retinol & What Is “Skin Cycling?”
Because it increases your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, you only want to apply retinol at night – and go slowly! “When introducing a new ingredient into your skincare routine, particularly a strong active ingredient like retinol, slow and steady is always best. Begin using 1-2 times a week at night and slowly increase frequency as your skin adapts and builds up tolerance,” says Sheree.
Your order of products should be as follows: “After cleansing and toning, apply retinols at night only and then apply a moisturiser or night cream over the top,” says Linda. “Once your skin has adapted to retinols it is fine to use nightly, you can also take a break once a week and do a hydrating mask.” If you’ve got other actives in your system, don’t use them on the same night.
This is where the relatively new concept of “skin cycling” comes in, which requires you to keep track of the different products you’re using and alternate when you apply them. “Because retinol works to increase skin cell turnover, avoid combining it with actives that also increase cell turnover e.g. glycolic acid or provide thorough exfoliation in the same routine – your skin will thank you,” says Sheree. “Instead, alternate using these ingredients while your skin builds up tolerance and reduce frequency if your skin becomes irritated.”
Starting with a moisturiser that features a retinol can be an easy and less scary way to introduce it, says Linda. “Look at formulas with derivatives and slow time release encapsulations for a gentler deliver system like Murad’s Retinol Youth Renewal Serum and Retinal Resculpt Overnight Treatment.” (Read Kelly’s review of it here).
Expect to notice results from around four weeks, with results increasing from there. To borrow a much-beloved beauty-related quote from the 1990s, “it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.” (And if you’re old enough to remember that quote, then it probably is time to start using a retinol).
Hmm, I’m Still Afraid. What Else Can I Use?
There’s a natural alternative called ‘Bakuchiol”, which is considered a natural alternative (that’s also safe for pregnant and breast-feeding people). “You’ll often hear Bakuchiol referred to as a phyto-retinol and this is because it has been scientifically proven to mimic the activity of retinol. Bakuchiol has also been proven to deliver similar benefits for aging and acne-prone skin without the unwanted side effects associated with retinol use,” says Sheree.
It’s one of the ingredients used in skincare products from Emma Lewisham (the Supernatural Face Oil), Trilogy (Rosapene Bakuchiol Oil), Antipodes (Eve Bio-Retinol Line Reduction Serum) and Skinsmiths (Pro Strength Retinol Serum, which combines retinol and Bakuchiol).
What’s The Difference Between Retinol and Retinal?
As well as the aforementioned Bakuchiol, you may also see “retinol” and “retinal” used on product labels. So, what is the difference?
“Both retinol and retinal belong to the retinoid family and are derivatives of the active form of Vitamin A, retinoic acid,” says Sheree. “Retinal is the next step up from retinol as it only needs 1 conversion step to become retinoic acid, while retinol requires 2 conversion steps. Retinal performs closest to prescription-strength retinoic acid to deliver the ultimate anti-aging results.”
“Retinols like Murad’s Retinol Youth Renewal Serum are great for most skin conditions like acne prone skin, oily pores and texture, preventative and first signs of aging with fine lines and collagen lost,” says Linda. “Retinal like Murad’s Retinal Resculpt Overnight Treatment performs closer to Retin A and is great for advanced signs of ageing with not only collagen loss but also loss of elasticity which leads to thinner skin.”