Retinol: everyone wants it, but for different reasons. Maybe it’s for that blemish control action. Maybe it’s to help erase fine lines and wrinkles. Either way, retinol is known to make a big difference in a skincare routine. But is retinol dangerous?

Retinol’s reputation as an active that comes with some big upsides but with some equally large downsides precedes it. But what’s the truth of that? We might have preconceptions about retinol from our childhoods spent in dermatologists’ offices. But are those memories serving us today? How can we benefit from retinol as an active, while also taking the best care of our skin health possible.

At Skin Actives Scientific we use a mild form of vitamin A called retinyl acetate in some of our fan-favorite best-selling products. Because we would never sell you something we consider harmful or dangerous, it’s clear that we see retinyl acetate as beneficial to your skin care journey.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get more out of an active with proper use! 

So today we’ll be taking a look at how to best use a retinol product, both to keep your skin safe, and to get the maximum benefits from it as well.

Retinol Skincare Basics

Retinol, retinoid, retinyl, what’s the difference? Are these all words for one thing?

Nope. Unfortunately not. Each of these words describes a specific idea, though they all sound the same and are easy to confuse. 

The word “retinoid” describes a compound derived from vitamin A. There are many retinoids and they have different strengths, meaning that they end up in different products, either OTC or prescription. Just because your product has a retinoid in it doesn’t reveal based on that information alone the “strength” of the product and whether it is a prescription drug, OTC drug, or merely skincare actives, with no drug claim.

“Retinol” is a derivative of vitamin A that is mild enough to be used in OTC health and wellness products including skincare. This term is used by skincare companies to describe a host of different retinyl esters such as retinyl acetate, retinyl linoleate, and retinyl palmitate.

“Retinyl Palmitate” is a specific ester of retinol. It is the form of retinol used in Skin Actives Scientific products.

Benefits of Retinol For Skin

Retinol, in this care retinyl acetate, has two important benefits. This is why you’ll find this ingredient in some of our most beloved products, such as our Triple Correction Eye Serum for example. 

First Benefit: Increased Cellular Turnover - That’s right, followers of the blog know well that increased cellular turnover is the skincare fountain of youth! This increased turnover causes you to shed unneeded skin, and promotes healthy cells to the top. This incredible action will help work against fine lines and wrinkles.

Second Benefit: Blemish Control - When your skin is experiencing that heightened turnover, one of the great benefits is that dead skin cells don’t stick around. When dead skin cells don’t stick around, the chances of them tumbling into a pore and becoming food for bacteria decreases. And all of that adds up to less skin infections, and less blemishes. It’s no wonder that retinols have been used to keep skin clear for so many years!

How to Use Retinol For Skincare

There are a couple primary ways that you’ll want to make use of retinol in your daily/weekly skincare routine. Be aware of these two fundamental uses below:

1. Correct Layering - Layering your skincare routine is its own subtle art based on not only what products you are using, but your skin’s needs and your personal needs as well. Check out this full-length blog topic where we discuss optimizing your skincare layering here. But in the meantime, remember that your skincare should go on from lightest to heaviest. This means light serums go on first, heavy creams go on last. Always remember to lock in your routine with some sunscreen!
2. Use Retinol at Night - It’s a common point of wisdom that retinol products should only be used at night. There are a couple of reasons for this. One one hand there is some evidence that suggests that the activity of retinol is reduced (and when we say reduced we mean negated), by sunlight. This means that you won’t benefit from your retinol products if you wear them in the sun. Dermatologists disagree over the following concept, that retinol products can actually make your skin more prone to sunburn if you wear them out in the sun. While the jury is still out on this one, at Skin Actives Scientific, we think it’s best to exercise caution and just apply your retinol products at night.

Retinol and Sensitive Skin

Some people find that retinols can be disruptive to their skin, especially if their skin is already sensitive. This can be a big problem, and keeps people from using a product that could be beneficial to them. Below we have a couple of tips to help out if you find that retinol is giving you a hard time. But remember, if your skin is rejecting the retinol portion of your skincare routine, don’t force it! Skin Actives Scientific is dedicated to your health and well being. You should never participate in something that is hurting you.

Remember: You Don’t Have to Use a Retinol Everyday - That’s right! You may even find that if your skin is particularly sensitive, retinol can disrupt it. If this is the case, your skin may be being “overwhelmed” by your routine. Consider stepping your retinol usage back to a couple of times a week or every other day. This additional ease on your skin could give it the room it needs to make the most of the retinol.

Remember: Don’t Mix Acids and Retinols - One of the side effects of retinol usage can be that your skin feels drier than usual. You can counter this with some moisturizing face oil like those found in our Every Lipid Serum or in our Skin Cleansing Oil. To avoid dryness as an issue, don’t mix a retinol based product such as our Vitamin A Cream or Vitamin A Serum with acidic products such as our Salicylic Wash or Vitamin C 15% or 20% exfoliators. These products can dry the skin and with a retinol, it’s important to moisturize to avoid over drying.

Thanks for checking in for another episode of the Skin Actives blog! We’ll see you again next week for brand new content.