What will your formula be?

Retinol in a nutshell

Now, doesn’t that sound great. Everything you need to know about Retinol fitting inside the little shell of a nut. Is anything ever that simple. Noooooo.

As we now know (cause I keep telling you) the skincare industry will play on our naivety and ignorance of ingredients to bombard us with marketing strategies and fluffy words and utter bumph (bumf) to make us buy their products.

Well I’m not ‘avin it. So here it is. For you gorgeous and special humans. Retinol in a nutshell

  1. THE PURPOSE - To increase cell turnover therefore reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, fade hyperpigmentation, smooths, refines, enhances radiance, regulate oiliness and minimise breakouts.

  2. THE AKA’s - Vitamin A benefits the skin when it converts to Retinoic Acid. Different formulas have varying levels of conversion stage to retinoic acid meaning the group (called retinoids) vary from light to strong. For example -and what you’ll look for in ingredients list (INCI list)

    Retinyl Palmitate/Retinyl Acetate/Retinyl Linoleate - lightest form with 3 conversion stages therefore gentle and a good starting point for beginners or sensitive skins

    Retinol - 2 conversion stages to retinoic acid on the skin, stronger formula than above can take 6 months to a year to see full benefits of use. You will find this in products with percentages from 0.01% all the way to 1% (100 times stronger) so it is important to know this information - look for brands who are transparent with percentages 

    Granactive Retinoids - Also seen on inci list as Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) - This is the next generation of retinoid actives and has no conversion stages to retinoic acid but due to its formulation causes significantly less irritation than a retinol. Percentages can be confusing as you cannot compare this to retinol - it is a completely different molecule

    Retinoic Acid - Retin-A or Tretinoin - no conversion stages, works faster than retinol and is a prescription only product

    Isotretinoin - Otherwise known as Accutane - this is prescribed by Dermatologists for severe acne   and needs close supervision

  3. HOW TO USE - Another area of confusion - there are so many “if this” and “but that” - here are some guidelines

    • Cleanse face with a gentle, preferably non fragranced cleanser before using a retinol/retinoid

    • Follow manufacture guidelines but bear in mind it seems that some of them don’t know what they are talking about so it is ok to find your best way of application

    • If your retinol product is a low strength retinyl palmitate or buffered in an oil you can use toners beforehand and your application guidelines are not as strict as below e.g. you can use them in creases of nose and on the neck

    • If you are using higher strength products apply them directly to the skin after cleansing for most powerful results 

    • You can also ‘buffer” your product by applying a thin, fragrance free moisturising lotion 10 minutes before applying retinol and reapply lotion 10 minutes after - this decreases sensitivity 

    • Avoid the whole eye area - I mean the whole socket bit - do not get retinol anywhere near the delicate skin around the eyes unless it is a dedicated eye cream

    • Avoid creases in the nose and the lips - I also don’t advise stronger retinol be applied to the neck - it is way too sensitive

    • Start using once a week, then twice a week then three times a week and so on to build tolerance

    • Don’t use acids in the same routine as a high strength retinol

    • Follow and finish with a thick cream (not for those prone to acne) or an oil 15 minutes after applying retinol 

    • ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS apply in the evening - retinol does not react well to UV light

    • ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS cleanse off in the morning and apply a sunscreen SPF 30 or higher

  4. COMMON REACTIONS - Redness, sensitivity, flaking, purging, dryness, also nothing may change at all while using retinol - do not be afraid of any of these reactions as the end goal is worth the short period of discomfort. If you stop using to let your skin heal you are doing the opposite of what you need to do for best results - see it through and although to may take 6 months to a year for optimum results IT IS WORTH THE WAIT

THERE YOU GO - A NUTSHELL FULL OF RETINOL - PLEASE ASK ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE WITH REGARDS TO INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS OR IF I MISSED ANYTHING OUT THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW PLEASE DO LET MEEEE KNOW

Skin ProductsKezia Miskell-Reid1 Comment