5 Things Everyone Believes About Retinol That Are Wrong
Liz Ritter , Executive Editor |
It may be the gold standard of skin care, but this is one ingredient that’s not always 100-percent understood—specifically when it comes to the way it’s formulated.
Myth 1: All
retinols are created equal.
Retinoids are
naturally and synthetically derived vitamin A compounds known to have many benefits,
including combating photoaging and enhancing skin quality. It’s also one
ingredient that has a wide range of names and forms. “The general public gets
the prescription-strength Retin-A [the brand name for tretinoin] confused with
over-the-counter retinol,” explains Delray Beach, FL, dermatologist Dr. Janet Allenby. “Tretinoin has studies as part of its FDA-approval to prove its
efficacy; retinol, which is considered a cosmeceutical, does not require the
same stringency.” Campbell, CA, dermatologist Amelia K. Hausauer, MD, says, at
the very basic level, the different forms also interact differently with the skin.
“When you apply a retinol, it is actually changed into tretinoin and it is 20 times
less potent than prescription formulations.”
Myth 2: It’s going
to make you red.
The risk of
irritated, red skin is probably the number-one reason why people skip retinol,
but Dr. Hausauer says it doesn’t have to be so. “Dry, red, flaky and irritated
skin can be avoided if you only apply a pea-size amount as a thin film over your
entire face, then use another pea for your neck and chest. You can start two or
three nights per week and build up to nightly use as your skin becomes more
tolerant.” Plus, it’s that “not-all-retinols-are-the-same” factor that greatly
affects the irritation level. “The retinol
derivatives—ones to note are retinaldhyde, retinyl palmitate and hydroxypinacolone
retinoate—have functionality while providing sensitive skin types the ability
to reap the benefits of retinol,” says cosmetic chemist Marc Cornell of Englewood Lab. “In short, these ‘other forms’ must go through an extended
sequence of bioconversion prior to providing the benefits of retinol. This
delay of activity allows sensitive skin to become acclimated to the retinoid while
minimizing the side effects.”
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Myth 3: The
ingredient hasn’t changed all that much.
Dr. Hausauer pegs
“vehicle innovations”—the substances used to carry an ingredient—as having
improvement in recent years, which also helps limit redness. “The newer
products are better at getting the retinol where we want it to be.” As Cornell stresses,
“The formulas have absolutely gotten better!
The new retinol delivery systems enhance stability, improve penetration and
bioavailability. The key is improved efficacy, which means we can use less
active and minimize the irritation potential.”
Myth 4: You
shouldn’t wear retinol during the day.
Classically,
retinoids are not photostable, meaning they break down and lose their efficacy
in the sunlight, but Dr. Hausauer says that more recent introductions, like
Adapalene [a topical retinoid that had previously only been available through a
prescription], can be worn during the day—although she does stress that, when
in doubt, it is best to apply it at night. “All products in the retinoid family
are to varying degrees sensitive to oxidation, which means sunlight can oxidize
or break down the molecule, rendering it inactive,” Dr. Allenby explains. “For the
best effect of the molecule, I still think it should only be used at night.”
Myth 5: No other
active ingredients behave like retinol.
Cornell says, in his opinion, actives that are not retinol,
but still target retinoid skin receptors, are about to take the skin-care world
by storm. “For example, disodium acetyl glucosamine phosphate, a
humectant/moisturizer, targets the same skin gene biomarker as retinol, and is
reportedly less irritating. There’s also a lot being done with natural extracts
that mimic the anti-aging benefits. One natural extract called bakuchiol is
based on Ayurvedic medicine principles and works like a retinoid, and it is
known to help stimulate collagen production.”