Retinol Products, Tips and Tricks

[KatieBT]

When should I start using retinol? How does retinol work? What are the side effects of retinol? How often should I use retinol in my current routine? What's the best retinol product for sensitive skin? Can retinol help with acne scarring? What are THE BEST retinol products?!

Many Community members have dabbled in the world of retinol, from those just starting their retinol research to experts who can talk at ends about "the best" retinol products on the market. On the other hand, many are (rightfully) overwhelmed and wondering "what is retinol and how does it work?" I know that was me before discovering this lovely community and learning from so many of the passionate skincare aficionados here.

We are opening up this thread to talk about all things retinol. This is a space to ask for advice according to your skin type, answer questions, or just give a shoutout to your favorite retinol product! It's all fair game...

Let's talk about retinol!

[Weetart]

I've gone through phases since my 20s where I've used retinol for long periods of time, different products, and never noticed any improvement or change. I am very careful about staying out of the sun and I think that is the biggest reason I never saw a real change. (I've only been sunburned once in the last 20 years). But recently I've noticed that my double eyelids are becoming more pronounced and my skin doesn't bounce back as quickly when it's creased (like from leaning on something, or sleep). Dr Brandt Needles no more works wonders to make the creases disappear, but should I start using retinol? I know everyone will likely say yes, but ugh. I just love what vitamin C serums do for my skin and I don't like the idea of abandoning what I know works. Can I use them both at the same time? Also anyone know if retinol can be used on eyelids? It's such thin skin I'm hesitant using anything there. I've tried the Periconne eyelid serum, it made the skin much firmer... but it just made my double eyelids MUCH more pronounced and I suddenly looked years older. 

[Mochapj]

@Weetart you can use vit C in conjunction with retinol in an overall routine, but I wouldn't necessarily use them at the same time, if that makes sense.

For example, you could use your vit C 2-3x week and your retinol 1-2x week but make sure you aren't overlapping them on the same day. Same as if you were incorporating an acid exfoliant and retinol, you wouldn't want to overload your skin and do everything at the same time.

If you do decide to start retinol, start slowly. Try a gentle formula that you use 1x week and work the frequency up from there over time.

There are retinol eye creams that can be used around the eye area, but I wouldn't use a retinol face cream on my eyelid or surrounding area unless it specifically said it was formulated to be used on that area. The skin in that area is much too thin and sensitive to take chances, IMO. 

Caroline Hirons recently did a very good retinol overview video that might answer some of these questions more thoroughly:

[Weetart]

@Mochapj Thanks!!

[AlishaB92]

I’ve been reading a lot about retinol lately too and I’ve decided, as a beginner that I am going to try olehenrikson’s retin-atl duo as I’ve read up about bakuchiol too and there has been studies that it works and is a derivative of vitamin A. I think it’s a great start for beginners who are afraid of side effects of retinol (like me) so hope that’s helpful! I also was considering going with the ordinary products as someone else mentioned but once I added up the buffet, the Retinoid, the rosehip oil, and other products I wanted included in my regimen it came to around the same price as one products that has it all in one so I decided it wasn’t worth it to go that route. Can’t wait to try the ole Retin-alt duo! ☺️

[naturalooks15]

Much needed thread  @KatieBT 

i started using Retinol for the first time with DE A-Passioni. I live the results. Having said that, I have had my fare share of issues even though I was just using all DE products for last 2 years and also consider myself well educated in their products and philosophy.

I think now I have learnt to use it well after about 2 months and have pretty good routine with this new treatment and my skin is stable.

I have been documenting my experience in below thread and hope it will help other people -

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/Detailed-Review-A-Passioni-Retinol-from-Drunk-Elepha...

will come back and post some DOs and Don’ts.

[Anonymous]

Perfect timing!!!! I'm new to retinol and I'm suffering. I use all the DE products, my skin was the best it ever looked and absolutely love all their products. When A-Passioni came out I jumped on it. Well, I used it once a week mixed with a little Lala cream and the first week everything was fine....and then!! Now, I know about the peeling, redness, purging etc but this is ridiculous. My total use three times in 3 weeks and I look like I came out of the burn trauma unit. It's now over 2 weeks and I'm still trying to heal from the itching, breakouts, burning, cracked raw skin and did I mention itching. Now I'm left with a leather face and I looked like I aged 10yrs. Has anyone had this hard of a time. Has anyone wanted to scratch their face off a week later? I want to try The Ordinary kit. Any opinions

[TrysBeautyItems]

@Anonymous Don't use again, right now nor other retinoids. Let the skin heal. DE may be too strong for you, sounds like a chemical burn. If you decide later to try a retinoid, use only on a small area of skin, so it's controlled.

[Anonymous]

yes...I am taking a huge break and might not use at all. Thanks for the advice

[mollybug56]

Hey! I actually know exactly what you are talking about. A while ago my derm suggested retinol for my severe cystic and hormonal acne. That was years ago and it worked but it wasn’t pretty for a while. NOW I use the DE retinol (wanted to get off strong rx) and I’m kinda going through the same thing again. I try to use less and a lot of moisturizer and my skin has calmed down. I suggest using DE whipped moisturizer or if it’s REALLY bad I use Neosporin over night and it helps so much.

[Anonymous]

thank you for the advice

[greeneyedgirl107]

@mollybug56  I second the Neosporin rec!  I used it on particularly dry areas when I started Retin-A and it was super helpful!

[TrysBeautyItems]

I've seen in reviews (not necessarily Sephora) for a retinoid product, the user will say 'thinned my skin so I stopped,' 'too drying' etc. For new users, yes retinol thins. Yes, it can be drying. New users do *not* just jump into using nightly as the product says, they completely omit the use only a few times a week at first, nightly isn't for all skin anyways and apply on completely dry skin, moisture allows it to get in the skin faster aka more irritation very likely. And use a good non active moisturizer (retinol does not play nice with other actives). Spf daily is a must.

I've used prescription in the past and currently, it does help. Worse before it's better, if your skin falls off in bits you've gone too far and listen to your skin.

[PrettyPaint]

Love this thread idea @KatieBT 

I’m currently using retinol for the first time. My skin is very sensitive, so I’ve only been using it once a week. From what I can tell, though, my skin looks smoother and less textured. I’ve been using Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream. If anyone else is using this and has tips to share, I would love to hear them. I’ve been mixing it with the sample size b-Hydra it came with, but I think I’m going to try something else soon because my skin is pretty dry given the weather.

DRUNK ELEPHANT - A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream

[Ispend2much6]

@PrettyPaint  Having been so graciously gifted the DE A-Passioni by Sephora (I'm supposed to mention that when I review it, :)) I agree with you wholeheartedly.

I had some rough, red patches and bumps (not acne,) on my cheeks, and nothing I was doing was really helping, not even my extremely rich and expensive night cream.

A-Passioni came to the rescue, and in one day the bumps were mostly gone!

One suggestion I have that worked for my dry, sensitive, skin is I used the DE Protini right after applying the A-Pass. and B-Hydra.  It's a great combo!

[PrettyPaint]

I’m so glad it works for you too @Ispend2much6 . I haven’t tried the protini yet. I think I’ll add it to my list for the next rouge code! 🙂 I too had tried a bunch of different products to get rid of the bumps, and this is the first thing that has made a noticeable difference. 

[PenelopeBT]

This is such a wonderful thread. I love talking about skincare ingredients. <333

I was first introduced to retinol as a teenager. I had severe cystic acne so I went to see the dermatologist who prescribed me Retin-A cream (a type of retinol). I used it at night to heal my acne and acne scars. There was a bit of an adjustment and the best advice I can give is a little goes a long way, you really need a small amount of product for the whole face. Retinol can make your skin really dry (despite having very oily skin as a teen, it dried my skin out), so I started using it every other night and then worked my way up to every night. My skin got adjusted to it after a month and it really helped with hyperpigmentation from acne scars.

My teen years are far behind me. However, I was once told by a dermatologist that retinol is the gold standard for anti aging. I'm currently using the Drunk Elephant T.L.C Framboos Night Serum and I'm obsessed with it. But when I'm done with my bottle, I'd love to try their new A-Passioni Retinol Cream because it's a Clean by Sephora product and it's a vegan retinol formula.

Also, I'm really interested in trying out eye creams with retinol and seeing how effective they are. I haven't used retinol under my eyes just yet. 🙂

https://www.sephora.com/product/t-l-c-framboos-tm-glycolic-night-serum-P392246?icid2=products%20grid...

https://www.sephora.com/product/a-passioni-retinol-cream-P439926?icid2=products%20grid:p439926:produ...

[faeriegirl]

I started trying to use retinol when I turned 30. The first I tried was Neutrogena rapid wrinkle serum, then I tried one from the ordinary, then I tried prescription tretinoin .025%. I didn’t have any results with Neutrogena or the ordinary. The prescription was too harsh for my skin. It made me so dry and flaky. I had given up on retinol until DE came out with A-Passioni. I got a sample in January and I’ve been using it 2 times a week since then. I really like it so far. It is not irritating my skin and hopefully I can start using it more often to see better results.🤞

[greeneyedgirl107]

@KatieBT I love retinol/retinoids!  I'm looking forward to reading all the postings!

My fave retinoid product has got to be Retin-A (generic Tretinoin).  I've been using the .05% for years, and am planning on bumping it up to the .1% soon.  I'm hoping it will be a relatively smooth transition, and that I won't have quite the amount of dryness I had when I first started the Rx.

My fave retinol product for beginners is FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% Pure Concentrate

I use it where I can't quite tolerate retinoids (around my eye area and smile lines).  I highly rec this for those who want to dip their toe in the water but are still leery.  Start applying every three days and use moisturizer consistently, then take it from there.

I'm also ready to increase my retinol concentration, so I will be moving soon from the FAB to OBAGI CLINICAL - Retinol 0.5 Retexturizing Cream

which is .5% concentration retinol.  I had just started looking into higher concentrations and was frustrated that I couldn't find anything other than 1% concentration when Sephora started promoting this.  Yay!  

Edit: I do have a retinol question!  Is it possible for Sephora to ask brands to list their retinol concentrations on the Sephora website?  There are products I want to try, but I often don't know the concentration.  With such an important active ingredient, I'd like to be more informed.  🙂  

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  I enthusiastically second your question/suggestion! It would definitely help folks make more informed purchases.

I wish the Dr Dennis Gross products that contain retinol had listed percentages. I already use the DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum but am also interested in the face serum version (DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic Acid + Retinol Brightening Solution ), though I could just use the eye serum all over my face. 😄 It’d be nice to know the retinol % of the brightening serum, especially compared to something like DRUNK ELEPHANT - A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream which does have a percentage listed (1%). I assume the DDG eye serum contains a very low percentage of retinol, otherwise it wouldn’t be safe to use around the eyes. But I have no idea if the brightening serum contains a higher percentage. Help me give you my money, DDG and Sephora! 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne So happy to find another like-minded shopper!  The DDG products were forefront in my mind!  I even e-mailed them a while back asking what the percentage was, and they wouldn't give it out 😛

[WinglessOne]

Great minds think alike, @greeneyedgirl107 ! 🙂 

I wonder why DDG and some other brands are so cagey about this. They don’t need to disclose % of every ingredient, just the key “actives.” (Using the term “active” loosely here because OTC skincare tends to contain ingredients that change the appearance of skin rather than actually physically changing skin, so they don’t qualify as true active ingredients and wouldn’t be listed as such on packaging.) It’s not like retinol % is some kind of trade secret. 😄 If I do try a retinol on the rest of my face, it’ll probably be one that discloses the percentage.