So what exactly is RETINOL and VITAMIN A?
It is currently everywhere in the beauty world – from Instagram to Facebook and more recently featured as one of the most effective products to combat anti-ageing on the BBC’s ‘THE TRUTH ABOUT …looking good”
Along with, sunscreen and peptides, retinol and its derivatives are now considered our MUST HAVE anti ageing products – and we agree.
But it does seem quite confusing – there seem to be so many? Retin-A, Retin-A micro, retinol, retinyl palmitate, retinaldehyde, adapalene, isotretinoin, tretinoin and tazarotene, among others, are all various forms of retinoids, which in turn are various forms of vitamin A.
The difference is really just their strength. And strength is key here. You need to build up the skin’s tolerance to vitamin A so starting on a low dose is important – trust us, you want to avoid a ‘retinoid reaction’ – red, blotchy and potentially very itchy skin. While this calms down and does not have damaging effects it is just not a good look!
