To Retinol or Not To Retinol

retinol is a tricky ingredient that can either enhance your self care journey or set you back. basically, picking the right retinol is like picking a husband. retinol is vitamin a. vitamin a helps to treat texture, signs of age, hyperpigmentation, milia and active acne concerns.

retinol is given out to just about everyone who walks into a DERMATOLOGIST'S office with even the smallest complaint because it is like the swiss army knife of skin care. while it does help to speed up cell turnover in the skin, retinol is a selfish ingredient. it likes to steal the spotlight in your routine and doesn’t really play well with other active ingredients (exfoliating acids in particular).

i usually recommend incorporating a retinol in your routine once you have mastered all the other skin care levels like being diligent with sunscreen, minding all the rules of exfoliation and just having an overall deeper understanding of skin care. retinol will help to give your skin the jump start it needs to see better results with concerns like aging, hyperpigmentation and texture.

with a proper routine, retinol should only be used a couple times a week. there are various forms of retinol, retinal, and retinoid products on the market which can cause things to be a bit confusing. while all of these categories are used to describe vitamin a products, they signify different chemical processes by which the vitamin is delivered into your skin.

browse my fav vitamin a products below ordered from most advanced to beginner!