Of all the skincare ingredients available to us today, retinol is perhaps the most transformative – and yet the most misunderstood.
Its availability once restricted to the white walls of a dermatologist's office, this powerful active ingredient has now found its way into endless over-the-counter skincare products, with brands incorporating it into creams, serums, oils and gel – now, even retinol body lotions are hitting the shelves. But, with so many nuances in formulation, finding the right retinol for you isn’t always easy. Here, the experts break down the basic retinol rules – from how it works to the best ways to use it – and reveal the most innovative, efficacious retinol products on the shelves now.
The best retinol creams and serums, at a glance
- Best for beginners: Medik8 Crystal Retinal®, £45
- Best for regulars: Dr. Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro, £62
- Best prescription-strength: Klira The Special, £49
- Best for dry skin: Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum, £100
- Best for sensitive skin: La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum, £48
Jump to:
- The best retinol creams and serums, at a glance
- What is retinol?
- How does retinol work?
- The retinol benefits
- The best retinol creams, serums and treatments to try now
- Best retinol for beginners
- The retinoid family, explained
- What are the retinol side-effects?
- How to use retinol
- Who should be using retinol?
- When to increase the strength of your retinol
- The impending EU retinol regulations, explained
- Retinol and sensitive skin
What is retinol?
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A, and perhaps the most commonly known retinoid. The retinoid family includes various vitamin A derivatives, all of which work on the skin with differing speeds and strengths. While retinol may win the popularity contest, alternatives such as retinal and retinyl esters are increasingly coming to the fore.
Whichever you choose, the verdict amongst experts is clear: retinoids work extremely well. Studies have proven its ability to work across a wide spectrum of skin concerns, from fine lines to pigmentation and even acne.
How does retinol work?
Simply put, retinol – a type of retinoid – works by accelerating the rate of cell turnover in the skin, meaning new, fresh skin cells make their way to your skin surface faster than they would naturally. This action has a host of aesthetic benefits.
“From a skin perspective, retinoids work at a deep cellular level, where they help to boost collagen and elastin production, reduce cellular ageing and pore congestion, and regulate sebum production,” explains GP and skin health specialist Dr. Anita Sturnham. “Vitamin A cannot be made by the body and therefore needs to be supplied through our diet and by feeding our skin topically, through skincare.”
The retinol benefits
The cellular regeneration that retinol sparks can result in wide-reaching benefits for many skin types and concerns.
There are plenty of studies that delve into retinol’s role in reducing the common signs of accelerated ageing. Many have found it able to reduce the roughness, hyperpigmentation and wrinkling associated with photoageing (or sun damage).
Retinol also shows promise in treating acne skin types, with research finding the retinoid family to be able to reduce active breakouts and also inhibit the formation of new ones. Skin texture, including scarring and pigmentation may be significantly reduced too.
The best retinol creams, serums and treatments to try now
Best retinol for beginners
When it comes to retinol, Medik8 is the industry insider's choice. This high-strength creamy serum contains the brand’s trademarked Crystal Retinal, which only requires one transformation within the skin to become retinoic acid, thus working up to eleven times quicker than other products.
Don't assume this means increased irritation though – packed with hyaluronic acid and calming vitamin E, it's also one of the most gentle formulas around. There's a reason it's almost continually sold out.
If you're new to retinol, begin with the Crystal Retinal 1, gradually working your way up the line: 3, 6, 10, 20, and the new, extra high-strength 24.
Best retinol for regulars
Dr. Sam Bunting's original Flawless Nightly 2% Retinoid Serum one of the Bazaar team's long-time favourites (truth be told, we're all loyal users of her entire range), but if you're after a step up in the potency stakes, try the newer Flawless Nightly Pro instead. This stronger sister contains a granactive retinoid as well as an effective dose of azelaic acid, and niacinamide and bakuchiol as the icing on the complexion-boosting cake.
Best prescription-strength retinoid
Online dermatology services are booming right now, and for good reason: these convenient, affordable offerings are helping to democratise the dermatology industry, allowing everyone access to professional advice and personal prescriptions, no matter their budget or location.
Founded by Bazaar favourite Dr. Emma Craythorne, Klira is the concept elevating the prescription skincare experience. Your journey begins with an extremely thorough digital skin analysis, which involves in-depth questions and sending off images of your bare complexion. Once Dr. Craythorne's team of prescribing dermatologists has ascertained your 'Skinsize', they'll get to work creating your own custom night cream containing made-for-you actives. Not everyone's will contain a retinoid, but if fine lines or pigmentation are present, it's likely yours will.
With subscriptions starting from £49 a month, it's the most expensive on the market, but once you try the service, you'll see exactly why.
Best retinol for dry skin
Don’t be put off by the intimidating 6.5% retinol concentration stamped across this bottle – Sunday Riley’s serum is surprisingly gentle on skin.
It actually contains a combination of 5% gentle retinol esters with 1% retinol proper and 0.5% natural, retinol-mimicking blue algae, offering just the right balance of potency and protection. Reach for this one if you’ve graduated from the brand’s equally brilliant, yet significantly milder, Luna retinol oil.
Introduce it into your routine by applying it one evening before taking two nights off. Gradually build use up to every other night, and eventually, nightly.
Best retinol for sensitive skin
Another exemplary product from La Roche-Posay, this lightweight serum balances a low dose of retinol with vitamin B3, which soothes and strengthens the skin barrier, negating any potential irritation. Sensitive types should work it into their routine two nights per week, building up to more regular use in time.
Best retinol for all skin types and ages
Whether you’re a twenty-something hoping to tackle a bout of breakouts or looking for something to hold off creeping lines, Caroline Hirons has thought of you. The long-trusted skincare authority has launched her own brand, Skin Rocks, with a duo of retinoid serums in increment strengths. Naturally, they tick all the skin-nerd boxes: they’re fragrance and essential-oil free, absorb swiftly, and come boosted with calming and hydrating support acts – think squalane and vitamin E.
Best value retinol
This milky serum contains 1% retinol in an encapsulated form, which equates to 0.09% of retinol proper, and is gradually released into the skin over the night. This gentle yet constant delivery means you're less likely to experience the redness or flaking associated with other formulas – a thoughtful method of formulation that can often push a price tag into triple figures. Costing just £18.50 to Beauty Pie members, this is a phenomenally good-value product.
Best for an overnight refresh
111 Skin is kicking off the new year with a major innovation. The brand's new Wrinkle Erasing Retinol Patches are the first product to fuse Korean microcone technology with retinoids in the Western market. Using technology originally developed for vaccinations, each patch (there are shapes for your ‘elevens’, under-eyes and marionette lines) features solidified ‘cones’ of retinol, peptides and vitamin C which dissolve into the skin at a depth of 0.35mm. They’ve been shown in testing to offer twice the absorption speed and depth of a traditional topical, and can reduce the depth of surface wrinkles after a single use. Believe us: the before and afters are remarkable.
Best retinol for eyes
Many retinols are too harsh to be used around the delicate eye area, which is why you don't see so many retinol eye creams on the market. But with this recent launch, Murad has got the balance just right, using a gentle and mega-moisturising base to temper the action of pure retinol and the gentler, slower-acting retinyl propionate. Together, these actives deliver remarkable results on crow's feet with long-term use.
Best retinol for mature skin and fine lines
Fans of Elizabeth Arden's beloved Retinol Ceramide Capsules will want to try the brand's latest launch. More intensive than the original single-use pods, this water-cream formula combines retinol with HPR: a next-gen retinoid that releases more slowly into the skin, bolstering the brightening, plumping benefits. With strengthening ceramides, firming peptides and hydrating hyaluronic acid, this is an all-in-one tonic for the multiple signs of ageing.
Best retinol for uneven skin texture
With the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Emily Ratajkowski on her books, facialist Shani Darden is clearly one to trust. This retinol serum from her eponymous skincare line is light and milky, and formulated with 2.2% encapsulated retinol that slowly releases into the skin. Lactic acid (a gentler alternative to resurfacing glycolic) amps up the resurfacing benefits, meaning this one works especially well on rough-textured skin, post-breakout scars and pigmentation.
Best retinol for acne and acne scarring
Augustinus Bader's signature TFC8 complex is good on its own – but blended with retinol, it's truly outstanding. The brand's first retinol serum is perhaps its most accomplished formula yet. Containing pure retinol, this creamy serum works brilliantly on everything from fine lines to loss of collagen, but it's especially effective on enlarged pores, active acne and lingering post-inflammatory pigmentation. The addition of anti-inflammatory zinc means anyone with compromised, breakout-prone skin will get on with it well, while biome-building antibacterial extracts prevent future acne lesions from developing.
Best retinol for wrinkles
Ideal for more mature skin, this light but potent retinol combines other anti-ageing ingredients, such as collagen and elastin amino acids, to visibly fade feathery lines and enhance firmness. With regular use expect tighter pores and smoother, softer texture on the face, neck and around the eye area.
Best retinol for the body
Retinol body lotions are popping up rapidly - and it does make sense, when you consider that pigmentation, breakouts and crepey texture can all occur below the neck too (especially on the chest and hands). However, do read up on the dos and dont's of using a retinol body lotion before slathering one on – there's more to it than you might think, and a few crucial safety precautions to take.
In short, it's important to use a retinoid that has been specifically formulated for the body, if you're applying it anywhere beyond the neck. The reasons are all to do with potency and concentration: the body has an upper limit of retinoid that it can safely absorb, so applying your high-strength face serum all-over isn't wise. If you do want to dive in, stick to a specially formulated lotion, such as this brilliant option from retinoid stalwarts Paula's Choice.
The retinoid family, explained
Sparking waves of confusion, 'retinol' is often used in place of 'retinoid' and has become somewhat of an umbrella term in recent years, used to refer to a whole host of vitamin A forms, so it’s not always clear exactly what’s in your serum. “The retinoid family comprises retinol and its natural siblings, such as retinaldehyde and retinyl esters, as well as a large number of synthetic derivatives,” says Dr. Sturnham.
Any retinoid must be converted within the skin into retinoic acid before it can regenerate skin cells and stimulate collagen production. Pure retinoic acid can only be found ready and waiting in prescription products such as the oral drug Accutane and topical Treclin cream, which uses the fast-acting synthetic tretinoin.
The retinoids found in non-prescription products must be converted several times before becoming retinoic acid, hence the importance of patience and consistency of use. It's possible to achieve similar results with a non-prescription retinoid, but the time it takes to happen will be considerably longer.
What are the retinol side-effects?
According to Dr. Sturnham, there are several potential problems with a lot of retinol skincare products. “Some brands use basically inert quantities that have no skin benefits, whereas others have such punchy retinoid-based formulations that the risks of side-effects outweigh the benefits,” she says.
These side effects (namely dry, flaking skin and moderate irritation) are becoming less prevalent as innovation progresses. The best retinol products on the shelves today use advanced formulations and slow-release encapsulation delivery systems to side-step the irritation caused by an increase in cell turnover.
How to use retinol
As with all active skincare, application is key in reaping retinol success. Dr. Sturnham advises using yours only at night, after your cleanser and before your (gentle) night cream. “With a good quality serum, absorption will be rapid and there is no need to delay application of your moisturiser,” she says.
When introducing your skin to retinol, it's vital not to try too much too soon. Beginners should start by using theirs once a week, slowly building up to every other night. Diving in at the deep end will likely lead straight to irritation and flaking. Patience is required when it comes to results too: expect to start noticing skin improvements in around three to six months, depending on the product you're using.
Furthermore, it’s essential to wear a good, broad-spectrum SPF (30 or above) every day when using any retinol, as it may make your skin more photosensitive. This rule applies in the winter as well as in the summer.
Who should be using retinol?
Recently, much has been made about the rise of teenagers using retinol, lured in by tempting TikTok before-and-afters and the brightly packaged products lining the shelves at Sephora (the new teen hang-out location of choice). While retinoids can indeed be remarkably effective for acne, pigmentation and more, it isn't advisable to start using such an active-led ingredient, without professional advice, at such a young age.
So, how young is too young for retinol? The answer isn't quite that clear-cut. But one thing we do strongly recommend is to listen to the advice of a dermatologist (not a social-media star). Only a professional will be able to confidently advice young people on whether they should be using a retinoid – and if so, exactly how to use it safely.
Most dermatologists also recommend skipping the retinol in pregnancy. While there is no official legislation outlawing the use of retinoids for pregnant women, it has been accepted that all forms of Vitamin A – particularly oral retinoid treatments – should be parked while trying to conceive and during pregnancy itself. However, there are plenty of retinol alternatives that are safe to be used during this time – just be sure to check with your doctor or dermatologist if you are in any way unsure about a product or ingredient.
When to increase the strength of your retinol
It can be hard to know when to increase the strength of your retinoid, but climbing the so-coined 'retinol ladder' is important if you want to see continued benefits. To determine if you're ready for increased potency, Dr. Sam Bunting tells us that in her clinic she questions whether patients have reached their goals.
"Given that retinoids can be used to tackle everything from acne to hyperpigmentation and the signs of premature ageing, it’s really helpful to define and track this from the outset (with selfies, ideally). If you’ve been on your chosen starter retinoid for three months and aren’t quite there, then the next thing to consider is whether you’ve achieved skin tolerance. That means a happy skin barrier that permits daily use of your retinoid without irritation or dryness. So if you haven’t yet reached your goals and your skin is tolerant, it’s time to step up the strength."
Many brands offer products in incremental strengths – including Medik8, The Ordinary, Paula's Choice, Skin Rocks and Dr. Bunting's own range Dr. Sam's. Her new Flawless Nightly Pro 5% Retinoid Serum is more than double the potency of her original Nightly Serum (the first rung in a retinoid ladder, suitable for all), making it ideal for those wanting to up the ante.
When transitioning to a higher strength formula, it’s not uncommon for skin to go through a transition period as you acclimatise. "Prepare for this by applying it every other day initially and try buffering with a layer of moisturiser applied first so that you ease into your more potent product."
This cycle can then repeat until you solve your issue or you reach your skin’s threshold for retinoids. "This can change with the seasons, so remember that what was tough to tolerate in winter might be much easier in spring," Dr. Bunting adds.
The impending EU retinol regulations, explained
You may have heard that the European Commission is currently reviewing regulations for over-the-counter (non-prescription) retinol products. The proposed 'retinol ban' regulation will restrict the concentration of all retinoids to an equivalent of 0.3% pure retinol, and 0.05% in body products.
The new restrictions aim to limit the likelihood of overexposure to vitamin A. As our intake of the ingredient, via topical cosmetics, the food we eat and the supplements we ingest, increases, we’re at risk of consuming too much, which studies have suggested could lead to adverse effects on liver function and the stability of the skin barrier.
It’s important to consider this within the right context, however, and remember that we largely obtain much more vitamin A through our diet than we do our skincare. In its report, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety said: “The most important source of vitamin A in the population is diet, followed by food supplements and cosmetics. Exposure to vitamin A via food may already be very close to the UL (recommended upper limit) and any additional source of exposure, including cosmetic products, may exceed this UL.”
The new law will come into force in the European Union by the end of 2023, and brands that produce any over-the-counter products exceeding the new retinoid limits will be given three years to reformulate, should they wish to continue selling to the EU market.
Retinol and sensitive skin
Many people with sensitive skin believe they simply can’t use a retinol – but Dr. Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist for La Roche-Posay, disagrees. One clever hack for anyone struggling with irritation is to create a “retinol sandwich”.
“After cleansing, the idea is to apply a moisturiser to sensitive areas of the face, such as around the eyes, smile lines, chin and neck, then follow with your retinol product. Leave it on for 15 minutes before applying a layer of moisturiser as the top layer of your skincare sandwich. As skin adjusts to the retinol over time, you can skip the initial layer,” she explains.
Ready to start a retinol relationship? To help you reap the rewards of this wonder ingredient without any excessive brow-furrowing, we’ve rounded up the very best retinol for each skin type to try, from sensitive newcomers to seasoned users.