Top 3: Retinoids

I've known deep down that these three retinoid products are my favorites currently, I just haven't gotten around to posting about why. Think of retinoids as the blanket term for the family of vitamin A: retinol (vitamin A), natural derivatives like retinaldehyde, retinoic acid (tretinoin or prescription), retinyl esters or synthetic derivatives. So lets talk about retinoids in general. Retinoids help accelerate skin cell turnover leading to a rejuvenated complexion. Retinol is the gold standard in skincare because it helps with everything-lines, wrinkles, uneven texture and skin tone, dullness, increasing collagen production. You name it, retinoids help. It’s your anti-aging power house ingredient. It ranges from prescription strength to over the counter and is a very well studied ingredient as far as safety and proven results. Vitamin A cannot be synthesized by the body, so it needs to be supplied. Esters and beta-carotene are converted to retinol which is then converted to retinal by enzymes and oxidation and retinal can then be oxidized into retinoic acid. In the body conversions go back and forth for absorption and storage in various parts of the body. Retinoids are used for many biological processes. Retinoids have to be converted by enzymes in the skin to become retinoic acid which is then the active form to be used by the body. Only as retinoic acid can retinoids work on the skin (binds to receptors).

Here’s the basic conversion:

Retinyl Esters > Retinol > Retinaldehyde or Retinal > Retinoic acid 

Retinoic acid is your prescription only retinoid. The closer you get to retinoic acid the more effective it is. The non retinoic acids usually have far less irritation or side effects than retinoic acid. As always formulation and how you use it is key. I love retinoids for anti-aging and I would much rather pick a retinoid as an active over acids at this point in my life. I get better overall results and less irritation. I happen to really prefer retinal myself versus retinol. I find it's more effective and has fewer side effects for me. I'm not against trying tretinoin again but for now I seem to be doing fine with retinal so I'll stick with it. My biggest advice for anyone looking into retinoids is do consistency over strength. It's easy to think stronger is better but it's not. Consistency wins in this case. If I can use a 0.06% retinal 4x a week I get better results than trying to use a 0.1% retinal once a week.

So speaking of retinal one of my favorites is easily Medik8 Crystal Retinal. It comes in multiple strengths so there's a level for everybody. It's gentle, has no side effects and yet really effective. Crystal Retinal has a creamy texture, it's not drying and layers well. It has hyaluronic acid, glycerin and fatty acids including vitamin E and carrot oil (high in natural beta-carotene) plus 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid. The scent of Crystal Retinal is a light mix of vanilla and tonka bean. The retinaldehyde is encapsulated which keeps it more stable (retinoids are a more unstable ingredient requiring less exposure to air and sunlight) and allows a slow gradual release which helps reduce irritation, big bonus. I love that this one has a level for everyone, it's gentle enough but effective. It's also pretty decently priced. I've used 6 and 10 in their strengths and I prefer 6 (0.06% retinal) because I can use it 4-5x a week with no side effects, with 10 I got a little irritation in the form of slightly increased sensitivity and dryness. I just couldn't use it as often. Highly recommend everyone trying Crystal Retinal as it's a fantastic product. Review HERE.

To date my favorite retinol product is by Alastin. Renewal Retinol is in encapsulated retinol product with either 0.25 or 0.5% retinol. The retinol is encapsulated in lipids which helps it get delivered deeper into the skin. This also has oat extract to soothe and Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone an antioxidant to help support natural hyaluronic acid levels. It has a creamy serum texture that had no discernible scent and it layers well. The encapsulation of this one is what makes it special. It makes the strength more like 1% retinol per the brand and I tend to agree. It was really effective yet it wasn't irritating. That's why I loved it so much. Plus it's only $60 so it was pretty decently priced as well. This is my favorite retinol serum at the moment if I picked a retinol versus retinal. Full review HERE.

I think SACHI Ursolic Acid & Retinal Overnight Reform has taken the online skincare world by storm since it's launch just over a year ago. I was lucky enough to try it prior to the launch and I was blown away. This has 0.05% retinaldehyde with a patented liposomal ursolic acid and the star ingredients. Again I love retinal it's just really effective for me. I've talked about ursolic acid before and this one has a better delivery system with the liposomal coating to get it deeper into the skin. Ursolic acid is anti-aging and anti-inflammatory. It’s found naturally in a variety of fruit and plants. Ursolic acid has been shown to prevent the development of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, inflammatory enzymes that aggravate the skin. Ursolic acid has been thought to form a barrier on the skin much like a waxy coating on a piece of fruit. For me I’ve found with consistent use products that use ursolic acid have this kind of smoothing, protective, anti-wrinkle effect. Big fan.

This product doesn't stop with these two ingredients. It has botanical extracts like bakuchiol (can help increase the stability and effectiveness of retinoids), black cumin (anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory), holy basil (adaptogenic), antioxidants glutathione & superoxide dismutase, niacinamide plus barrier supporters hyaluronic acid, glycerin, oat oil and milk thistle. Rosehip and carrot seed oil are naturally high in beta-carotene. The texture is a gel cream and the scent is lightly herbal from the ingredients. It layers well and is the lightest in texture of the three. I was floored with how good this one was. It really helped my forehead wrinkles better than many other products. Plus there's just something about ursolic acid, once you know--you know. It's a very well rounded night treatment that can be a one and done. It takes retinoid products a step above the typical. I just bought two more for myself because I love it that much. It's a little pricier than the other two but well worth it. I would put this with a growth factor/peptide product and that's about it. My night routine is easy with this one.

While Medik8 has been a staple for me for a while I kind of feel like SACHI has replaced it. I'd rather splurge on that. I still love Medik8 and it's accessible and has lower levels like 0.01% and 0.03% retinals for those who need it. I just feel I get a more smooth look to my skin from SACHI. My skin feels pretty healthy while using SACHI though it did require a longer getting used to the product period where I had to start slower. Part of it was just bad timing as that was when my mask irritation was at it's all time high. Review HERE. These are three you won't be disappointed with. They're all effective and usable on a 4x a night week basis for me with rosacea and no issues with major irritation problems. They're not for the first time retinoid user, more for the seasoned one looking for good over the counter products that aren't prescription. If you're a first time user I highly recommend Mad Hippie Vitamin A Serum or The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. Review HERE and HERE. Let me know if you have any questions.