Retinol products are not all created equal. Like any anti aging product your choice of retinol cream can mean the difference between a waste of money and younger looking skin.
Retinoids are among the few proven ingredients for skin rejuvenation – but that doesn’t mean that all retinoid creams get rid of wrinkles.
You need a high level of retinol and a good delivery system so it stays effective in the bottle and penetrates deep into your skin when you use it.
So – if you’re looking for a retinol cream that really delivers results – here’s some of the best:
Skinceuticals Retinol 0.5 Refining Night Cream – A brand that gets good feedback in retinol cream reviews on most skin care sites. Skinceuticals scores highly in my book for actually telling you how much retinol is in the product – unlike many other manufacturers.
They make two retinol skin care products – this one is the recommended starter cream at 0.5% retinol. You can safely leave the cream on overnight – it’s a top retinoid night cream and is more effective this way. 0.5% is the minimum effective level and you should try this if your skin is sensitive or you’ve never used retinol products before. Move up to the Skinceuticals 1% retinol serum once your skin is acclimatized which is the highest level of retinol in any over the counter cream.
The retinol is stabilized and delivered to the deeper layers of the skin by Skinceuticals technology – so you should see significant anti aging results including: a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles. If you have enlarged pores, blemishes or age spots then most retinoid products like this one should help with that too.
Skin Medica TNS Recovery Complex – A combination of three Pro-Retinoic acids (Retinol, Retinyl Actate, Retinyl Palmitate) together with Vitamin E. The overall effect of this combination is the same as for a retinoic acid without the redness and irritation. Improves the radiance, texture and tone of the skin, diminishes fine lines, aging, and sun-damage.
Creams with retinol need a good delivery system and SkinMedica believe microencapsulation is the best way of delivering the pro-retinoic acids safely to the deeper layers of the skin without contamination. One of the best retinol products which you should with moisturizer especially as part of the superb Skin Medica TNS Regeneration Kit
Neova Retinol ME 0.30% – the makers claim this contains the purest form of vitamin A in an advanced delivery system which protects agains inflammation and skin irritation. Expect to see smoother, brighter skin and fading of brown spots and blemishes. Users report greater skin clarity and some reduction in fine lines. Generally favorable comments on skin care sites. A good choice if you don’t want to spend too much but in this price bracket – Green Cream would be a better option in my opinion.
Green Cream – no review of retinol creams would be complete without this one. One of the first over the counter retinol creams to deliver derm doctor levels of retinol without the visits to the office – Green Cream still offers powerful and effective levels of retinol at a great price. Three levels of retinol are available and full instructions and guidance is given on the SkinCareRX site. The best reviews are for the higher levels. Some people dislike the green color of the cream but the product has such a cult following that it is difficult for the makers to change the formulation.
So – which should you go for? Any of these products should deliver excellent anti aging results but some are more retinol-focused than others.
If you want a single retinol serum that works then buy Skinceuticals Retinol 0.5 Refining Night Cream or Green Cream for value – both deliver great results across most skin types and ages. For the best retinol face cream at any price - try the Skin Medica TNS Recovery Complex but preferably buy it as part of the Skin Medica TNS Regeneration kit for maximum effectiveness.
If you prefer an alternative to a retinol cream but want similar anti aging effects then a good vitamin C serum would be a great choice.
Whichever you pick you can be sure you are getting some of the best anti aging skin care available.
Beau T – thanks for your suggestions. Many people find that 50 marks a bit of a skin care change. I don’t know the anti aging cream you mention but I think it’s more likely that the benefit is coming from other anti aging ingredients in this cream rather than the collagen. Unlike retinol – it has been shown that topically applied collagen cannot penetrate the surface layers of the skin to improve the signs of aging. A retinol cream on the other hand – provided you get a good one with the best delivery system and high levels of retinol – should be effective on reducing lines and wrinkles. In the end though – whatever works for you!
One day I woke up with what seems like the worst skin next to an elephant. 50 years old marked a drastic change to a once vibrant, supple, wrinkle free and youthful looking skin.
At this age, products that once worked, all of a sudden seemed to be ineffective. At the advice of skin care specialist they advised that I use a product with collagen. After reading the many positive reviews about the Lady Soma Renewal Serum,I ordered it online and gave it a try. Amazing how quickly this serum works within days I noticed a drastic difference in my skin’s appearance and texture.
The brightness and texture of my former years have returned. I’m delighted and proud of the success I’ve achieved with this product….does the job and works wonders. My skin is beautiful, bright and youthful looking. I highly recommend and good luck!
Jade thanks for commenting. I have heard of SkinDoctors and the products you are talking about are based on hydroxy acids for skin resurfacing. At your age I wouldn’t use anything that is too strong for your “fine lines” – gentle moisturization should be enough. I have seen the emercinC retinol and vitamin C mask and took a look at the product ingredients on the SkinCareRX website. It is basically a clay based mask and both vitamin C (in the form of lemon juice and ascorbic acid) and retinol figure quite high up the ingredients list so are likely to be present at effective levels. SkinCareRX recommend this product for aging skins – which you certainly don’t have! – so I would be careful and avoid overuse. You are right to use only once a week and not use at the same time as the hydroxy acid based product. The mask won’t help with your fine lines as you can’t apply it around the eyes – but I can’t imaging you have much of wrinkle problem. I should work on refining and clarifying your complexion though. At the end of the day – how do you feel about the results? If you feel your skin looks better for using the product then that is the best recommendation in my book and so it’s worth the money.
My other thought is to make sure you get the essential nutrients you need for great skin as well – up your levels of vitamin C and antioxidants (fruit, green leafy salads and high colored veggies) and if you don’t take an omega 3 supplement try taking a high quality gel capsule daily. I have lots of articles about antia ging diet on the simplyantiaging home site in the nutrition category and it’s never too soon to start if you haven’t already. Follow the nav bar link at the top of this site. Early lines will be made worse by lifestyle – smoking, too much sugar, not enough exercise and drinking alcohol. Not trying to lecture as some of these are temptations for us all!
Ashley – on the acne retinol products – see my other reply. I can’t speak from experience on this but Murad is known to be excellent in this area. Murad Acne Complex is a three step system which gets great results and aims to heal and soothe skin while eliminating acne. If you want a combined product they also do an Acne and Wrinkle Reducer which is very well reviewed. Both come in at good price points with full guarantees if they don’t work for you. Thanks again for your great comments!
Ashley – thanks so much for this detailed reply. It’s really great to get some feedback from a user of a retinol product I recommended. I know skinceuticals retinol products are effective from the reviews you see on forums but nice to get that confirmed. I would go up to the next level if you want a greater effect as you have already got your skin used to the retinol effect. I haven’t written much around acne yet but I plan to in the future. Obviously retinol is a good ingredient for acne and skin discoloration as well as wrinkles. If you wanted to move away from the skinceuticals line I can highly recommend Murad Skincare – they have a great anti acne range and a wonderful product for hyperpigmentation which is based on hydroquinone (see my article). I am just about to publish a review of age spot creams with and without hydroquinone so watch this space but IMO Murad is the leader in this area. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the suggestion, Cindy. I haven’t tried these products but know many love them. Vitamin E is one of the vitamins known to be effective in increasing moisture in the skin. Retinol products from vitamin A are top of the list as far as diminishing lines and wrinkles.
Ciara, Thanks for the kind comments. My understanding of retinol cream is that you can use it on a wide range of skin types and it is effective. You may need to use a moisturizer as well depending on how dry your skin is and which product you go for. Some retinol products also have added skin moisturizers and so additional hydration is not needed. Best thing is to read the product details or as for some advice online at a site like SkincareRX. Often you will only really know what suits by trying products out on your own skin. Hope you find the right combination for yours.
First of all I’d like to say that I love your pages and I recommend it to my friends.
I have slightly dry skin so would the retinol products you mention above be ok to use?
Also if I purchase the skinceuticals or the Green Cream should I use a moisturizer also and if so how often should I use it?
Thank you
I am the type of consumer who reads EVERYthing I can about anti-aging products. I am 36 with minimal lines but only b/c i adhere to every little recommendation we’ve all read about. I’ve tried all the beauty lines of moisturizers and I even use Vitamin A. I have not seen anything come even close to the Vitamin Enhanced Moisturizer from Made from Earth in terms of creating a very glowing, dewy look and, when used consistently, meaning day and night, will make a BIG difference in those frown lines. I am so amazed by the Vitamin Enhanced Moisturizer that i just purchased another jar when i’m only a quarter of the way through my old one! I’m scared they may discontinue on me!!
My other question is: Do you think there are certain retinol products that might be more effective for people who suffer from acne or have a tendency towards “cosmetic acne”? It seems like everything I use makes me break out.
I actually found this webpage a few months ago while researching about retinol. (Thank you so much, BTW for the info, it was very helpful!) I’m 36, but always mistaken for early to mid twenties — even had my ID held by bartenders who thought it was a fake! But in the last 6 months or so I’ve had some skin issues bugging me…mainly some discoloration (sun spots i guess?) a few very fine lines under my eyes that are just creeping up, and some horizontal lines I’ve had on my forehead pretty much since i was a teenager (very annoying!). I’ve also always had problems with those big, deep zits, just one or two, but persistent and difficult to treat.
So I bought some Skinceuticals Retinol 0.5 based on the reviews in this article. I have to say I LOVE this product. Within 3 weeks or so of nightly use, the discoloration is almost GONE, and within 4-5 weeks, almost any trace of fine lines under my eyes is also disappeared. Although the deeper horizontal lines in my forehead are still there, and I’m still having acne problems.
I’ve gotten over the initial “retinol adjustment period” with minimal irritation (mostly around the eye area) and am wondering, should I try moving up to a higher concentration? I know that complete retinol results can take time, I’ve heard up to a year. I would really like to see my forehead wrinkles gone, without going to the needle (yikes!) and I’m still suffering from moderate acne. Any advice?
Thanks!
Ashley
PS – For those of you who are reading this and haven’t tried a retinol product yet, I HIGHLY recommend it…I’ve tried other products, including some very pricey, “upscale” products and given them at least a month, but nothing even compares to the Skinceuticals retinol! IMO, it’s definitely worth the cost!
Hello,
OMG your so helpfull lol, just wondering if you could look at a product for me? i have been using a range of skin care from a brand called skin doctors im using eyesmooth, skin active day and night and gamma hydroxly. I have fine lines under my eyes and acne scaring i was just wondering if these products have the right potency and ingredents to combat these problems???? i also use a face mask once a week its called emerginC vitamin C and retinol mask i dont use the gamma hydroxly the same time as i use this mask, just wondering if this is a good product too. thank you
jade 24 yrs old.
Preetha – I know of Neutrogena as a brand sold over the counter in drugstores and supermarkets. My feeling is that a retinol cream sold by a mass produced brand is unlikely to contain sufficient levels of retinol to be effective. I may be wrong here as you don’t mention which retinol product you are referring to. Generally I would go either for a specialist brand like Afirm or Green Cream from makers who just produce retinol skin care or look at some of the more high end makers – SkinCeuticals, Obagi and so on. Hope that helps.
Is the retinol-containing anti-aging cream by Neutrogena, good to use for melasma?
Hi Mark – thanks for commenting. I must say I’ve never heard of this brand – the main thing with any retinoid cream is the level of retinol in the product and how well it is delivered to the skin. You don’t mention this but that is what I would check if you want the benefits of a good retinol cream.
Hey there, I have combination skin (T zone) as well.. The moisturizer I use is from Shielo.. It’s called Shielo Complexion AntiAging Moisturizer .. I don’t know if you’ll find the similar one where you stay.. But this moisturizer from Shielo is for oily or combination skin .. I really like this brand.. It doesn’t cause me any break outs.. Hope this helps!!
Alyce – glad you like the site. Retinol is one of the few anti aging ingredients proven to work but the retinol products I recommend all have perfumes in them and Green Cream has a color added. I would be concerned about sensitivity. My recommendation would be to go with a really good hydrating cream that won’t make your skin react and will plump out the lines and wrinkles. Take a look at other articles on the site about this.
I am happy to have found this site. I am close to 65. I have only noticed in my 60′s how wrinkled I’m becoming. Maybe I never looked into the mirror before,however, I never wore make-up or used moisturizer so for the younger women live by example. I notice my pores are larger than I would like and I do have sensitive skin. Allergies year round, so my eyes water from things that say they don’t have frangraces in them, even sunscreens. I have a very low income and have wasted money on trying creams. Should I see a dermatologist (expensive) or maybe try the retinol you suggested above with lower ingredients first and then increasing. Reunion coming up in 6 weeks, lol.
Thanks for visiting Kiran – I think it’s good to start a skin care regimen early. I think I started around your age and it’s made a difference. An anti aging retinol cream might be a good place to start as the retinol may help with the acne and breakouts. Many people buy retinol creams for that purpose. Try one of the great value brands like Green Cream or Afirm 3x – you could start at the lower level and work up. As far as sunscreen goes then a mineral sunscreen might be a good option or a light formula sunblock but you definitely should wear one – especially if you use retinol. Exposing unprotected skin to some sun is very good for acne and breakouts but we’re talking about 20 minutes or so and not at the hottest part of the day. For more advice on the right creams and sunscreens go to an online supplier like SkinCareRX who have very helpful info and professional advisors to chat to if you need it. Best of luck!
Hi , I’m 28 Years old . I have always had acne and scars . I don’t smoke , I don’t drink. But I also don’t use a sunscreen afraid that I would breakout . Can u suggest which sunscreen I should use ? And also I’m terrified of wrinkles how can I prevent them at this stage before I hit my thirties ? Thankyou u .
Alice – as I understand it a “retinoid” is the group name given to any natural derivative of Vitamin A and “retinol” is one of the group.
What is the differences between retinol and retinoid?
I don’t think retinol products work on cellulite as far as I am aware – you would need a specialist cellulite cream.
I am 46 yrs. old and I use refissa retinoid cream and I am constantly approached by younger guys which proves that this stuff works!
I have cellulite in my thighs and I wonder which one of the Retinol products can help me.
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Angela – thanks for commenting. You seem to be doing a lot of good things and giving up smoking was an important step. Start with recommendations for retinol creams in this article – you may need to source the products online through the UK. Off the shelf I find the Roc and Vichy range of retinol products to be good but it does all come down to what suits your skin. Good luck!
Hi Thelma – you need to watch out with retinol around the eyes – I had a bad reaction with the Roc retinol eye cream although the equivalent Vichy product was OK for me. Take a look at the article on eye creams on this site for some other recommendations.
I have combination skin and always have mild-to-moderate sun spot issue on my cheeks….other than that, I have pretty great skin and happy with it. I purchased the pH Equilibrant Moisturizer from Made From Earth – as I started to notice fine wrinkles around my lips, and decided to try a this Made From Earth product. The texture of the pH Equilibrant Moisturizer is a lightweight cream and it is absorbed so quickly when you apply it. I used it for a good solid week, and was shocked by the result. Not only did it diminish all the fine lines, it also improve my overall complexion and my skin is much brighter.
I will def repurchase when I run out of it.
Are there retinol eye creams out in the market that are better the others? I was wondering if the Roc correxion would be a good buy for a good price.
Many thanks
Looking for some advice. I am 27 years old and had bad acne as a teenager, I was perscribed many drugs and creams that helped but never healed. l tried a retinol cream that left the face sore, dry and flakey. My skin these days is combination with the odd breakout. I have fine lines (I smoked for years and just quite!) and would like to start to combat the signs of ageing. I wear a high suncream all year round and eat healthily. I have yet to find a moisteriser that works as even oil free formula’s cause blemishes. Can you suggest a retinol formula that would improve my skintone and protect it without drying it out?
Angela
UK
I tried to use Retinol cream product I could say it is really effective. I have stop when I am satisfied about the results. Now that it is almost 8-6 months now I have stopped using the Retinol I will get back once more to improve and gain good complexion of my skin. Your advise about usage of sun screen or moisturizer is really effective to keep your skin protected and good results.
Dimitra – thanks for your comment and kind words. Retinol products are usually used to deal with the signs of aging like wrinkles and sagging. I think it would be a bit premature to apply retinol cream at your age when you don’t have wrinkles. My view would be to find a good skin care line and use a moisturizer with a sun protection factor during the day and a light night cream if you need it as well. Diet and lifestyle make a big difference so not smoking, restricting alcohol and eating an antioxidant rich diet is much more important in your twenties than using anti aging cream – especially one with an active ingredient like retinol. Hope this helps
Hello. I am 25 years old. I don’t smoke, I don’t have any wrinkles. I always wear sunscreen. I was wondering if I could use retinol serum or cream at night in order to prevent aging. Can you please answer? I would appreciate it. I don’t want to harm my skin. I only want to help it not to age earlier. Can I use a retinol serum 3 times a week under my moisturizing cream or not? Is it bad? Thank you. I love your site, it is very helpful. An article about the age that sb should start using antiaging products would be very helpful.
Dimitra, Greece