How to Tell If Retinol Is Working for You?Updated a year ago

Each person’s experience with retinol will be a little different.

The results and the timeline can skew depending on a lot of factors, including the type of retinol you choose, your age, the starting condition of your skin, genetic factors, your previous routine, and whether you’ve used retinol before. Other factors that have an impact are less easy to spot or predict, like the distribution of retinoic acid receptors in your skin.

Because retinol works gradually, take a picture in natural lighting before you get started. That way, you can refer back to it at each stage and see how far your skin has come.

With all that out of the way, here are the milestones you can generally expect that will help you determine if retinol is working for you.

Week 1 

It can be tempting to look for results just a week after starting a new skincare product. Sadly, most retinols don’t work that fast. Even if you don’t see any changes, it doesn’t mean that your retinol isn’t working. Commonly, at this point, your skin may start showing subtle textural improvements. 

That said, with our Enzyme-Active Retinol Serum, many of our clients do experience noticeable improvements within the first 3-10 days, especially when it comes to the brightness and evenness of their complexion. Some even notice a marked reduction in visibility of fine lines and crow’s feet. 

Reactions like irritation are pretty unusual this early on, especially if you introduce your retinol gradually. With a stronger retinoid, you may notice some peeling. 

Results with Protocol Enzyme-Active Retinol Serum

Weeks 2 to 6

The two to six-week mark is when most users start to see visible effects on skin texture. The changes are subtle and gradual, so you may not notice if you don’t have a point of comparison.

This is also the stage where you might see some temporary negative effects, depending on the type of retinol you’re using. For example, it’s common to have skin peeling or irritation with prescription retinoids. Your skin may also start “purging,” a type of temporary breakout that occurs when retinol starts clearing away impurities in the skin. This is usually different from normal breakouts and shouldn’t last long. 

Months 2 to 4

This is the point when retinol’s clarifying and wrinkle-fading effects get dramatic. Your skin should be looking incredibly good, and you may not even notice if you’ve gotten used to this gradual change! 

The epidermis renews itself every one to two months, so by using retinol for a few months you give it enough time to impact the skin profoundly. Plus, if you ever had any irritation, it’ll be over and done with by now. 

Your skin texture should be significantly smoother, breakouts will be under control, and if you have fine lines and surface wrinkles, they will likely appear very faded. 

Blemishes, scarring, and dark marks will also appear to fade or be less prominent.

Results with Protocol Enzyme-Active Retinol Serum

6 months to 1 year

After half a year using retinol, you’ll probably finish with your “newbie gains.” While retinol never stops being beneficial to the skin, this is the point when it has done its job to the fullest, and you’ll have some truly astounding before and after pictures. 

Your skin should look more luminous, smoother, and clearer. Some of your wrinkles will seem to disappear completely while others will appear significantly softer. You’ll probably also notice a positive impact on more persistent skin concerns, like breakouts and dark marks. 

A retinoid that works even faster

Our Enzyme-Active Retinol Serum is made with retinal, retinol’s stronger, more effective, yet incredibly gentle cousin. Our customers see dramatic visible improvements within just two months of consistent use! 

In general, their retinal results usually break down like this: 

Read the full blog post here