Where did the skin-thinning myth about Retinol come from?Updated a year ago
We think that the misconception that retinol thins the skin comes from a misunderstanding of skin terminology.
There is one layer of the skin that retinoids thin out - the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the epidermis, and it’s made up of skin cells that have reached the end of their lifecycle.
Having a thicker stratum corneum is often a sign that the skin isn’t doing a good job shedding dead skin cells, and it leads to skin texture and prominent wrinkles. One of retinol’s effects is to make the stratum corneum more compact, which results in smoother skin, diminished texture, and softened wrinkles.
Initially, retinoids often induce skin peeling or flaking, as the surface of the skin struggles to deal with the regeneration of skin cells in the lower layers. This might also be part of the misconception - if your skin is shedding, maybe it's getting thinner. Well, as we’re happy to report, that’s not the case.