Why is retinol good for wrinkles?Updated a year ago
Retinol is the best skincare ingredient for reducing and preventing wrinkles. It counters the factors that lead to skin aging directly, by improving cell proliferation and stimulating the production of new collagen, which is the “backbone” of the skin and responsible for its firmness. In this way, retinoids can very literally “fill in” wrinkles. That said, choosing an effective retinoid for the job is key!
Types of retinoids for wrinkles
Retinol’s anti-aging effects are well-documented and backed by a lot of research, although the level of results varies depending on the kind of retinoid that’s being used. Here is an explanation of the main retinoids used to care for the skin. Check out our guide to types of retinoids for a more in-depth understanding of their effects.
Strong but irritating: retinoic acid
Retinoic acid is the most powerful of the retinoids. It impacts the skin directly, working to improve cell differentiation. This leads to better cell behavior and improved formation of collagen.
However, retinoic acid is also known to cause irritation, peeling, and flaky skin. Since inflammation is a marker of skin aging, any irritation caused by tretinoin can be counter-productive to the goal of reducing wrinkles.
In most countries, retinoic acid is only available by prescription, and it’s very important that you speak to your doctor before starting to use it.
Balanced renewal: retinal/retinaldehyde
Retinaldehyde (which we’ll shorten to retinal from here on out) is the next step down from retinoic acid. It’s the most potent retinoid that’s available as a cosmetic rather than as medication.
Once applied to the skin, retinal converts into retinoic acids so it’s able to influence the skin in a similar manner. Research shows that it performs just as well as retinoic acid and much better than retinol when it comes to wrinkles.
Retinal is heavily underused in skincare because it’s very quick to degrade once exposed to oxygen and light. This makes formulating with it a difficult process and leads to a lot of retinal products that simply cannot be effective. To solve the issue, we developed a clinical-grade, totally airless, and UV-proof bottle based on technology originally designed for the aerospace industry. This way, we’re able to keep our retinal-based Enzyme-Active Retinol Serum fresh and active at all times.
Gentle and mild: retinol
Next, we have retinol, which is much more common than retinal. Once applied to the skin, retinol undergoes two conversions. First, it oxidizes to become retinaldehyde, and then that retinaldehyde oxidizes to become retinoic acid. This two-step conversion process leads to retinol being about 20 times less potent than retinoic acid, so while it can help with wrinkles, it’s not as effective as retinal or retinoic acid.
Largely ineffective: retinyl esters
These are the weakest retinoids which also happen to have the least amount of data to back them up. You’ll see them in ingredient lists as retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate, retinyl propionate, and similar names. They’re used in skincare because they’re stable, easy to formulate, and not likely to cause any irritation. Unfortunately, they’re also not particularly likely to help with wrinkles or other skin concerns.