But first, here's what retinol does in a nutshell
- Stimulates the skin's collagen and elastin production
- Improves the skin's structure, which can rejuvenate the skin's appearance
- Dampens and regulates the skin's sebum production, which makes the skin less oily
- Counteracts clogged pores and has a preventive and therapeutic effect on acne
- Reduces and prevents pigment changes by increasing cell renewal
1. What is retinol?
The collective name for vitamin A in skin care and pharmaceuticals is retinoids. Tretinoin is the strongest and most effective, followed by retinol, retinal and various types of retinyl esters. However, only retinol, retinal and retinyl esters may be used in cosmetic products.
The retinyl esters, i.e. anything that starts with retinyl in the ingredient list, are by far the most widely used retinoids. The reason is that they are the most stable and best suited for traditional skin care* because they do not degrade, i.e. lose effectiveness, as easily at room temperature. However, they are the least effective retinoids because they are twice as large in molecular weight compared to pure vitamin A, i.e. what is called retinol, and therefore do not penetrate the skin in the same way.
*Traditional skincare is what we call skincare with a long shelf life that can be stored at room temperature due to various additives that are there for the product and not for the good of the skin.
2. Why use retinol?
Retinoids are often used in skin care and pharmaceuticals because they are effective against signs of aging, acne, psoriasis and other skin conditions. The strength of just what is called retinol is that its molecules are so small that they are able to penetrate the skin and reach our middle skin layer, the dermis, where it stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. This improves and evens out the skin texture and therefore results in smoother skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles.
