What is retinol?

Retinol is a form of vitamin A that is commonly formulated in serums and creams. As a skincare ingredient, retinol is available in a range of concentrations from 0.1% to 1.0%. The strongest available over-the-counter retinol is 1.0%, though higher concentrations are available as prescription retinoids. Tolerance levels to retinol will differ based on your skin type and your experience with the ingredient.

So, what is retinol used for? Retinol is widely used as an anti-aging ingredient for a range of skin types, but it can be equally effective at targeting blemish-prone skin.

What does retinol do to skin?

When applied topically, retinol can help stimulate skin cell turnover, which can be highly beneficial for a range of skin types and concerns. However, retinol is a very potent ingredient, so there are a few things to note before you apply retinol in your skincare routine:

• Retinol increases photosensitivity, which can make you more prone to sun damage. As a result, retinol should only be applied at night – and daily SPF is recommended.
• Initial dryness and redness is common with retinol use, so it’s important to keep the skin hydrated with a nourishing moisturiser like Rénergie H.P.N 300-Peptide Cream.
• If you have sensitive skin, retinol may be too harsh for your skin type. We suggest introducing this ingredient gradually and examining how your skin behaves.

What is retinol good for? 5 key benefits

Now that you have a better understanding of what retinol does, let’s unpack some of the benefits of this star ingredient. Retinol:

• Synthesises collagen
• Helps reduce visible fine lines and wrinkles
• Manages blemish-prone skin
• Brightens dull skin
• Targets dark spots and post-blemish marks

Read on as we dive into each of these retinol benefits below.

1. Stimulates collagen production

Collagen is a natural protein that gives the skin structural support, and it’s responsible for the plumpness and firmness of our skin – but we only have a finite amount of it. Lancôme Australia’s Skincare Expert Brittany Hanchard explains:

“Our bodies naturally produce collagen, but this production begins to slow in our twenties as we age. Skin stressors like sun exposure, emotional stress, smoking, poor diet, and genetics can also impact our collagen production. This is where retinol can prove quite effective to help re-plump the skin.”

Retinol benefits mature and aging skin by stimulating collagen synthesis, which helps improve your skin’s appearance, firmness, and elasticity.

2. Diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

In terms of what retinol does for aging concerns, encouraging collagen production is just one part of the equation. Your skin cells have a natural turnover rate, where dead or old skin cells are replaced by new ones. However, the skin’s natural renewal process can be impacted by a host of factors – and notably slows with age.

Along with a boost to collagen production, retinol’s capacity to stimulate skin cell turnover is highly beneficially for targeting visible fine lines and wrinkles. When retinol gives your skin cell turnover a gentle nudge, it can promote visibly younger-looking skin by softening fine lines.

3. Reduces breakouts

One of the sources of blemish-prone skin is clogged pores, which can happen as a result of sluggish skin cell turnover and excess sebum (the skin’s natural oils).

However, retinol benefits blemish-prone skin by helping to regulate oil levels and, of course, encouraging faster skin cell turnover. This works to minimise enlarged pores, reduce blocked pores, and give you more control over current and future breakouts.

While retinol is heralded as one of the most efficacious blemish-fighting ingredients, we recommend either limiting or avoiding the use of chemical exfoliants (like salicylic acid and glycolic acid) alongside retinol. This combination often proves too harsh for the skin.

4. Brightens skin tone

Dullness is a common complaint from dry skin types and those with mature skin. It can often be attributed to dehydration, lifestyle factors, environmental aggressors like sun exposure and pollution, as well as a buildup of dead skin cells (which also causes rough texture).

Using retinol in your skincare routine may mitigate this common skin concern. When skin cell turnover rate is improved, it smooths rough patches and brightens skin tone – helping you reclaim your natural radiance.

5. Targets hyperpigmentation

While a number of aging concerns are textural – for example fine lines, loss of firmness and rough patches – visual aging concerns can be equally frustrating. Over your lifetime, repeated UV damage is responsible for a lot of skin discolouration (also known as hyperpigmentation), including dark spots.

However, you might have other hyperpigmentation concerns. For example, when you experience prolonged breakouts, the skin can interpret this as an ‘injury’. This can result in post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation – a darkening of the skin where the blemishes first appeared.

So, what does retinol do for these types of hyperpigmentation? In addition to encouraging the skin cell renewal process, retinol can also help inhibit melanin production (which causes skin discolouration). Together, this can fade the appearance of dark spots and post-blemish marks, giving you a more unified skin tone.

While there many retinol benefits, its potency can make it difficult to layer with other ingredients. Next, we explore how to use retinol and vitamin C effectively.