Retinoids and Retinol are two of the few skin care ingredients that are proven to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles, even-out skin tone, stimulate collagen growth, and they even help with acne. Retinoids are only found in prescription products, while you can find Retinol in all sorts of over-the-counter products. Retinoids are more powerful, however you can find some strong, effective Retinol products, which I’ll show you how to do. By the way, make sure you wear sunscreen every day when you use products with Retinol, since they make your skin more sun-sensitive!
How I pick a Retinol product
I have a prescription for Differin, a Retinoid, but since I don’t have good prescription coverage, I like to sometimes use over-the-counter Retinol products to save money. Retinol is also good for people that don’t want to bother going to a Dermatologist to get a prescription cream.
- I look for a Retinol product that lists its percentage of Retinol. It’s impossible to know how much Retinol is in a product, unless the product tells you, and few do this! You can look at a product’s list of ingredients, and the closer Retinol is listed to the beginning of the list, the more that is in there. I personally don’t want to waste my money by “guessing” how effective the product will be, though.
- Proper product packaging is a must. To stay potent, Retinol must be kept away from air and sunlight. This means it’s going to lose effectiveness if it’s in a jar, or see-through container. Tons of Retinol creams come in jars! You want a product that comes in a non-transparent tube or pump bottle.
- If you’re acne-prone, make sure the Retinol product doesn’t contain pore-clogging ingredients. And from this same link, you will find ingredients to stay away from that irritate your skin (like alcohol denat.).
- I check the Product Reviews on MakeupAlley.com and look up each product I’m interested in, and read user reviews. Keep in mind that every product will have some bad reviews, but you know you’re onto something good when it receives almost all favorable reviews. If more than one product sound good, I go with the cheaper one and try that first. Less popular products may not be listed on the site though:(
- I would start with a product with at least .15% Retinol, and work my way up to higher concentrations, if my skin can handle it. Follow the product instructions for proper use.
Retinol products that meet my criteria
I find it easy to pick a Retinol product, because there are so few that meet my criteria! There are a ton of Retinol products that might possibly have large concentrations of Retinol (RoC, Avon, and Philosophy all sell Retinol products but don’t list percentages, so there’s no way to know if their products are good, or a waste of money).
Txsystems Afirm 3X
This is what I currently use. The 3x version comes with .6% Retinol, and you can get the product in .3% or .15% versions. The lower concentration versions are good if you have sensitive skin, or if you are new to using Retinol. Sometimes you may initially peel a bit, and you will need to work your way up to the stronger formulas. Of the products I am listing, this is the only one I’ve personally tried.
SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0
At 1% Retinol, this is the highest concentration of Retinol that I’ve seen in a product! I haven’t tried this product, and would want to, however it contains some ingredients that could clog pores. If you don’t have acne-prone skin like me, you have nothing to worry about, but if you do have acne, I’d skip this. This also comes in a lower strength .5% version.
Neova Retinol ME 0.30%
This also has pore-clogging ingredients, but it would be fine if you aren’t acne-prone. It also comes in a .15% version.
La Roche-Posay BioMedic Retinol 60
Yet another Retinol product that contains pore-clogging ingredients. Again, if you aren’t acne-prone, it should be fine. Like the Afirm, this comes in .6%, .3% and .15% strengths.
Replenix Retinol Smoothing Serum 5x
Ooh this one looks fine for acne-prone skin, and it comes in a 1%, .5%, .3% or .2% version.
Most of these products range from $30-60. Depending on your insurance, you might be better off getting a prescription for Differin, Renova, or Retin-A if you don’t mind seeing a Dermatologist. If you know of a good Retinol product I missed, let me know! I want to know about ones that list their Retinol percentages, and come in proper packaging. It would be especially nice to find a drugstore product to recommend!
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February 29th, 2008 at 3:06 am
what do you think of avene eluage creme and gel? It is retinol product, what do you think of it?
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Lovy,
I looked up its ingredients, and it doesn’t appear to have a lot of retinol in it, and it doesn’t say how much is in it, so I assume it’s not a lot. So I personally wouldn’t use it.
ingredients:
Water (aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Squalane, Triethylhexanoin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG 100 Stearate, PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Acryates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, BHT, Butylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Red 33 (CI 17200), Retinal, Sodium Hyluronate, Triethanolamine
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Do you use a moisturizer over the TX Afirm? If so, what moisturizer would you recommend for night time use that contains anti-aging ingredients maybe like peptides and stuff. Also, any great day time antioxidant/sunscreen you would recommend?
Thanks…
April 1st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Jrzygrl,
Over TX Afirm I generally use a moisturizer that doesn’t have any active ingredients, because I don’t want anything to counteract the retinol. I use Nivea Creme, or Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion. If you don’t have dry skin, then you might not need a moisturizer. With peptides, I like Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Cream. I use this by itself at night, or in the morning.
http://www.savvyskin.com/the-best-sunscreen-and-sunblock is my post on my favorite sunscreen. For antioxidants, I like Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Is the Txsystems Afirm 3X okay for acne prone skin? And also I can’t find the link to the Replenix Retinol Smoothing Serum 3x, it doesn’t seem to work. Thanks for your great advice. Also what do you think of Neutrogena Anti-wrinkle cream (orginal), Paula recommends it?
April 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Hi, What do you think of green cream? http://www.greencream.com/index.asp
April 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Is there an eye cream you would recommend? I would like to find one with retinol for nightime use but I don’t know where to begin. There seem to be so many out there claiming this and that but I trust your feedback so I’m seeking your opinion and advice first. Thanks again for all your input.
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
Jrzygrl,
I don’t really use eye creams, so there’s not a specific one I would recommend. I use the retinol/retinoid products I recommend in this post. Then I wait a few minutes, and apply a regular face moisturizer over it. So, for example, I would use the Tx Systems around my eyes, then wait a few minutes, and apply a moisturizer like Clinique Moisture On-line, or Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask. And I sort of pat on the moisturizer, so that it doesn’t rub off the retinol product.
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:40 am
Andrea,
Green Cream looks like it would be a great product. I remember seeing it when I was researching this post, and I think I didn’t mention it because it didn’t list the percentage of retinol in the products. However, their Level 9 says it’s one of the strongest retinols on the market, so I’m sure its percentage is high. Also, I just gave a quick glance at the ingredients, and they don’t appear to be pore-clogging. And the price isn’t too outrageous, so this is definitely a product I’d try. I would just double-check the ingredients to confirm they aren’t pore-clogging.
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 am
Ange,
I updated the link for Replenix, so it works now. Also, I discovered they also make a 1% and .5% version. I don’t believe TX Systems Afirm is bad for acne-prone skin. I’ve been using it for a few years, and it doesn’t appear to have any pore-clogging ingredients.
I haven’t tried Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle Cream, but I have seen that Paula Begoun likes it. Since it doesn’t list the percentage of retinol, I would prefer to use another product that does reveal its retinol strength.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Hi Jeni,
I wanted to first say thank you for creating your website. It’s so informative. Also thank you for sharing your ideas/advice and products with us other ladies who are trying to “age gracefully”. I couldn’t find on your website if you touched upon the topic of antioxidants. I was thinking to incorporate a Vitamin C serum into my morning routine and I was wondering if you knew of any you would recommend. I did find a Vitamin C serum by Cellular Skin Rx that looked pretty good however I was hoping you could share your thoughts on their products. Their site is http://www.cellularskinrx.com. When I asked for their feedback as to how potent their product remains since it’s in a dropper format this is what they shared with me:
Thank you for your inquiry. Our best-selling C+ Firming serum is a stable, 12% concentration of L-ascorbic acid suspended in a glycol solution with a 3.0-3.5 pH, packaged in a dark, amber glass bottle to protect the formula from exposure to UV light. There is no water in the formula. Water has a far greater impact on stability than does the low surface area exposure to oxygen in the air when our dropper bottle is opened/closed on a normal basis. Check alternative C serums for the inclusion of water in the list of ingredients. If it is present, you can be assured that the formula will “turn” within about 3 weeks of opening.
Our C+ Firming serum has been tested for shelf/usage life at our FDA-approved manufacturing facility. At six months of normal usage, the formula will begin to degrade and becomes ineffective completely by the 12th month. It’s sealed shelf life is three years. However, one bottle of C+ Firming serum generally lasts about 12 weeks so it will be completely effective to the last drop.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Thanks so much!! : )
July 16th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Hi Jeni!
Thank you so much for your very informative website. I have been researching skin care products on the internet, and got completely confused and about to give up! Then, I found your website! I have, for the past couple of years been using these skin care products: Biomedic purifying cleanser (morning and night), Biomedic Potent-C 10.5 (morning) , Anthelios SX (morning), Biomedic Retinol Cream Normal Prep 15 (night). I have noticed lately that my skin just doesn’t have the same look and soft feeling that it had when I first started using these products. I think that skin gets used to products, and they aren’t as effective as when you for start using them. Before using Biomedics, I was using MD Forte III. So my skin is used to Retinol, and doesn’t get irritated. Based on what I am currently using, can you give me recommendations for new products to try. I am especially interested in a vitamin C product because I think that it really helps, and also a retinol product. I would also like to try a new cleanser and moisturizer. And how and when I would use the new products.
I have also seen on-line pharmacies where you can purchase Differin (a generic form) and Renova, without a prescription. I don’t know about sizes of the tubes, so I don’t know if the prices are good. I have also seen both products in a cream form and gel. What do you think ?
I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you so much for your help!!
Mary Elizabeth
February 9th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
There is one over-the-counter product that include proven effective retinol and that is Roc. I’ve been using it for 3 months now, my skin is 80% smoother and more even tone. I don’t have anymore blackheads and whiteheads like I used to. By the way the reason why I know it contain high percentage of retinol is because like you mentioned. It’s the fourth ingredient on the list. It’s also packaged in a solid tube and it’s only $24.99.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
How do you go about getting a perscription for Retinol ..through a doctor? or dermatoligist? As for over the counter products, how do you find those also?
thanks
May 27th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I want to order the Afirm 3x lotion. but noticed one of the first ingredients is caprylic triglyceride. On your list its says to avoid caprylic acid. Is this the same ingredient? Thanks!