👀What is Retinal?
Retinal (also known as retinaldehyde) is a form of vitamin A and is the last conversion step in the skin before it becomes active as retinoic acid. Retinal has similar benefits to retinol but is considered more potent and can be more effective in skincare products. As more potent, it’s recommended for those who have already built tolerance to retinol and are looking for stronger effects.
- Benefits: Helps improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and address issues like acne, photodamage and pigment.
- Tolerance: While retinal is generally better tolerated than retinoic acid (prescription-strength), it can still cause some mild irritation in sensitive skin, however it often causes less irritation compared to retinol.
👀Product Recommendation(s)
- Dr. Different VITALIFT-A
- Contains stabilized Retinal (retinaldehyde) 0.05% – microsize (1/ 1,710,000 of pore size)
- Proven to improve wrinkles (9.9%), elasticity (8.6%), firmness (4.6%) & moisturization (22.4%)
- Liposome formula with extraordinary stability against light & high temperature (40°)
- Airless tube keeps its stability and contains Adenosine to provide anti-wrinkle benefit
cf. Also recommended for the Dr. Different VITALIFT-A Forte (Retinal, 0.1%) if you have retinol tolerance.
- CKD Retino Collagen Small Molecule 300 Cream
- Retinal (100 ppm, 0.01%)+ Hydrolyzed Collagen 300 Da (53%)
- Flexible Liposome™ Technology allows deep penetration
- Proven to improve firmness (50.8%), smile lines (7%), elasticity(33.6% forehead, 27.6%cheek) in 2 weeks
- Niacinamide and Adenosine provide skin-brightening and anti-wrinkle benefits
cf. This cream is for daily use and CKD Small Molecule 300 Intensive Cream is for night care, containing higher retinal (200ppm, 0.02%) to target deep wrinkles such as neck wrinkles
Using retinol in an eye cream can be beneficial for addressing fine lines & wrinkles around the eye area, however, it’s crucial to be cautious when using retinol near the delicate skin of the eyes as more sensitive and prone to irritation. Here are some considerations for retinol containing eye product:
- Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Cream Ginseng + Retinal (Daily)
- Contains 0.02% of retinal, stabilized in liposome form
- Ginseng Root Extract (10%) helps promote moisture supply with antioxidant benefit
- Niacinamide and Adenosine provide skin-brightening and anti-wrinkle benefits
- Eye irritation test & Sensitive skin irritation test completed
- Eyelenol R Retinal Eye Cream (Night)
- Contains stabilized Retinal (0.05% ) in a liposome form
- Niacinamide and Adenosine provide skin-brightening and anti-wrinkle benefits
- Proven to improve under eye wrinkles(19.33%), dark spots (6.03%) in 4 weeks
👀 Conclusion
Retinal products also come in different strengths and formulations, and often found in higher-end skincare products (cf.retinal costs more than 10 times as much as retinol) or in prescription-strength formulations. It offers faster and more noticeable results compared to retinol, but less irritating skin because the metabolism of retinal to retinoic acid occurs only by skin cells as they are differentiating, and mostly encapsulated, bringing the irritation potential down.
When choosing a retinal product, also consider your skin type, tolerance, and the formulation. Making hard choices, check the reputable brand product or consult with a dermatologist who can provide personalized guidance based on your skin’s needs and sensitivity.
Through these blog posts about Retinol/Retinal, I hope you guys have some ideas about ‘Retinoid Cosmetics’, especially Retinol and Retinal, and my recommendations have helped to give a direction for your skincare routine.
Thanks for reading~
(*Some article (underlined sentence) and product description quoted form Google (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6791161/) and each product’s official site.)
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