How to start using retinol on your face and the best products for every skin type

The initial adjustment to retinol can be tricky but here are five great tips for building tolerance

Stars like Nicole Kidman enjoy retinol's skin-smoothing benefits. Picture: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Retinol improves all skin types — and smooth-faced celebrities like Nicole Kidman and Paris Hilton sing its praises. It is one of the most studied skincare ingredients, with more than 50 years of peer-reviewed research showing its short and long-term benefits.

Why doesn’t everyone use it? Well, the initial adjustment can be tricky. Until recently I found my skin shed when I used formulas of 0.5% retinol or higher and I just didn’t want to deal with the peeling. Lockdown gave me ample time to build my tolerance.

Irish entrepreneur Jennifer Rock — of Skingredients and The Skin Nerd fame — told me that clients come to her with a range of retinol concerns, including uncertainty over their skin’s tolerance for the ingredient and alarm or disappointment at an initial reaction to a retinol product. 

She also sees cases of product overload, in which clients’ retinol products are undermined by a range of other treatments that may work well alone but cause irritation in concert. While I think retinol’s benefits are well worth my adjustment time, there are some easy ways to get started with the ingredient that can help you minimise shedding.

Start small

Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream, €83 at arnotts.ie

Targeting a small area like your under-eyes can help you gain confidence. “Retinol is one of the most important anti-aging ingredients. There are so many benefits it stimulates collagen, aids in wrinkle reduction, removes environmental damage, reduces scaring, helps skin texture… it does it all!” says celebrity aesthetician, Kate Somerville, who recommends that her clients use retinol 2-3 times a week from their 20s onwards. 

The serum-like Kate Somerville +Retinol Firming Eye Cream, €83 at arnotts.ie has a massage applicator and includes pure retinol, retinol-alternative bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid, aloe and Vitamin E.

Start gently

Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Booster, €46 at skincity.com

“The amount of retinol your skin needs depends on your skin type and concerns as well as your skin’s tolerance for it,” says Paula Begoun, founder of Paula’s Choice Skincare. You can work out your skin’s tolerance by experimenting with different strengths and frequency of usage and seeing how your skin responds.

“As a rule, the concentration of retinol depends on if you’re wanting to maintain the health of your skin or if you have advanced skin concerns you want to treat. The lower concentrations of retinol are best for maintenance and minor skincare concerns. Higher concentrations (up to 1%) are best for those with noticeable signs of sun damage or breakouts.” 

Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Booster, €46 at skincity.com, also includes a range of soothing agents and antioxidants to enhance retinol’s results.

Start simply

Experimenting with retinol can get expensive, but The Inkey List’s ‘have a go’ prices let you try a variety of ingredients without breaking the bank. Their simple formulas also help you avoid overloading skin with active ingredients. 

For example, The Inkey List Retinol Face Serum, €11.99 at mccauley.ie, blends 1% stable retinol and 0.5% granactive retinoid (slightly stronger than retinol), with squalane for hydration and soothing. The slow-release formula minimises irritation.

Start with moisturiser

Kiehl’s Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum 50ml, €68.50, at arnotts.ie and brownthomas.com

Dryness is the retinol drawback that everyone asks about but did you know that a formula that combines the super-ingredient with alcohol can dehydrate it further? Alcohol or denatured alcohol is used to make retinol products feel lighter and absorb more quickly. 

The added dehydration just isn’t worth these textural benefits in my view. Applying a fragrance-free moisturiser or even just some vaseline before you use your fragrance-free retinol can reduce the trans-epidermal moisture loss that happens overnight. If you have a particularly low tolerance for pure retinol generally, I recommend a new launch from an old favourite.

Kiehl’s Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum 50ml, €68.50, at arnotts.ie and brownthomas.com, is fragrance- and alcohol-free. There is quite a low concentration of retinol in the bottle, so it may take some time before you see any retinol-specific benefits from it. 

The formula also contains niacinamide, ceramides, and a peptide in the formula to help fortify the skin’s moisture barrier and increase skin’s tolerance from the first use.

Start at night

However you use it, retinol is most effective applied at night on cleansed and dried skin. UV rays interfere with the process. The ingredient often leaves skin mildly sensitised and it is vital to follow up with broad-spectrum SPF30 or higher the next day.