The Beginners Guide to Retinol

Vitamin A, often referred to as Retinol, is the powerhouse ingredient responsible for brightening, managing signs of ageing, fighting acne and firming the skin.

Retinol works by triggering the body’s natural cell turnover and collagen response which depletes as we age. An increase in cell turnover means the lightening of scars and pigmentation, a faster healing response to inflammation like acne and a dramatic reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
This is why Vitamin A needs to be part of every beauty junkie’s skin plan.

Available in a myriad of different strengths, retinol can be used safely in small concentrations within cosmetic products but ranges up to prescription topical and internal medication for treating chronic concerns like acne.

Due to its effective but potent nature, it’s imperative that retinol is introduced with a low and slow approach.
That’s right, using Vitamin A to its best and most transformative potential requires a marathon and not a sprint approach. So, when starting fresh with this ingredient, you must not only start slow, but start incrementally.

Twice a week, to three times a week and only increasing frequency when you know your skin is tolerating it.
How to know if you’ve overdone it? Redness, irritation, dermatitis.
While adjusting to retinol will usually result in a little flakiness, you’ll understand when you’ve gone too far.
When you’ve overdone it, take a break from all vitamins and acids until your skin can tolerate them again.
Have a look at Nourishing products here to sub in.

When it comes to the product itself, a smaller concentration of Vitamin A is absolutely a must if you’re a beginner. Most potencies within cosmetic brand products are small enough t begin with, but when it comes to the cosmeceutical names ensure you’re kicking off with the intro level (most brands offer a few different concentrations).

Lucky for you we’ve curated the below edit full of products perfect for a first-time retinol user! When you’re through with the bottle, consider graduating to a stronger one!