What Does Retinol Do: Everything You Need To Know

Here at Absolute Collagen, we want to help you achieve lovely, glowing skin. That’s why we’re going to talk you through a skin care vitamin that’s making a splash on social media – retinol!

And while retinol can be good for your skin, there is a slightly higher risk of irritation than with other similar serums, such as bakuchiol and hyaluronic acid. So, to help you use it safely, we’re here to walk you through everything you need to know about retinol. 

From what retinol is good for to how long retinol takes to work, we’ve got the lowdown on this little vitamin, below.

What is retinol?

Before we get into what retinol is good for and what retinol does to your skin, let’s first explore what retinol actually is. 

Essentially, retinol is a form of vitamin A, which is a very popular skincare ingredient. From tablets to creams and serums, you can get retinol over the counter in both digestible and topical form, but a serum is the most popular.  

And these retinol serums come in varying strengths, typically from 0.01% all the way up to 3%. While that may sound small, a little goes an awfully long way with this serum. In fact, higher retinol strengths carry more risk of skin irritation, so be sure to patch test before use!

The lowest percentage of retinol should be enough for most skin issues, though you can get the higher, more concentrated, retinoid form if required. However, these can only be prescribed from a medical professional and are typically used to help treat more severe cases of skin conditions like acne and eczema. 

What is retinol good for?

With the basics covered, you might now be wondering what retinol is good for. Well, let’s take a quick look. 

Similar to our lovely collagen supplements, retinol is used for a range of age-related cosmetic concerns, such as fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin texture. However, retinol can also be used to aid oily skin, as it helps keep your pores unclogged. 

And if you’re worried about dark spots on your skin, as a natural exfoliant, retinol can help reduce the appearance of dark spots and pigmentation. As a result, this aids skin brightness, and helps improve the appearance of skin evenness.

What does retinol do to your skin?

So, retinol might have some handy benefits for your skin, but what is it actually doing to your skin? 

Well, first, it helps increase skin cell production (proliferation). This process is where the skin renews and replaces lost and dead skin cells with new ones. While your skin naturally does this itself every month or so, using retinol can help speed this up. 

And retinol can also help increase the production of that nifty collagen we love so much - it does this by stimulating the fibroblasts that synthesise collagen. These fibroblasts are useful for collagen production as they contain specific receptors – integrins – that are key to the formation of connective tissue. 

Heard of those pesky free radicals? Well, retinol can help neutralise them. Damaging to skin, free radicals break down our skin’s collagen, leading to wrinkles and fine lines. However, avoiding them is extremely difficult as, due to pollution and smoke, they are found in the air. So, looking to neutralise them with retinol can minimise their impact.

How do I use retinol?

As we touched on before, retinol can cause further skin irritation if applied incorrectly. So, before you go rushing to your nearest beauty store, we want to show you how to safely use retinol. 

First and foremost, always do a patch test of any new product before fully incorporating it into your skin care routine. And if you have particularly sensitive skin, it can be beneficial to speak to a dermatologist before you use retinol. 

When it comes to safely applying retinol, we recommend you take a pea sized amount, and gently apply a thin layer across your face. If you’re new to this vitamin, we recommend using retinol every other night to help avoid any irritation, gradually building up to every night over a 4-week period. 

And in terms of your skin care routine, you should use retinol right after cleansing. It’s typically best to wait five minutes before you apply the rest of your skin care products, as you’ll want time for the retinol to sink into your skin.

When is it best to use retinol?

Now, as retinol does carry a higher risk of irritation than other serums, it’s best to use retinol only at certain times.

As such, retinol should only be used as part of your night time skin care routine, alongside a night cream, for example. That’s because retinol reacts to UV rays from sunlight, causing them to break down, and making them less effective. Not what we’re looking for!

What’s more, retinol increases your skin’s sensitivity to those UV rays as well. And while many of us love a bit of a summer tan, UV rays are harmful for skin. They can cause sunburn, dryness, and increase the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. So be sure to always apply SPF alongside any retinol serums!

Does Absolute Collagen contain retinol?

Here at Absolute Collagen, we want to help our lovely Absoluters achieve their dream skin. And, after reading this article, you might be wondering whether our collagen-boosting skincare range contains retinol too. 

Well, our products actually do not contain retinol. Instead, we use bakuchiol in our vegan facial collagen serum – a plant-based, more skin-friendly alternative to retinol. This means you can enjoy all the same benefits, without worrying about irritating your skin!

In fact, bakuchiol is such a gentle ingredient that it can be used with your day cream and night cream, depending on when you prefer to do your skin care routine. If you want to find out more about this ingredient, head over to our helpful article on bakuchiol. 

And that’s all – everything you need to know about retinol in one handy guide! Want to know more about other ways you can help improve your skin? From what vitamins are good for skincare to the right foods to eat, head over to our blog.