Retinol: everything worth knowing before you start

Retinol has more research behind it than almost anything else you can put on your face. It is also the ingredient people most often abandon, usually within two weeks, usually because they started far too strong.

What it actually does

Retinol speeds up how quickly your skin renews itself and nudges it to make more collagen. In practice that means smoother texture, fewer fine lines and fewer blocked pores over time. Time is the important word. Nothing about retinol is fast.

Why so many people give up

Because the first few weeks can be unpleasant. Flaking, redness, a stinging feeling when you put anything else on. That is your skin adjusting, not proof that it is working and not proof that it is wrong for you. But if you started on a high strength every night, the adjustment is rough enough that most people stop.

How to start so you actually keep going

Twice a week, at night, on completely dry skin. A pea sized amount for the whole face. Moisturiser on top, always. Stay there for two weeks, and if your skin is calm, go to three nights. Then four. Most people land somewhere between three and five nights a week and never need more than that.

If it stings, put your moisturiser on FIRST and the retinol on top. It works more slowly that way, which is exactly what you want while your skin learns.

What not to pair it with

Not on the same night as a strong acid exfoliant. Not on the same night as benzoyl peroxide. Both combinations mostly give you irritation without giving you more results. Alternate nights instead.

Sunscreen is not optional

Retinol makes your skin more sensitive to sun, and sun damage undoes precisely what retinol is building. Without SPF in the morning you are essentially paying to stand still.

When to expect something

Texture at around eight weeks. Fine lines somewhere between three and six months. Anything that promises you a difference in a fortnight is selling you something else.

Retinol is one of the ingredients covered in the ingredient guide, along with what it does and does not go with.