The Best Starter Retinoid If You're Over 35
The world of retinoids can be confusing. Do you want to use one? Probably. Should you? Absolutely. Let’s dive in.
What ARE RETINOIDS?
‘Retinoids’ is the umbrella term for all of the derivatives of vitamin A, aka retinoic acid.
WHY MIGHT I WANT TO USE A RETINOID?
In short, because vitamin A signals to our skin to speed up cell turnover. As we get older, our skin’s own unprompted ability to freshen up slows down. When we have old cells just hanging around, less-than-thrilling features like pigmentation, lines and dullness are exacerbated. Retinoids are a bit like a team of sharp-suited management consultants, sent in to whip everything into shape. The adage ‘out with the old, in with the new’ is perhaps not best applied to things like long term relationships or cherished family heirlooms, but is only ever an excellent thing when it comes to skin.
WHICH TYPE DO I WANT?
If you want a detailed rundown of all of the different types of retinoids, the indispensable site beloved by derms everywhere, INCIDecoder, has a brilliant ‘retinoid family tree’ that I highly recommend.
Here's a relatively simple way to think about which retinoid might work best for you. Your skin has to jump through a certain number of hoops to turn each retinoid into what it can work with – pure vitamin A, aka retinoic acid. If you’re using actual retinoic acid, which comes in the form of prescription-only tretinoin, then your skin doesn’t have to make any conversions at all, because you’re already applying it in its most potent form. It therefore also has the potential to be the most irritating to the skin.
One step down from retinoic acid, retinal, means the skin has to make one conversion step to use the vitamin A it contains. So retinal is one step down in potency, and also one step down in likelihood to irritate.
If we go two steps down, to retinol, your skin has to make two conversion steps to get to the good stuff, meaning we are now two steps down in potency, but also two steps down in likelihood to irritate.
If we go three steps down, to retinol esters, the science gets murkier as to whether we have gone too far away to actually be effective.
There’s an exciting, relatively new kid on the block, though: hydroxypinacolone retinoate, aka granactive retinoid. It is also an ester, meaning it is gentler, and less likely to irritate. However, rather than being an ester of retinol, and therefore three steps removed from the star of the show, retinoic acid, it is an ester of retinoic acid, so is only one step removed. There’s been less research done on this one so far, because it has only been discovered and widely used relatively recently, but it is believed to have the potential to be quite powerful, without causing much irritation. A retinoid unicorn, if you will.
WHAT ABOUT PERCENTAGES?
Once you’ve got your different types of retinoids under your belt, then the whole separate questions of percentages comes into play. When retinoids became super fashionable a few years ago, beauty people on the interwebs got very into doing complicated maths to compare products. Now, thankfully, that approach seems to have died off. For instance, you might wonder which is stronger - retinoic acid (prescription tretinoin) at 0.05%, or a retinol from a beauty retailer at 0.5%. The retinol may appear in its formula at 10x the concentration of the retinoic acid, but the retinoic acid is inherently so much more powerful (remember, the skin requires no conversions at all to use that one) that it still blows the retinol out of the water. If you want to go down the rabbit hole of comparing different retinals, retinols and esters at different percentages to work out some sort of Super Universal Definitive List of Relative Retinoid Strength, knock yourself out. Though do be aware that focusing solely on a product’s percentage is a sure-fire way to get seriously confused, and thankfully, it isn’t necessary in order to get the excellent benefits retinoids can provide. Remember, too, as with all skincare, that stronger is most definitely not always better.
At this point, it might feel like it’s time to pack the whole thing in entirely and either book yourself a facelift, or head off to get your PhD in cosmetic chemistry. I sympathise, but also suggest that you not throw the baby out with the scalpel-or-thesis bathwater just yet.
You really just need to start gently, and if you like the results you are getting but want more, you can dial it up. Equally, if you like the results you are getting and don’t need more, just keep going (if it ain’t broke…). There’s no point pushing your skin into a state of discomfort.
OK, OK, WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION. JUST TELL ME WHERE TO START!
Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil is my go-to recommendation when anyone over 35 asks where they should start with a retinoid. Why over 35 and not younger? Purely because it’s in an oil base. Based on my own experience (one whole personal experience! I know, it’s basically Clinical Trial Land over here), for many people, acne and regular breakouts have stopped by this age, so oil stops being a scary ingredient to add more of to your face. In fact, oil makes older skin look positively gorgeous, even when it doesn’t contain a retinoid. It adds glow and bounce, two elements that older skin has started to pack it in on.
Other than for its oil texture, why do I enjoy Luna so? For a start, it was one of the first products to feature Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate aka granactive retinoid. That’s the new-ish unicorn retinoid I mentioned earlier, that promises good results without too much irritation. My skin is both sensitive and often sensitised (I have rosacea and a history of adult acne, plus am always testing too many products) and it has never once caused any adverse reactions on my face.
On my neck, though, was a different story. Don’t let a retinoid-ester-in-oil fool you into thinking it is entirely gentle! I found during winter that wearing scarves or high necked wool jumpers during the day and applying Luna at night wasn’t a happy combination for me. It caused some irritation on the relatively delicate, thin neck skin (what an attractive, vulture-like image), so I just dropped my usage back to every second or third night and it settled down. To me, this isn’t in any way a negative. It’s just a reminder not to ever be gung-ho with retinoids, and to pay attention to seasonal changes that may impact how any product works for you. Regular use of Luna has made a noticeable difference to the glow, tone, and texture of my face, neck and decolletage, so much so that I have replaced it more than once.
Two practical things to be aware of: one a pro and one a con. Starting with the happier of the two – because it’s an oil, I find it a one-and-done night time product. There’s no need to add moisturiser on top, even if your skin is dry. If you’re like me, and often enjoy a multi-step routine, it can absolutely be a part of one. However, it’s kind of nice knowing you don’t have to add other steps at night time unless you want to, and that simply by cleansing and then applying a few drops of this, you will still be repairing and protecting your skin.
The downside? It is bright blue (should you be wondering, this is owing to good old-fashioned dye, not the blue tansy on the ingredients list), and, after weeks of adding it to my ‘neck and dec’, I noticed it had also dyed the collars of my pyjama tops blue. So, if you’re applying it below the face and wear classic button-down jammies, take care to rub it in thoroughly, and then ideally wait a few minutes before dressing. Niche advice, I know, but then that’s always my favourite kind.
Sample/purchase info: purchased multiple times, I believe first in approx 2016 from Cult Beauty. Now available in Australia at Mecca.
By the way, if you’re not yet sure if you want to go straight into the full size 35ml bottle, Sunday Riley does fantastic sampler packs that offer a decent saving and give you plenty of product to try, not just annoying little gift with purchase sizes you barely get a week out of. The Power Couple pack contains a 15ml bottle of Luna and a 15ml bottle of my beloved Good Genes. Based on my extremely expert dollars-per-millilitre maths, getting the pack saves you about $25, and you get to try two fab products.
