A formula with retinol, like the L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Eye Treatment, should be applied after your serums and before moisturizer due to its consistency.
On cleansed skin, gently apply the Night Cream to the skin around your eye paying special attention to the under eye area and those areas where there are lines or wrinkles. For instant hydration that lasts for up to 24 hours, follow up by applying Regenerist Night Cream all over your face.
Step 1: Wash your face and apply eye cream. An eye cream will help protect the delicate skin around your eyes. Step 2: Wait a few minutes until your skin is completely dry. This is important, because if your skin is at all damp, the retinol will be able to absorb more deeply into your skin and might cause irritation.
If you're already using retinol or dermatologist-grade retinoids as part of your daily skincare routine, “there's really no reason to use an additional retinol eye cream,” says Dr. Krishna.
Quick Tips for Incorporating Retinol into Your Beauty Routine. Mix your retinol with your moisturizer, or apply your moisturizer first and then your retinol. Always use sunscreen the morning after you apply retinol. Your skin will be especially sensitive to sunlight, so it's important to protect it.
If it's a non-prescription retinol, apply it according to what type of product it is—a retinol moisturizer will act as the moisturizer step of your routine, while a retinol serum will act as the serum step.
After applying retinol to your skin (while it's dry) allow it to sit for 10-20 minutes. Mist your face with water or a facial spray, and then apply your hyaluronic acid. (HA serums are most effective when they're applied to damp skin.) Finally, follow your HA serum with a moisturizer right away.
Dab a very small amount of retinol serum on your ring finger. Gently dot the serum around the eyes, in the eye bag area and crow's feet corners. Work your way from the inner corners of the eyes to the outer corners with a gentle dotting motion. Wait a minute or two for the skin to absorb the serum.
Use Retinol Only at Night and Wear SPF Every Day
"Retinol makes your skin more sensitive to UV rays and sunlight decreases the efficacy of the product," explains Bowe, who instructs patients to only use retinoids at night and be diligent about applying a daily broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher during the day.
Niacinamide and retinol can be combined in one product, which may be easier and more convenient. But they're also available as separate products. If you're using these ingredients in separate products, it's recommended to apply niacinamide first and to then follow with retinol.
You should use hyaluronic acid after retinol. And to maximise the benefits, you should use retinol first and then wait at least 30 minutes before applying hyaluronic acid.
In order to get the best effects, Dr. Tareen recommends not diluting your retinol by mixing it with lotion. If you need to, she recommends applying layers of moisturizer instead. "It's not wrong to mix in moisturizer, just less effective."
But rather than using your standard retinol cream, it's best to use a product formulated specifically for the delicate skin around the eyes. "The under-eye area is quite sensitive as it is some of the thinnest skin on the body," explains New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Anthony Rossi.
Rouleau says the best time to use a scrub is in the morning. Overnight you've loosened up dead skin cells with your glycolic acid or retinol products, making the morning a perfect time to brush them off.
Retinoids work best if you use them daily. Specifically, they should be used at night because some types are deactivated by light and air. It's important to start slowly and allow your skin time to adjust. Using too much too quickly can cause redness, dryness, and irritation.
Applying the skincare in correct order is very necessary to make best out of it.it is suggested to apply eye cream first and than moisturizer because the common function of moisturizer is to look the moisture so it will also look the moisture around the eyes provided by the cream.
Under-Eye Retinols
While dermatologists say it's safe to use retinol as an under-eye cream, the group weighed in with the recommendations they like to use on the sensitive area.
To help your retinoid work better, some dermatologists recommend applying it directly after cleansing before any other treatment serum or moisturizer.
First, choose the gentlest formula (again, retinyl palmitate or retinol), and start slowly—apply it just one night a week for one week, two nights a week for two weeks, three nights a week for three weeks, and then every other night (for sensitive skin) or every night (for “tough” skin) indefinitely.
Retinol (leave to absorb for 10-20 minutes)
Retinol is also an ingredient that should be left to absorb sufficiently into the skin before following up with another product. “It is important to leave a 10-20 minute wait time before applying the next product.
Retinol is best applied at night since it can increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun. When you do go outside, be sure to use sunscreen to protect your face. It's worth noting that you don't need to use retinol on a daily basis for it to effectively treat your acne. Even two to three times per week might be enough.
And now another rule to keep in mind: Many prescription-strength retinoids suggest users wait upwards of 20 minutes post-cleansing before putting retinol on their skin and 20 more minutes before putting anything else on, according to Reddit.
To use retinol before a moisturizer, wash the face and when completely dry, apply a pea-size amount of retinol. Retinol should not be used on damp skin because the skin will absorb more than required and cause irritation. Finish with a moisturizer to hydrate the skin and reduce the risk of irritation.
It's perfectly safe and okay to use hyaluronic acid and retinol together. Using skin care products that contain these ingredients together shouldn't cause any interactions or side effects. Hyaluronic acid and retinol are one of the most popular skin care combinations.