While Vitamin C serum predominantly protects your skin from damage, retinol serum actively heals the damage on your skin. Vitamin C serum protects the collagens while the Retinol serum helps in cell turn over thereby creating new collagens.
So, should I use vitamin C or retinol for wrinkles? Well, when it comes right down to it, the choice is really in what you're looking to do for your skin. While vitamin C is incredible for the skin because of its ability to help brighten and improve hyperpigmentation, the best active ingredient for wrinkles is retinol.
While the best vitamin C serums tend to focus on collagen synthesis, skin tone and clarity to shift pigmentation, the best retinol creams speed up cell turnover so can prove helpful in learning how to get rid of acne and for general textural improvements.
The truth: You can use vitamin C with retinol and retinoids. Get them as separate products so you can tailor the concentration of each and use them at the right time of day. Although vitamin C can be used day or night, it is ideal for daytime use, while retinol and retinoids should be applied at night.
First, vitamin C works to help improve the look of dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin. Then, retinol steps in to help improve skin's elasticity. The result is that retinol and other retinoids may help improve skin's texture while helping to minimize the look of fine lines.
In short: yes, you can use vitamin C and retinol together; try retinol at night and vitamin C during the day—always with sunscreen.
Serums are lighter, less congesting and easier to absorb, so they are typically best for those with oily or acne-prone skin, says Dr. Turner. On the other hand, dry skin types can benefit more from using retinol creams “for extra hydration and slower delivery of the active ingredients,” Dr.
Retinol is a gentler derivative of vitamin A and can be found in lots of over-the-counter skin care products (i.e. moisturizers, serums, eye creams). Because retinol is milder, the enzymes in our skin must first convert it into retinoic acid. Once it's been converted, then it will be become effective.
It's best to apply Vitamin C before Retinol, as Vitamin C has a lower pH than Retinol. Once your skin absorbs the Vitamin C serum, your skin will return to its regular pH levels after 30 minutes or so. (You want your skin to return to its normal pH levels so vitamin C doesn't lower the pH of retinol.)
These two anti-aging ingredients aren't entirely different. In fact, retinol is a type of retinoid. However, retinoid most often describes more powerful prescription products, while retinol generally refers to weaker over-the-counter (OTC) formulas. As board certified dermatologist Dr.
In general, retinoids are stronger than retinol. They contain a higher concentration of the product, and the molecular structure of vitamin A in this form allows it to turn over skin cells at a faster rate than retinol.
Retinoic Acid. As mentioned earlier, retinoic acid is the most potent form of retinoids. “This is the end point molecule that is biologically active on skin, and is therefore the strongest,” says Dr. Rabach.
Vitamin C serum protects the collagens while the Retinol serum helps in cell turn over thereby creating new collagens. Vitamin C serum fights dry skin, while Retinol serum may dry out your skin upon regular usage. Vitamin C serum is not as effective as the Retinol serum in anti-ageing therapy.
The fact is, most topical retinoid serums tend to contain higher concentrations of the active ingredient. They also tend to be light to the touch and rarely leave behind a sticky residue. So in that case, it does appear that a serum is the “better” choice over a topical retinoid cream.
Retinol is a type of retinoid found in vitamin A. Vitamin A is composed of two parts: retinoids, which include retinol, and carotenoids which inckude beta-carotine. Retinol is a type of vitamin A found in animal products like liver, kidney, eggs, and dairy products.
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.
Is it a good idea to combine Vitamin C, Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid in a skincare routine? Yes. These ingredients work well when used individually and even better when paired together.
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.
Differin became available over the counter three years ago and is now widely available at drugstores. “It uses the weakest form of a retinoid, but it's still stronger than any over-the-counter retinols,” Saedi says.
High-strength retinol – 0.3%-1%
Look for those with a retinol percentage of between 0.3% and 1%. The strongest retinol product that we offer is our Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment and 1% Retinol Booster.