There are plenty of skincare products out there surrounded by glowing but lofty claims. It can be tough to separate fact from fiction and know how much of a product’s reputation is based on hype and how much is reality.
When it comes to anti-aging products, it’s always important to approach everything with a healthy amount of skepticism. Some products can really help with reducing the appearance of wrinkles and other age-related skin issues, and others are less effective.
But how do you tell the difference?
The most important thing to look for in any anti-aging skincare product is high-quality ingredients.
If you are putting something on your skin each day, you want to make sure that it is a product filled with only the good stuff – nothing that is unnecessary or potentially harmful to your skin. That’s why, at goPure, we believe it’s important to be transparent about all of the ingredients we use in our products and the specific purpose each ingredient can serve in your beauty routine.
One ingredient that we love and firmly believe in the benefits of is retinol. Retinol is a form of vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant that has big beauty-promoting benefits for your skin.
In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the uses for retinol in your daily skincare routine, and how to make the most of this powerful anti-aging ingredient.
Why Retinol?
Retinol can be highly beneficial for your skin because it is a powerful antioxidant. Using antioxidants like retinol topically can help to provide your skin with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and youthful. As you age, it can be especially important to include antioxidants like retinol in your daily beauty routine. Combating dryness, wrinkles and other age-related skin issues can be tough, but the right ingredients, including retinol, can make a big difference.
Vitamin A (retinol) and other antioxidants like it are some of the best ingredients to include in a beauty regimen that targets wrinkles. Wrinkles are caused by a weakening of your skin as you age, which is part of the natural process of getting older. However, just because aging is a part of life doesn’t mean that you can’t take steps to stay looking great as you get older! With the right ingredients, keeping your skin looking dewy and youthful as you age is very possible.
So, why use retinol? For one, your skin needs antioxidants to stay healthy as you get older.
Supplying your skin with topical antioxidants like retinol can help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and can even help brighten your complexion overall. Many age-related skin issues can cause your skin tone to start looking duller and more uneven, and antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin C are ideal ingredients to use to keep this dullness from setting in.
The brighter your complexion is, the fresher and more youthful your appearance will be!
In addition, retinol is an ingredient that you can use on your skin without worrying about it having a negative effect on your body.
GoPure’s products are all made without parabens, sulfates, artificial colors and fragrances, and anything else that you might have reservations about using on your skin. Using retinol products from GoPure means you can take care of your skin without any drawbacks.
Does retinol have side effects?
As you can imagine, just about any ingredient you might use on your skin has the potential to cause a negative reaction in some people.
In some cases, using retinol can cause irritation, redness or a rash to appear on a person’s skin. If you see any of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you are in danger – but it does mean it’s best for you to not continue using retinol.
The appearance of these symptoms typically indicates that your skin does not react well to an ingredient, and that the best move is to switch to using something else.
The best way to determine if your skin responds well to retinol is by performing an at-home patch test. A patch test involves putting a small amount of retinol on a patch of your skin somewhere other than your face – your arm is ideal. After 24 hours, if no adverse symptoms have shown up, you can rest assured that you are clear to use retinol as part of your skincare routine!
In addition to keeping your eyes open for the common signs of an intolerance to an ingredient, it’s also important to note that retinol can sometimes make your skin more sensitive to sunlight.
When using retinol, it’s essential to be as consistent as possible with putting on sunscreen. Using a mineral-based sunscreen multiple times a day can help to protect your skin from UV rays as you nourish your skin with retinol.
How to Use Retinol on Your Skin
Retinol can be applied to your skin in several forms – as a serum, or as an ingredient in a cream, gel or lotion. A serum will get you the highest concentration of retinol in the smallest volume of product.
Just a few drops of a retinol serum contain the same amount of retinol as a much larger portion of lotion, gel or cream. A little bit of a serum goes a long way!
To use a retinol serum, all you need to do is take a few drops and apply it to either your fingertips or a cotton pad. Then, evenly distribute the serum across your face. Many people find it easiest to apply a serum starting from the neck and working up the forehead.
If you choose to use a retinol serum, make sure to not overdo your application – using too much retinol can actually slightly irritate your skin a bit. Start by using the serum a few nights out of the week, then increase your frequency if necessary. Retinol serum can be highly effective even if you do not use it daily.
It may take some time to get a feel for how your skin responds to retinol, and you may find that your face feels better with more or fewer applications of the serum per week.
If you prefer to apply retinol to your face in a form that is heavier and easier to spread, a gel, lotion or retinol cream is the way to go. These products can work just as well as serums for supplying your skin with a specific ingredient. However, unlike serums, they contain more ingredients to make them more spreadable.
If you are using a lotion, cream or gel to supply your skin with retinol, make sure to apply it after you have used any lightweight products, such as cleanser, toner or serums. That way, the heavier product will not get in the way of your skin’s absorption of the lighter ones.
How long will it take to see results from retinol?
When it comes to introducing any new ingredient to your skin, patience is always key. As nice as it is to imagine a world where a skincare product could magically transform your appearance, that’s sadly not the case – as much as we wish it was!
Like any other great ingredient, retinol takes time to work. Consistently using it in your skincare routine is the best way to get results as quickly as possible.
Over a period of a few months, you will start to notice major results from consistent use of retinol, either in the form of a serum or a heavier product. Over time, retinol can be incredibly effective in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and lines, helping you to get that youthful look that you’re after!
What products should I pair retinol with?
Retinol works best when used in the context of a highly effective, all-natural skincare routine. In the morning and night, it’s always a great idea to start your beauty regimen with a cleanser. Your cleanser will remove any dirt, grime, makeup or other unwanted gunk from your face, getting you nice and clean so that the rest of your products will work as effectively as possible.
Next, you can use an exfoliator to slough off dead skin cells that can dull your complexion and potentially clog your pores. Using an exfoliator does not mean harshly scrubbing your face with rough particles, though. Instead, use a gentle exfoliator like glycolic acid to get the job done without irritating your skin.
After cleanser and exfoliator, you use a retinol serum to supply your skin with a high concentration of beauty-boosting vitamin A. Then, you can finish out your skincare routine with any heavier products like gels, creams, lotions and sunscreen. Sunscreen is especially helpful when using retinol, but is always the perfect finishing touch for any beauty routine.
Sticking with your daily skincare habits can take some time and dedication, but it’s worth it! And with powerful ingredients like retinol on your side, you can’t go wrong!
Sources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09483.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ics.12117
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/412795
