What can you mix with retinal (retinaldehyde)?
- Use retinal at a different time of day from vitamin C, one in the morning and the other at night.
What it does
Retinal, short for retinaldehyde, is a natural form of vitamin A. Skin turns retinol into retinal and then retinal into retinoic acid, the form that switches on retinoid receptors. Starting at retinal skips one of those steps, so it generally acts faster than retinol while staying a cosmetic, non-prescription ingredient.[1]
Strengths
- In human volunteers, 0.05 to 0.5% retinal produced dose-dependent increases in epidermal thickness and other markers of retinoid activity.[1]
- Low strengths of 0.05 to 0.1% were well tolerated on the face, in some patients for up to three years.[2]
- Laboratory work shows its effects come from conversion to retinoic acid, the same pathway as prescription tretinoin.[3]
Who it suits
People who have used retinol for a while and want a stronger step without a prescription, and anyone targeting fine lines, rough texture or uneven tone.
Who should skip
Pregnancy and breastfeeding, unless your doctor approves. Skin that is already irritated, sunburned or freshly waxed. Do not stack it with another retinoid.[2]
How to start
Apply a pea-sized amount to clean, dry skin at night, then moisturizer. If you are new to retinoids, start on two or three nights a week and increase only when your skin stays comfortable for a couple of weeks.
If you are moving up from retinol, swap retinal in on the same nights you used retinol rather than adding it on top. Expect some dryness or flaking at first; a bland moisturizer, a rest night or a soothing ingredient such as panthenol usually settles it.
Keep the morning simple: a gentle cleanser, an antioxidant such as vitamin C if you like it, moisturizer and SPF 30 or higher, because retinoids make skin more sensitive to the sun. Retinal is sensitive to light and air, so choose opaque or airless packaging and close it promptly.
Give it about three months before judging results on fine lines. Common questions: Is retinal better than retinol?
It is a step closer to the active form, so it usually works faster, but it can also irritate more. Can I use it with acids?
Use them on different nights at first. Can I use it around the eyes?
Yes, sparingly, once your skin tolerates it elsewhere.
What we recommend
We haven't found a product that passes our check yet.
Pairing grid
In tracked products
3 of the 144 products we track list retinal as a key active; In their ingredient lists it sits at a median position of #14, from #6 in retinal 0.2% to #21 in Crystal Retinal 3; The actives it most often shares a bottle with: retinol (3), vitamin C (2), vitamin E (1) and hyaluronic acid (1); Water is the first ingredient in 3 of them; the rest are oil, silicone or solvent-based. Product by product: Retinal 0.2% lists it at #6 of 32; Retinal ReSculpt Overnight lists it at #14 of 43; Crystal Retinal 3 lists it at #21 of 43.
All tracked products with retinal
Sources
- Saurat JH, et al. Topical retinaldehyde on human skin: biologic effects and tolerance. J Invest Dermatol. 1994;103(6):770-774.
- Didierjean L, et al. Biological activities of topical retinaldehyde. Dermatology. 1999;199 Suppl 1:19-24.
- Sorg O, et al. Retinoids in cosmeceuticals. Dermatol Ther. 2006;19(5):289-296.
- Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM. The roles of vitamin C in skin health. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):866.
- Al-Niaimi F, Chiam NYZ. Topical vitamin C and the skin: mechanisms of action and clinical applications. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2017;10(7):14-17.