Ingredient glossary
Retinyl Retinoate
On your shelf ✓What Retinyl Retinoate does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Retinyl Retinoate
In short: Retinyl Retinoate delivers anti-aging support and texture, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is emerging. One thing to know: not for pregnancy or breastfeeding; introduce it gently.
- What it does
- Anti aging, texture
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Watch out
- Not for pregnancy or breastfeeding; introduce it gently
- Evidence
- Emerging
- How long
- 8–12 weeks
The molecule
The Glow take
One of the ingredients I trust most.
When your goal is softening fine lines and keeping skin firm, Retinyl Retinoate delivers, though the proof is still catching up to the excitement. Skip it while you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and the rest of the time bring it in slowly.
— Maya
What it does
- anti aging
- texture
- brightening
Retinyl Retinoate scores -1 on barrier support. It is one of only 8 ingredients in our glossary that go below zero there. A negative score means it asks something of the barrier rather than giving something back, which is why it needs introducing slowly and pairing with ingredients that do support the barrier. It is not a reason to avoid it: the same evidence that shows the irritation also shows the long-term gains. See where it sits against all 291 of them →
emerging evidenceSmall clinical studies and supplier data suggest retinyl retinoate can improve wrinkles and texture at lower irritation levels than traditional retinol, but independent evidence is still emerging.
On a label: works best above 0.05%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- normal
- oily
- combo
- sensitive
Approach with care
- pregnancy
- breastfeeding
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskModerate
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveSuits
Take extra care if any of these apply to you: pregnancy, breastfeeding.
Worried about purging? Here is what the trials actually measured →
Where it fits in your routine
Nobody has measured whether Retinyl Retinoate changes how your skin handles sun.
No human measurement of UV sensitivity. In cell models it is more photostable than retinol, which is a stability property and a different question. The randomised trial behind it measured wrinkle scores and irritation.
No human MED or UV-challenge study located; randomised trial of 0.06% retinyl retinoate measured wrinkles and tolerability
Give it eight to twelve weeks, and possibly less: that is simply when it was measured.
What was measured, and in whom
Measured on: wrinkle depth and roughness, replica/image analysis.
The evidence is one small trial: 24 women completed a 12-week split-face study of 0.06% retinyl retinoate cream twice daily against placebo on the opposite side, assessed every 4 weeks by global photodamage score, photographs and replica/visiometer analysis, with significant improvement on replica analysis and especially in average roughness. Interim visits were taken at weeks 4 and 8 but the paper reports the result for the course rather than the visit at which it first separated from placebo, so 12 weeks is a ceiling and nothing establishes what the earlier visits showed. The companion arm in the same paper (22 completers, 8 weeks) compared retinyl retinoate against 0.075% retinol with no vehicle, and the follow-up study had 11 subjects and again a retinol comparator, so neither adds a vehicle-dated point. Independent replication is absent and the remaining file is supplier data. Read this as 'change has been shown by roughly three months', not 'results at three months'.
Kim et al., Br J Dermatol 2010;162(3):497-502, 'Improvement in skin wrinkles from the use of photostable retinyl retinoate: a randomized controlled trial', PMID:19849696 - abstract read: 12-week split-face 0.06% versus placebo, 24 completers, assessments every 4 weeks. Kim et al., Skin Res Technol 2011;17(3):380-5, PMID:21435021 (11 subjects, 0.075% retinol comparator, no vehicle arm).
Plays well with
- ceramides
- niacinamide
- panthenol
Retinyl Retinoate, answered
Is Retinyl Retinoate safe during pregnancy?
No. Retinyl Retinoate is best avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you are pregnant or trying, leave this one out and ask your doctor about a safe alternative.
Who should avoid Retinyl Retinoate?
Approach Retinyl Retinoate with care if any of these apply to you: pregnancy and breastfeeding. Its irritation risk is moderate, so introduce it slowly and patch test first.
What concentration of Retinyl Retinoate actually works?
Research tends to show Retinyl Retinoate starts pulling its weight above 0.05%. If a brand prints the percentage, that is the number to look for.
During pregnancy
Leave Retinyl Retinoate out while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It sits on the list of ingredients usually held back during this time.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
Where Retinyl Retinoate sits
Compare Retinyl Retinoate with
- Niacinamide
- Vitamin C (LAA)
- Retinol
- Retinal
- Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
- Retinyl Palmitate
- Retinyl Acetate
- Retinyl Propionate
- Azelaic Acid
- Tranexamic Acid
- Kojic Acid
- Phytic Acid
- THD Ascorbate
- Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
- Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
- Ascorbyl Glucoside
- Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
- Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
- Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
- GHK-Cu
- Argireline
- Bakuchiol
- PDRN
- Alpha Arbutin
- Hydroquinone
- Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate
- Rice Extract
- Thiamidol
- Cysteamine
- N-Acetyl Glucosamine
- Adenosine
- Tetrahydrocurcumin
- Leuphasyl
- Rigin
- Matrixyl Synthe'6
- Syn-Ake
- Exosomes
- Epidermal Growth Factor
- Colostrum
- Carnosine
- 4-n-Butylresorcinol
- 4-Hexylresorcinol
Can you mix Retinyl Retinoate with
This, for every label you own
One ingredient is easy. A full label is where it gets confusing. The Ingredient Decoder reads any product and tells you the honest truth, ingredient by ingredient.