Beauty buzzwords: Retinol

skincare regime, it should be applied Retinol Beauty buzzwords: after cleansing and before a hyaluronic acid serum or moisturiser. You should begin using a product once a week, and once you’ve built up tolerance, you can go up to twice a week.”

The clinical ingredient is taking over our at-home skincare routines, and we’ve got the expert lowdown on how to make it work for you Where to shop

What is retinol?

A derivative of Vitamin A, retinol is the wonder-ingredient that is an over-thecounter approach to fighting wrinkles and reducing the appearance of sun damage, but different types of retinolbased products work for different people. Retinol has gained its status as the most effective topical treatment which addresses multiple skin concerns all at once, and can completely transform your skin without the need for invasive treatments. That being said, there are different types of retinol that work for everyone, and you shouldn’t expect instantaneous results.

“If you suffer from acne, you can be recommended a retinol serum for your skincare routine, whereas to target pigmentation, a retinol cream may be advised,” says Dr Rasha, Founder of the renowned Rasha Clinic. “It can take up to 12 weeks to start seeing visible results as it stimulates the production of new blood vessels.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom: “Long-term benefits of retinol can include reduced fine lines and wrinkles, as retinol increases the production of collagen,” she adds.

How to use retinol

If you’re a complete newbie, it’s better to slowly introduce retinol as using too much of it can overload your skin, causing irritation and redness, and different percentage strengths are commonplace across packaging. Dr Rasha advises if you have dry skin, you should also think twice before piling it on: “People with dry skin should start off with 0.01% retinol, and those with oils skin can start with 0.03%. For those who are familiar with retinol, 0.3% or 0.1% is advised.

“You need to always wear SPF after you have applied retinol to your face, particularly during the day, as vitamin A can further sensitise your skin to UV rays.”

She suggests you should also try and stick to a night-time routine where you can. “When including retinol in your The Ordinary Retinol Serum 0.2% in Squalane, lookfantastic.com, £4.25

Drunk Elephant A-Passion Retinol Cream spacenk.com, £66

Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment, cultbeauty.co.uk, £55