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What are vitamin A derivatives and how do they differ?

In [skincare] marketing, the term ‘vitamin A’ often refers to retinol – however, it can also represent many other retinol derivatives. These can all be grouped together under the term ‘retinoids’ – which refers to forms of vitamin A such as retinol, retinaldehyde, retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate and retinyl retinoate. Some of these forms are more powerful than others, some are more irritating, and some are more clinically proven. At Medik8, we only use three forms of retinoids across our range – retinol, retinaldehyde and retinyl retinoate – as they are proven to help improve skin condition in credible studies.

How does retinyl retinoate affect the skin?

Vitamin A is the most important ingredient to use in your skincare routine to minimise the signs of ageing. It is proven to help provide firmer, plumper skin with reduced fine lines and wrinkles. It can also help to speed up the skin renewal process, promoting a smooth and even skin texture. Vitamin A can even help to block the process that makes pigment in the skin, reducing hyperpigmentation. Retinyl retinoate is a hybrid of retinol (ordinary vitamin A) and retinoic acid (clinical grade, active vitamin A). A study published in the British Journal of Dermatology compared the effects of 0.06% retinyl retinoate with 0.075% retinol – both applied twice daily. It concluded that retinyl retinoate applied twice a day was more effective than a placebo or retinol in treating wrinkles, and no severe side effects were observed.