Don’t be afraid of retinol with these top tips when using

Do you use retinol in your skincare routine, or are you a little wary of trying it because there are some scary stories going around about it? It’s been the buzziest skincare ingredient in Ireland for the past year, despite being hugely popular in the States for the last decade. But while it is a massively powerful tool in the fight against ageing, it comes with some downsides like drying, flaking and irritation.

Stories around this have grown legs in certain quarters, but there is a very effective way of using the ingredient in your regime without causing your skin any trouble.

To find out how to use retinol in your night-time routine, Magazine spoke to Cigdem Kemal Yilmaz, skincare formulator of Skin Masterclass, who has analysed more than 7,800 formulas for leading brands including creating more than 600 for private clients.

Cigdem’s first tip is to check the concentration of the ingredient when you first start to use retinol. ‘Retinol is a potent ingredient that could cause sensitivity, especially at high concentrations above 0.5 per cent,’ she says. ‘Applying retinol in between two layers of moisturiser (a retinol sandwich) is the technique of application I suggest if you are just starting with retinol, and it is your first time trying the active ingredient.’

However, Cigdem points out that adding a layer of moisture before you apply your retinol layer affects how well the active ingredient works on ageing signs like wrinkles, skin texture and pores.

‘The reason we suggest not using retinol on damp skin is that it forces the retinol to penetrate the lower layers of the skin and hence can cause sensitivity and dryness. Thus, the opposite is achieved (less penetration) if a barrier, i.e a moisturiser, is applied before the retinol.’

Cigdem says this is the period when you are getting your skin acclimatised to using retinol.

‘Reduction in penetration will mean that results are not as effective,’ she explains. ‘Ideally, you need to get to a point where your skin can tolerate the use of retinol before the moisturiser to achieve the clinically-backed results of renewing the skin cells faster, protecting the collagen by fighting off free radicals and stimulating new collagen and elastin. Therefore, the ingredient is able to plump our skin deeper, known as the dermis, to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.’

Cigdem does recommend using this ‘retinol sandwich’ to get your skin to tolerate the anti-ageing powerhouse, but when you need to move on she suggests the following step.

‘Once the skin is adapted after two to three weeks, you can remove the first layer of the sandwich and apply the retinol on cleansed skin, followed by an emollient-rich moisturiser. If you want to avoid sensitivity or do not want to go through the time to adapt to retinol, try a retinol concentration of 0.3 per cent.’

Even with this method, there will still be some who don’t get comfortable with the ingredient and find they can’t use retinol in their regime for younger-looking skin.

In this scenario, Cigdem suggests: ‘If you tried the retinol at a low concentration, even with the sandwich method and your skin still could not tolerate it causing you irritation, I suggest replacing your retinol with bakuchiol which is proven to give you similar results without the negative side effect of irritation. Make sure the product you use has a concentration of bakuchiol between 1-2 per cent.’

Bakuchiol is a natural alternative to retinol and it will work in a similar fashion if used at the concentration Cigdem recommends.