How to choose the right retinal serum for you

Choosing the right retinal serum

Retinal has the potential to bring a number of different benefits to the skin. Think of it as an overachieving student, not just excelling in one area, but at numerous different subjects. Retinal is part of a family of ingredients called retinoids, all of which are forms of vitamin A. Retinoids were initially used for the treatment of breakouts, before experts noticed smoother, younger-looking skin as another welcome side-effect.

Which retinoid serum you choose will depend on your skin type and concerns.

If your skin gripes are fine lines and dullness…

It’s no secret that daily life comes with a wealth of stressors. Whether it’s work, family, hormones, lack of sleep, poor diet or even the weather, these pesky challenges can wreak havoc on your stress levels and consequently, your skin. Unfortunately, with stress comes fine lines, dullness, rough texture, uneven skin tone, enlarged pores and the rest. Can’t we catch a break? However, while we can’t always control what happens in our lives, we can reduce the visible impact stress has on our skin.

Enter: Overnight Clarity – our game-changing multitasking nighttime serum helps accelerate skin repair and recovery while you sleep to tackle the 10 signs of daily stress on the skin. It not only contains the closest cosmetic-grade relative of retinoic acid (a prescription-strength retinoid) in the retinoid family tree, but our most potent serum also harnesses the power of niacinamide and azelaic acid to give you a great skin day, every day. In a nutshell, Overnight Clarity helps your skin behave like its younger (and less stressed) self. Fine lines and dark spots are visibly reduced, and stressed skin appears soothed, brightened and renewed.

If your skin gripes are wrinkles and loss of firmness…

Feel like your skin has lost its oomph? You’re not imagining things. Our skin quality and structure changes as we travel down the path of life, with depleted supplies of things like collagen, lipids and hyaluronic acid to work with. Retinal works brilliantly to help visibly firm, smooth and brighten skin, bringing back lost bounce and joy. In essence, it encourages it to behave like its younger self.

In Overnight Sensation, our retinal+ serum, retinal works hand in hand with granactive retinoid, another type of retinoid. Granactive retinoid is a trademarked form of a smart ingredient called hydroxypinacolone retinoate (try saying that three times fast!). This is an ester of retinoic acid, and unlike other retinoids doesn’t require any conversion steps to become retinoic acid. Think of it as the VIP of the skincare world, skipping the queue to get straight in. Both the retinal and granactive retinoid encourage cell turnover to give skin a renewed, fresher appearance, with fine lines visibly reduced.

If you’re worried about the dryness commonly associated with using retinoids, don’t be. Both retinal and granactive retinoid offer results without the drama. In fact, you’ll likely notice skin feels more moisturised with continued use, thanks to the other supporting, nourishing ingredients in the formulation.