The Beginner’s Guide To Retinol Products

Summary

The Wirecutter Show

Episode: The Beginner’s Guide To Retinol Products

Date: June 2, 2026
Hosts: Christine Cyr Clisset & Rosie Guerin
Guests: Dr. Nikhil Dhingra (Board-certified Dermatologist), Rory Evans (Wirecutter Editor)

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive into retinol products—what they are, how they work, how to choose between over-the-counter and prescription options, and the best recommendations from Wirecutter’s rigorous testing. Host Christine Cyr Clisset interviews New York dermatologist Dr. Nikhil Dhingra on the science and smart usage of retinol, while editor Rory Evans walks listeners through Wirecutter’s favorite picks for all skin types and budgets.

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Key Discussion Points & Expert Insights

1. What Is Retinol and What Does It Do?

[05:31–06:13] Guest: Dr. Nikhil Dhingra

• Retinols and retinoids are an umbrella family of ingredients derived from vitamin A.
• Originally developed for acne, they were later found to also stimulate collagen, minimize pores and wrinkles, treat hyperpigmentation, and thicken thinning skin.
  • “They learned that it helps to stimulate collagen. So it helps with fine lines and wrinkles, helps with hyperpigmentation, helps to protect the skin...” — Dr. Dhingra [05:31]

2. Who Should Use Retinol?

[06:50–07:26]

• Most people can benefit, but caution for those with very sensitive, rosacea, or eczema-prone skin.
• Retinol is safe for teens with acne, but not recommended as a prevention for aging among tweens/children.
  • “I argue most people are [good candidates]. Not everyone, but most.” — Dr. Dhingra [06:56]
  • “If there’s no acne, I don’t know how much preventative care a 10 or 12-year-old should be doing. There’s only so much you can say about anti-aging when you haven’t really started aging yet.” — Dr. Dhingra [08:21]

3. Over-the-Counter vs Prescription Retinoids

[08:41–09:44]

• OTC: Ingredients like retinol, retinaldehyde, and retinyl esters require skin enzymes to convert to the active retinoic acid, making them milder.
• Prescription: Tretinoin (retinoic acid) is potent, works directly without conversion, and is generally reserved for acne or those needing stronger effects.
• Cost: Prescription tretinoin is generic and often cheaper with insurance, though the doctor’s visit may add cost.
  • “Tretinoin is like sort of the gold standard … It’s already ready to go and do its thing.” — Dr. Dhingra [08:48]

4. Effectiveness vs. Other Skincare/Procedures

[11:16–13:15]

• Retinoids have the strongest evidence base for anti-aging and acne outside of sunscreen.
• At-home devices and other ingredients can't match the long-term data of retinoids for skin health.
• Procedures like lasers and peels address deeper wrinkles and pigmentation; retinoids work at the surface and are foundational rather than replacements for procedures.
  • “If you can start with a retinol or retinoid and that is all you do, you’re 90% of the way there. That and sunscreen are your non-negotiables in my opinion.” — Dr. Dhingra [11:16]
  • “Having expectations for what a retinol can realistically do is going to be really helpful.” — Dr. Dhingra [11:40]

5. How to Begin Using Retinol Safely

[14:04–15:16]

• Always “start slow” (2-3 nights a week), use a pea-sized amount, and moisturize before/after (the “sandwich method”).
• Avoid use if your skin barrier is compromised (i.e., inflamed flare-ups).
• Peeling/flaking at first is normal; burning or stinging, stop and reassess.
  • “...a pea-sized amount, that’s really all you need for your whole face. It sounds like a very small amount. More is just going to be more irritating, it’s not going to be more effective.” — Dr. Dhingra [14:04]
  • “In the beginning, peeling and flaking are very common ... stop if they’re getting burning, stinging redness, like a true sign of sensitivity.” — Dr. Dhingra [15:11]

6. Seasonal Guidance — Retinol in Summer

[15:51–16:53]

• Retinol is photolabile (breaks down in sunlight). Use at night.
• It may or may not increase sun sensitivity—data is mixed.
• Retinol may cause more irritation with sweat/sun, but “You don’t have to stop your retinol in the summer, but you should be wearing your sunscreen and keeping it simple.” — Christine Cyr Clisset [16:48]

7. Applying Retinol to the Body

[15:16–15:44]

• It can be used (carefully!) on neck, chest, hands for anti-aging benefits, but start even slower than face.

---

Wirecutter’s Over-the-Counter Retinol Picks

[19:11–32:41] Guest: Rory Evans

Key Explanations:

• OTC retinol must convert through enzymatic steps to active retinoic acid, so is gentler.
• Adapalene (e.g., Differin) is a unique OTC retinoid often for acne.

[21:51] “Retinaldehyde converts in one step, retinol converts in two, and retinyl palmitate converts in three. … Adapalene … is mostly used in acne treatment, but some people do use it as an anti-aging product.” — Rory Evans

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Wirecutter’s Recommended OTC Retinoids (with Best Use Cases & Prices):

| Use Case | Product Name & Active | Notes | Price | |-----------------------------|----------------------|-------|----------| | Mature Skin | SkinMedica Retinol Complex 1.0 (1% Retinol) | Strong, available in increasing strengths, smooth texture, subtle scent | $96 | | Buildable Strengths | Medik8 Crystal Retinal (0.01–0.24% Retinaldehyde) | Tube with pump, multiple strengths, easy to ramp up | $65+ | | Sensitive Skin | Youth to the People Retinal + Niacinamide Youth Serum (0.15% Retinaldehyde) | Virtually no irritation; “proof is in the Botox savings” | $72 | | Dry Skin | Liliana Naturals Retinol Cream | Acts as moisturizer, hyaluronic acid & glycerin, Target/Amazon | $22 | | Acne/Drugstore Retinoid | La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% | Best for acne, also some anti-aging benefits, testers saw inflammation drop | $40 | | Budget/Beginner | Trader Joe’s Retinol Night Serum (0.3% Retinol) | $10, great texture, accessible, packaging easy to read | $10 | | Drugstore OTC Anti-aging | L’Oreal Paris Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol | Thin, dries fast, easy to find | $30 |

Memorable Tester Story [25:08]:

“One tester is, if you look at his skin wrong, it will react. And this stuff he used every night, almost every night. And he did not have any reactivity. He only saw benefits.” — Rory Evans (re: Youth to the People)

Packaging & Accessibility

• Rory highlighted the importance of user-friendly packaging for mature consumers, giving a shout-out to Trader Joe’s and Medik8’s pump tubes.
• “Make it so that you can read the bottle ... the directions are legibly printed on the bottle. And people noticed that in testing.” — Rory Evans [30:24]

Combo Approach [30:43]:

Rory uses high-end products for face, but uses affordable retinols like Trader Joe’s on hands and “anything that looks old.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “If you can start with a retinol or retinoid and that is all you do, you’re 90% of the way there. That and sunscreen are your non-negotiables in my opinion.” — Dr. Dhingra [11:16]
• “He saw, as did I … it definitely softened the lines between our noses and under our lips … I got, like, eight extra weeks out of Botox.” — Rory Evans (on Youth to the People) [25:08]
• “I will use the expensive stuff on my crow’s feet, forehead, nasolabial folds and my neck. But then I will use the cheapo stuff ... on my hands a lot.” — Rory Evans [30:43]
• “Drumroll, please. How much is this one? Oh my god. This is $10.” — Christine Cyr Clisset & Rory Evans (on Trader Joe’s) [30:02–30:05]

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Final Takeaways

Hosts’ Closing Thoughts: [32:52–33:28]

• Rosie is motivated to start with Trader Joe’s for its low cost, and Christine is tempted by Youth to the People after hearing Rory’s (and testers’) strong endorsements.
• The importance of gradual introduction, careful matching to skin type and budget, and being realistic about results is emphasized throughout.

---

Quick Reference: Wirecutter’s Top Retinol Picks

• Mature Skin: SkinMedica Retinol Complex 1.0 ($96)
• Buildable/Custom Strengths: Medik8 Crystal Retinal ($65+)
• Sensitive Skin: Youth to the People Retinal + Niacinamide Youth Serum ($72)
• Dry Skin: Liliana Naturals Retinol Cream ($22)
• Acne/Adapalene Option: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% ($40)
• Beginner/Budget: Trader Joe’s Retinol Night Serum ($10)
• Easiest Drugstore Find: L’Oreal Paris Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol ($30)

---

Conclusion

This episode offers a science-backed, practical roadmap to retinol, demystifying ingredients, addressing safety, and providing tested product picks for all needs. Whether you’re a total beginner or a skincare aficionado, the expert guidance and Wirecutter’s recommendations make the retinol landscape accessible and actionable.

Links to Wirecutter’s full guide and picks can be found in the episode show notes.

Transcript

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[Rory Evans]

It was really good for sensitive skin. One tester is if you look at his skin wrong, it will react. And this stuff he used every, I want to say he used it every night, almost every night. And he did not have any reactivity. He only saw benefits.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Rosie Guerin]

I'm Rosie Guerin and you're listening to the Wirecutter show.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Rosie, hello.

[Rosie Guerin]

Hello.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We are talking skin care today.

[Rosie Guerin]

I love it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Are you into skincare? Are you doing like multi step? What's your routine?

[Rosie Guerin]

My routine is I pat myself on the back when I have washed my face properly and put on a moisturizer.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Well that's not bad. I do have a routine morning evening but I am far outpaced by my 12 year old at this point. She's doing so much more to her skin and it looks great. Let me tell you to be fair, she is 12. Today we are diving into the world of retinols. These are pretty powerful anti aging products that can boost collagen, they can minimize the appearance of pores and wrinkles and they can just make your skin look younger and beautiful and you know, it is one of the few active ingredients that I think is universally recommended by dermatologist, dermatologists as a true anti aging product.

[Rosie Guerin]

I'll tell you what, most of what I know about skincare is from you and Kyra.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Kyra is way way more. It's too bad she can't be here today. She's out of town. But she truly is our skin care expert. But we are going to be in good hands today. We are talking with two experts. We're going to have a twofer today. First up is Dr. Nikhil Dingra. He is a board certified dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology here in New York City. He's actually going to talk with me first about the bas of using retinol and how to choose between an over the counter product and when it's time to go for the big guns. A prescription from your dermatologist and of

[Rosie Guerin]

course, Wirecutter has a full guide on the topic with lots of over the counter recommendations if that's where you want to start. And we're going to talk with editor Rory Evans, who tested dozens of options for Wirecutter's guide to retinol products. She's going to break down what to get if you don't want or maybe you don't need a prescription retinol.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

After the break, I'm going to be back with Dr. Nikhil Dhingra to get the inside scoop on what a dermatologist recommends when it comes to retinols.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

We'll be right back.

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[Christine Cyrclassette]

welcome back. Today we're talking about retinol products. We're going to, of course, get into all of the retinols that Wirecutter recommends. But first we're bringing on a friend of the pod, Dr. Nikhil Dhingra, who is a board certified dermatologist at Spring Street Dermatology here in New York City. He's going to give us the medical perspective on retinols welcome to the show. Nikhil.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's great to have you back. You joined us last year to talk about affordable skincare. Welcome. This time we want to talk about retinols. What exactly is a retinol and what can it do for your skin?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

When I talk about retinols, it's like an umbrella term, right? So retinols and retinols and retinoids, which. So many variations, so many different variations, it gets very confusing. But the broad umbrella of the family, they're derived from vitamin A and they're really good for such a broad application for skin health. Mostly used and especially in prescription form for acne. A lot of the secondary benefits came up as a side perk, if you will, over the years. You know, we're talking about decades of data at this point. They learned that it helps to stimulate collagen. So it helps with fine lines and wrinkles, it helps with hyperpigmentation, it helps to protect the skin a little bit from sun damage. It also just helps in terms of helping to thicken the layer of skin that's starting to thin out as we get older also.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And so when you say it was developed for acne, what is it doing? Is it kind of clearing out your pores? What is the mechanism that is helping in that?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

So the mechanisms are pretty broad. It's one of those things where if you, like look at a dermatology textbook, they talk about all of the different things that can happen downstream of using a retinoid. That's because inherently, whatever form you use, they eventually go into the nucleus or the signaling center of the cells in the skin. And it triggers this whole cascade of different programs downstream. So that means stimulation of collagen exfoliation. So it tells the cells to turn over faster. And that exfoliative process can definitely help with pimples because you're just declogging the skin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

If someone is curious about a retinol and they haven't started using one, who is a good candidate to use a retinol product?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

I argue most people are. Not everyone, but most good candidates, I think it depends on pre existing skin conditions. I think, for example, patients with a history of rosacea or eczema or just very sensitive reactive skin, they may not do particularly great, especially if they start super aggressively. But I have also had plenty of those patients succeed really well in retinizing their face.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I often think of retinol as something, you know, I started using it when I was in my 30s. How early would you recommend someone start.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

I get that question all the time. I think it depends. I have teenagers on it for acne purposes and I think even from an acne perspective, it's not curative. It kind of suppresses that acne pathway. And so for a lot of them, they continue to use it as part of their inherent skincare routine, especially as they get older. I think the motivations shift. Right. You know, it's not unheard of to have acne in your 20s, but the odds go down significantly because hormones shift. But then you start to think about wrinkles and anti aging and, you know, I think the motivations are very different then. So I started mine maybe when I was 19 or 20. I'm turning 40 this year. I'm still using it today.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And your skin looks great, by the way.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Thank you very much.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

In our last conversation, we talked a bit about how younger tweens should not be using active ingredients. I know my tween has asked me about buying retinol products. Is this something you shouldn't be using if you're 12, 13, unless you've got acne? How do you navigate that?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

I think if you have acne, it's a straightforward thing. It's technically the first line treatment for acne. You look at the American Academy of Dermatology recommendations, but if there's no acne, I don't know how much preventative care a 10 or 12 year old should be doing. There's only so much you can say about anti aging when you haven't really started aging yet.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm curious, what's the difference between an over the counter retinol product and something that you can get through your dermatologist?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

I mean, so there's a pathway. You know, retinols in some form are converted to their active form. The active form is retinoic acid. That's essentially what something like tretinoin is. Tretinoin is like sort of the gold standard, the most data behind it. That's what a prescription strength retinol is going to look like. Technically, tretinoin doesn't need to be acted on by the skin. You apply it, it's already ready to go and do its thing. The precursors. So things like retinal esters, retinols and then retinals which end with an al, are all converted in some form to retinoic acid before they are functional. So there's a bit of a loss of potency throughout that cascade, tretinoin being much more potent than the milder forms.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, so basically the Prescription is the big guns and the over the counter are less potent. So if someone's coming in to you and they're curious about using a retinol product, how do you make the call between pointing them to an over the counter product versus giving them a prescription for something more potent?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

The first thing is assessing. You know, do they have any preexisting skin conditions on their face? If they have acne, that's where we're going to go straight to a prescription strength retinoid. But we're also going to pare their routine back so that they can tolerate it better. If they have rosacea or eczema or some other pre existing rash on their face, I'm going to have them avoid them completely until we can restore the sort of calm barrier for their skin. Because that sets up sort of a recipe for success. You kind of have to have a sense of how reactive your skin is. But also I take into account how complicated someone's skincare routine is. I am not a fan of big skincare routines. I think I said this last time I was on the podcast too. Everything should be very intentional. And so if you're going to pick a product or an ingredient that has just the most evidence behind it, a retinol or a retinoid is going to be the way to go. And in terms of things like fine lines and wrinkles, you know, retinols help. They help with superficial fine lines, they help with skin texture. As for deeper wrinkles, that's a little more complicated because there are two types of wrinkles that we're tackling. There are dynamic ones when removing our faces and static ones, which are just wrinkles you see at rest.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Right. So the older you get, you get more of those static wrinkles.

[Rosie Guerin]

Right?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Which I think is what I mean. In my experience, that's the sort of thing that I'm a little bit more trying to treat. So to your point though, around a retinol product being one of the most effective things that you can be using, how does a retinol product compare to other treatments you might be able to do at home? So I'm talking like a red light mask or exfoliators. Where do you put it in the hierarchy of effectiveness?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

If you can start with a retinol or retinoid and that is all you do, you're 90% of the way there. That and sunscreen are your non negotiables, in my opinion. There's just so much more data just from decades and decades of literature supporting the benefits of A retinol or retinoid. Again, as long as you can tolerate it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

How does using a retinol product compare to some of the procedures that you can get at a dermatologist?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Retinols and retinoids, they don't take the place of procedures. They are a fundamental thing you should be doing if you're considering procedures in addition, obviously procedures cost a lot more money. They are expensive and they don't do the sort of sustained long term anti aging things that having a retinol or retinoid in your routine can do. Similar to how sunscreen should be part of your fundamental routine. I think also having expectations for what a retinol can realistically do is going to be really helpful if you're confronting things like deep etched in wrinkles that get worse when you smile or move your face. Unfortunately, a retinol is not going to necessarily enhance those. What the retinol will help with is the resurfacing of those fine lines at the surface level. And there's definitely a place for that. I think they work synergistically in that situation. So for example, if your expectation is something like Botox can be replaced by a retinol, again, mechanistically, just very different. If you are dealing with pigmentary issues, something like melasma or sunspots or freckles, retinols are not going to be enough for that either. They're for fundamentally helping to brighten the skin in general, they are definitely helpful for regulating pigmentation formation a little bit. But in office procedures like laser and chemical peels are going to be much more potent because they are functionally able to get to deeper depths, which I would not allow you to do at home. From a safety perspective.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, that makes sense. So a good idea to just integrate a retinol product into your daily routine. But if you are bothered by deeper wrinkles or pigmentation issues or other things, then that's when it's time to go talk to your dermatologist.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Absolutely.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm curious about the cost difference between over the counter products and what you would get at a dermatologist. In Wirecutters review we have products that range from around 20 to almost $100 for a tub. What is the cost of prescription strength retinol product?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

First of all, it depends on the barrier of access. Right. The cost of being able to see someone who can prescribe it to you is something you have to take into account once you've had a prescription. Though Tretinoin is incredibly inexpensive. It's a generic at this point, if insurance covers it for things like acne, it's often covered in full minus your co pay. I think compared to the over the counter products can be better bang for your buck again if you can tolerate it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

If someone's starting a retinol product, how do you recommend going about it?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Yeah, this is one place where I'm like on auto sometimes it's a pea sized amount that's really all you need for your whole face. It sounds like a very small amount. More is just going to be more irritating, it's not going to be more effective. You start slowly. I have people start three times a week and if you can start to increase the frequency, that's even better. Build up slowly. And even at the initial sort of onboarding phase, if you're having some issues with tolerability, there are a couple of tricks. The first is go really simple with everything. I think I've said this so many times now, but I like brands like Vanning Cream or La Roche Posay, something that just doesn't have a lot of other ingredients in it that might irritate the skin. And so that allows the barrier to sort of be hardy from just not using other things and moisturizing initially and then putting the retinol on and then moisturizing again in the sandwich method.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

The sandwich method, the sandwich really, really

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

popular to talk about nowadays. But you're effectively diluting down the retinol a little bit by decreasing how much of the medicine's penetrating directly into the skin. But it allows for to ease into it even more gradually. In the beginning, peeling and flaking are very common. I'm fine with those things because they're representing the exfoliator process. It's just dead skin starting to come off. But I have people stop if they're getting burning, stinging redness, like a true sign of sensitivity of some sort.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Is it beneficial to use a retinol product on other parts of your body besides your face?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Yes, with caution. The surprising thing is that the body is more reactive in some ways than the face. So where I tell people to start three nights a week on their face, I might have them start two nights a week on their neck. I do think it's important to address anti aging on the neck and chest and the hands because it's one thing to have your face look younger, but as you get older having a mismatch can be very distressing.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, right.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

But you have to start slowly.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We're heading into the beginning of summer. What is your advice around using retinol products in the summer, because am I right that it makes you a little bit more sensitive to sunburn?

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Somewhat, somewhat, somewhat. It's a controversial sort of topic. Right. And so if you look at the data, a lot of the studies were not necessarily done in human skin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, okay.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

The actual molecule itself is photolabile, meaning if it is exposed to sunlight, it will deactivate, which is why I have everyone do their retinols at nighttime.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

That's sort of the first key thing. I don't have anyone slow down their retinol use in the summer months. It does make you more prone to irritation. So that is a realistic sort of downside. The combination of sweat and prolonged sun exposure and extra layers of sunscreen can definitely introduce some more irritation potential. And so that's one thing to keep in mind in terms of actual sun sensitization. That's where I say it's controversial. There are some data suggesting that that is true, but then there is other data suggesting that that may not be true at all.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So you don't have to stop your retinol in the summer, but you should be wearing your sunscreen and keeping it simple.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Absolutely. As long as you're taking the proc precautions, I'm fine with you continuing to use them. Great.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Well, thank you so much, Dr. Dhingra. We are excited to have you back.

[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Sounds good.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, Rosie will join me to talk with Wirecutter editor Rory Evans about the over the counter retinol products that Wirecutter recommends. Because seeing a dermatologist for a prescription version may not be where everyone wants to start. Luckily, Wirecutter has some great recommendations at a variety of prices. We'll hear about it in just a sec.

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[Dr. Nikhil Dhingra]

Foreign.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We're back. If your interest is piqued about retinol products, but for whatever reason, you're not going to get a prescription strength product. Maybe you just want to try something over the counter. Maybe you don't want to pay to go to the dermatologist. Right now, over the counter products can be a good option and there are a lot of them. So many in fact, it can be confusing to know what is worth your money.

[Rosie Guerin]

That's why we've got one of our favorite guests in the building, wirecutter, editor and writer of the guidebook to retinols, Rory Evans. Rory, you've joined us before and we talked about affordable skincare, red light masks, and we had a whale of a time. Welcome back.

[Rory Evans]

Thanks for having me back.

[Rosie Guerin]

Thanks for coming back.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I love having you on the show. Rory, I know from your wire cutter guide, which is very extensive and I've poured over the whole thing. You have personally used both prescription and over the counter products. Our guide covers over the counter options. What are you using these days?

[Rory Evans]

These days I use an over the counter retinaldehyde product which is usually generally referred to as retinal, which on the radio sounds exactly alike. Retinol, Retinal. But I use youth to the people. Retinal and niacinamide youth serum.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And why are you using that instead of a prescription?

[Rory Evans]

I guess I don't go to the dermatologist that often. When I was on prescription strength, it was decades ago and it was to treat acne. And also part of it is that you can't be on a prescription while using an over the counter. And I was writing this guide, so I just kind of like you had

[Christine Cyrclassette]

to pick a lane.

[Rory Evans]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

Can we do some definitions before we go any further? Because we have retinol al. Retinol ol. You've thrown another few in there.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So retinaldehyde, I mean, it's like a wild west here.

[Rory Evans]

Okay. So the over the counter retinoid ingredients react with your body's enzymes to convert into retinoic acid, which is the stuff you're buying prescription strength. And retinaldehyde converts in one step, retinol converts in two, and retinyl palmitate converts in three. So it's sort of like how many steps it takes to become the thing you want it to be. And then sort of the outlier is Adapalene, and that doesn't convert to retinoic acid. And it interacts differently with your skin to limit oil production and to minimize inflammation. It's mostly used in acne treatment, but some people do use it sort of as an anti aging product. And they all come in different strengths and different concentrations.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I want to get into the picks because you have seven I know recommendations in this guide. Some of them are more expensive, some of them are surprisingly inexpensive.

[Rory Evans]

Yes.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So let's briefly walk through the ones you recommend for different skin types and scenarios. Let's start with quote, unquote, mature skin, whatever that means to you. What's your recommendation for mature skin?

[Rory Evans]

Our recommendation for mature skin is Skin medica retinol complex 1.0, which means it's 1% retinol, retinol with an O. And it features one of the strongest versions of of retinol. But despite that strength, it was still able to like, soften the appearance of fine lines without much irritation at all. And it also comes in a range of strengths so that you could ramp up if you wanted to.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And how much is this one?

[Rory Evans]

It's 96 bucks, but the price goes up with the concentration. So you could also start a little bit cheaper and a little bit lower with your concentration.

[Rosie Guerin]

What did people like about it? What did people not like about it?

[Rory Evans]

They liked the texture and they liked how like smooth and spreadable it was. And then that Even at the 1%, it wasn't like rugged on skin. And it has like a slightly sweet fragrance. Some people liked it and some people didn't. And then also some people didn't like the sort of it's in a glass jar, you have no idea how much is left. And then it's a struggle to get everything out.

[Rosie Guerin]

So are there other options that come in a variety of potencies like the skin Medica?

[Rory Evans]

Yes. So medicate. Crystal Retinal. Retinal. So it has retinaldehyde. This one comes in a variety of strengths from 0.01% retinaldehyde to 0.24% retinaldehyde. And our testers really liked the Crystal Retinol 3, which is 0.03% retinaldehyde. They tested that. We also had testers try other strengths. You're not starting with an entirely new product. You're using the same recipe, but, like, the amount of the active is a little bit higher. So that's what we like about it. And that's why we sort of made that pick for if you want to sort of start and then have a little bit of room to grow with it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And how much is that one?

[Rory Evans]

That one is 65 bucks. That's also one that, like. It goes up a little bit as you're getting the higher concentration. People also. Testers really like the packaging on that because it is.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's a tube.

[Rory Evans]

It's almost like the size of, like, a travel toothbrush tube, but it has a pump top and a plastic cap. It can stand on its own in a medicine cabinet. And then as it's getting to the bottom, you can also do that thing

[Christine Cyrclassette]

like you do with the really squeezed tooth.

[Rory Evans]

Yeah. When you're just, like, scraping out.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

What if someone has sensitive skin? What are you gonna recommend then?

[Rory Evans]

We recommend the youth to the people. Retinal A Niacinamide youth serum.

[Rosie Guerin]

What is niacinamide?

[Rory Evans]

Niacinamide is a derivative of vitamin B. It's B3. It's in a lot of skincare products.

[Rosie Guerin]

So talk about youth to the people. Okay, what do you like about it?

[Rory Evans]

It was really good for sensitive skin. One tester is, if you look at his skin wrong, it will react. And this stuff he used every. I want to say he used it every night. Almost every night. And he did not have any reactivity. He only saw benefits.

[Rosie Guerin]

None of the flaking and none of the redness?

[Rory Evans]

No, none of that. And he saw, as did I. Like, it's definitely, like, softened the lines between our noses and under our lips. The nasolabial folds were noticeably less pronounced. I thought that I had gotten Botox in September, and I went to get it again in January. And the nurse was like, oh, we haven't seen you since July. And I was like, what? And literally the only difference to my skincare routine at that point had been using the youth to the people instead of whichever one I'd been using before that. And I was like, okay, I got, like, eight extra weeks out of Botox.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I can just hear people, like, clicking, right?

[Rory Evans]

Yeah. Exactly.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Where's the link? Where's the link?

[Rosie Guerin]

Issue is price.

[Rory Evans]

It's not that expensive. I mean, like, it's $72. It's a lot of dollars, but it's sort of like in line with the other like, like our more expensive picks. This is also 0.15% retinaldehyde. So it's. So it's higher. It's a good amount. Right. And I don't know, I think that, like, the proof is in the Botox pudding or like the. The proof is in the Botox savings.

[Rosie Guerin]

Can we talk about dry skin? What are the recommendations there? Because that's an issue for folks too.

[Rory Evans]

Yes. Especially for a retinol product that can be drying to your skin. So. And I think a lot of people are like, I have dry skin. I can't use it cause it will dry me out even more. So for that, we have Liliana Naturals Retinol cream, which is like, available in store at Target, mostly at Amazon. It's affordable, but it's not a drugstore brand in that you can't just like grab it around the corner. And this one is creamy and it looks a lot like a facial moisturizer. And people like that. And so that was nourished and soothed their skin as well as having retinol benefits. One tester in her late 50s, she had been a chain smoker in her misspent youth. She says she has puckery lines around her lips that show how much she smoked. And she used this and she felt like it had made her feel like those lines weren't as noticeable, which I think is kind of a win.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, definitely. If nothing else, it's a good moisturizer, so. Oh, yeah, exactly.

[Rory Evans]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

The youth, to the people, had niacinamide in it. Does this have other things in it that help with the moisturizing?

[Rory Evans]

It does. It has like, sort of moisturizing all stars, like hyaluronic acid and glycerin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And how much is that one?

[Rory Evans]

That one's 22 bucks.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

That is very reasonable. So you mentioned using a retinol for acne earlier. So what, you have a recommendation for that too? What is that and why do you like it?

[Rory Evans]

It is the La Roche Posay effaclar adapalene gel, 0.1%. So this is sort of the highest that you can get over the counter. When we first published this guide, we did not have an Adapalene in it. We were sort of so focused on anti aging. And then we got like really valuable comments from readers that were like, I use Adapalene to treat as an anti aging.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I use it. That's what I use. Yeah. And that my dermatologist said, great. He gave me a thumbs up and

[Rory Evans]

does have, like, some anti aging benefits. It's not as well studied for anti aging, but, like, if it makes you happy, you know, like, if it works,

[Christine Cyrclassette]

you know, I buy sort of of like a drugstore version of this, and it's very affordable. Why should I consider the La Roche Posay for this, which is more expensive? It's about 40 bucks, I think.

[Rory Evans]

Yes, it's 40 bucks. But the tube is big. And we had our testers tried seven of them. Some of them were $6 a tube, and some of them were $40 a tube, which is the Laroche. And. But it was the Laroche in particular that people felt like it worked really well. It softened the appearance of acne overnight.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Is it, like, softening? What is it doing?

[Rory Evans]

It's just, like, taking down the inflammation, and it's making the acne look not as big, not as red, not as angry.

[Rosie Guerin]

Can we talk about our favorite store, Trader Joe's?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's not my favorite store, but I think it's your favorite store right now.

[Rosie Guerin]

Oh, I meant our, like, society, right?

[Rory Evans]

Exactly.

[Rosie Guerin]

No, it's not even my favorite store. I will say, though, I love the Trader Joe's sunscreen. I am notorious for buying as many boxes of it as I can in the spring. Do they have a retinol?

[Rory Evans]

They do have a retinol. It's one of our picks. People love the texture of it. It's somewhere between a serum and somewhere between a lotion. It rubs into your skin really evenly and smoothly, and it feels really nice on your skin. Doesn't feel like, sticky or tacky. It's on the low side for retinol. It is 0.3% retinol. One of our testers on this one had never used a retinol product before. Sort of like a skincare newbie. She's in her 50s. She tried it against maybe five other products, and this one was her absolute favorite. And she just felt like it was great for her skin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, so drumroll, please. How much is this one? Oh, my God.

[Rory Evans]

This is $10. Okay. It is $10. And I need to, like, call out the packaging because this thing, it feels fancy. It's in, like, a little glass bottle. It has a really nice pump. You know, it's like when you're making a skincare product for people who are mature. Make it so that you can read the bottle.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Big type.

[Rory Evans]

I mean, it's not like, it's not like my dad's pill box, but, like, it's not. Not that the directions are legibly printed on the bottle. And people notice that in testing, it was sort of like the things you don't know you want until it's offered to you. And that is one of them. And I actually use, like, the expensive stuff I use on my crow's feet, forehead, nasolabial folds, and my neck. But then I will use the cheapo stuff on. I'll use a lower. Like a more affordable and maybe lower concentration. Like, I will use the Trader Joe's on my hands a lot.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

That's a great tip.

[Rory Evans]

Anything on me that looks old at this point, I will put retinol, which means, like, just dip me. Dip me by my toenails.

[Rosie Guerin]

There's one more pick in the guide for over the counter options. This one is the drugstore pick. So we're talking something you can find at maybe cvs Walgreens. Rory, talk a little bit about this 1.

[Rory Evans]

The L' Oreal Paris Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol, which our testers loved. They loved the sheerness of it. They loved that it absorbed really well and it dried quickly. We asked all the testers to, like, work this into their nightly routines. And people thought that it was, like, seamlessly mixed in with everything else they were doing.

[Rosie Guerin]

How much is the L' Oreal Paris?

[Rory Evans]

That one is 30 bucks. I mean, and, like, the Liliana is more affordable, but it's harder to come by. But this is, like, really something that you could just grab it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We have learned so much today. I am curious. Kyra isn't in this episode. She usually asks, what's the last thing that you bought that you really love?

[Rory Evans]

I recently bought a Wandersport sun visor for 15 bucks. And it's so in keeping with retinol, it's so in keeping with skincare. The visor is a trifold, but you can't tell that until you fold it. So it literally folds down to be about the size of a pack of cards. I would say I just stuff it in my bag. I like a visor because I often wear my hair in, like, a ponytail or a bun. And this very much allows for it. And it's. It's just amazing.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Rory, it's great to have you on the show.

[Rory Evans]

Thanks for having me.

[Rosie Guerin]

Thanks, Rory.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right. We learned so much about retinol products today.

[Rosie Guerin]

A lot of Good info both from

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Dr. Dhingra at the beginning and then from Rory. So Rosie, what are you taking away?

[Rosie Guerin]

I think I might take a baby step into the world of retinol and try the Trader Joe's brand.

[Rory Evans]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

If only because it's inexpensive. If I like it, there's a whole, clearly a whole world I can wade into. But it feels very low stakes.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. So I have been using using a product for about three or four years. I have actually been kind of curious about talking to my dermatologist about going prescription strength. But I have to tell you that Rory's very hard sell on the youth to the people product made me very curious about that one.

[Rosie Guerin]

I mean her face speaks for itself.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

She looks great.

[Rosie Guerin]

Love it. If you want to find out more about Wirecutter's coverage, if you want to read Rory's writing and reporting on Retinol, head to our website or you can find a link in our show notes. That's it for us. Thanks so much for listening.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Bye.

[Rosie Guerin]

The Wirecutter show is executive produced by me, Rosie Guerin, and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Matty Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson. Original music by Dan Powell, Marian Losan, Alicia Etoupe, Rowan Namisto, Katherine Anderson and Diane Wong. Cliff Levy is Wirecutter's deputy publisher and general manager. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Rosie Guerin]

And I'm Rosie Guerin. Thank you for listening.

[Rory Evans]

Medicaid spelled K with it and then the number eight. And then crystal.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Obviously sounds like maybe like a weed dispensary.

[Rory Evans]

Honestly, I'm not a regular retinol.

[Rosie Guerin]

I'm a cool retinol.

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