Retinol for beginners: the ultimate guide

The original version of this article was reviewed by dermatogists Dr. Beth McLellan & Dr. Debra Jaliman

Whether you’re skincare obsessed or just starting out with a daily routine, there’s one ingredient you’ve likely heard about – retinol.

Backed by more than 50 years of use by both dermatologists and the wider beauty industry, retinol continues to be the top pick for anti-ageing. But retinol doesn’t just deliver anti-ageing results, it is a superstar ingredient for all skin types and for multiple skin concerns.

Quick breakdown:
What is retinol?
What does retinol do & how does retinol work?
Retinol benefits
When to use retinol in skincare routine
How to use retinol
How often to use retinol
At what age should you start using retinol?
How long does retinol take to work?
Which retinol is best for your skin type?
Retinol side effects
Can you use retinol while pregnant?
Retinol alternatives

What is retinol?

Retinol is just another name for vitamin A and the science shows that it is one of the most effective anti-ageing ingredients in skincare. Retinol is the name for the pure form of vitamin A, but there are many derivates of vitamin A (that we call retinoids).

Vitamin A has a fascinating impact on the skin surface because it works to help restore a more youthful look and feel. When environmental assaults have an impact the skin or when you have signs of ageing, uneven tone, enlarged pores and rough, bumpy skin – retinol seems to intuitively know what your skin needs to minimise those concerns. All by coaching your skin to act in a healthier manner. In short, lots of things about your skin’s appearance can improve when you add retinol to your skincare routine.

Our bodies don’t naturally produce vitamin A, so topical application is the best way to get its benefits. When applying, you might observe a yellow-to-orange colour but be assured that this is completely normal; retinol and retinoids are known for their potent yellow colour as a raw material.

What does retinol do & how does retinol work?

Retinol is effective in so many different ways because it can “talk” to your skin and encourage it to look and feel younger. Retinol works by communicating with retinoid receptors. We all have these receptors in our skin to encourage cell turnover and help boost the skin’s natural production of collagen and elastin (two key factors in keeping skin looking and feeling younger). When retinol talks to these receptors, it also inhibits the factors that lead to the appearance of discolourations.

Topical application of retinol helps normalise the look and feel of skin, working with other ingredients proven to visibly diminish lots of different skin concerns.

Retinol benefits 

When you start using retinol skincare, you’ll observe the often-remarkable visible improvements from this ingredient – no matter your skin type. This is how retinol benefits the skin:

Helping the skin carry out healthier cell turnover (like when it was younger)
Reducing the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles
Improving firmness & elasticity by influencing the skin’s architecture
Promoting a more even skin tone by helping to fade post-breakout marks & discolouration (meaning retinol for spots & sun damage is a good idea)
Minimising concerns like dullness, rough texture, bumps & clogged pores

Support your retinol skincare with other formulas that help increase its effectiveness. This is how you make the most out of retinol. For starters, use a broad-spectrum SPF moisturiser . Even the most effective anti-ageing ingredients won’t deliver the results you want without consistent protection from ageing UV rays.

Remember that one ingredient is NEVER enough to take the best care of your skin. Healthy skin requires a cocktail of supportive ingredients. This is why all our Paula’s Choice retinol and retinoid skincare products contain extra vitally important ingredients to help rejuvenate and sustain the skin’s smooth appearance (like antioxidants, skin-replenishing and skin-restoring ingredients).

When to use retinol

We recommend using retinol in your PM skincare routine, when most people don’t mind adding an extra step or two and when you won’t get sun exposure.

It is okay to keep an AM retinol routine if you always finish with an SPF moisturiser at factor 30 or higher. Though this should be common practice anyway, it is even more important to apply facial sun cream after retinol because retinol helps promote cell turnover, which in turn brings newer skin cells to the surface and these younger skin cells can be more sensitive to sun exposure.

How to use retinol

As always: cleanse, tone and then apply your AHA or BHA exfoliating toner .* You don’t need to wait for it to absorb, just apply the rest of your skincare straight away. Start with the lightest textures first and finish with the thickest.

An example routine order if you choose a lightweight retinol: leave-on exfoliant, fluid retinol formula, thicker treatments and then your moisturiser.

An example if you choose a creamier lotion: leave-on exfoliant, any fluid treatment formulas, then your thick retinol lotion and finally your moisturiser.

If you are new to retinol, a lower concentration (%) retinol serum or cream is a good beginner retinol. It is best to start with 2-3 times a week. When considering how often to use retinol, listen to your skin and increase application 3+ times a week only if you experience no irritation.

If you used retinol before and got great results, consider a medium-strength retinol lotion . For tougher concerns like deep wrinkles and a pronounced uneven skin tone, look to our high strength 1% retinol treatment. 1% retinol isn’t usually recommended for beginners (even though ours is formulated to be gentle on the skin).

You can also alternate between lower and higher retinol strengths , based on how your skin responds. Dermatologist Dr. McLellan says, “I always tell patients ‘There’s a retinol for everyone’ – some of my patients with sensitive skin just need to start slow and build up to stronger versions over time.”

Don’t forget: when you use retinol, apply it to your neck and chest so you get benefits there too. For best results, pair retinol in a routine with:

Additional anti-ageing, skin-rejuvenating ingredients like antioxidants
Visibly skin-restoring ingredients like niacinamide & peptides
Skin-replenishing ingredients like ceramides & hyaluronic acid

*For the best anti-ageing benefits, use an AHA exfoliant and a retinol together. Don’t worry, it’s a myth that retinol exfoliates the skin – people just believe this because some people experience flaking skin with retinol usage (irritant contact dermatitis). It isn’t the same as exfoliation, but retinol can help normalise a decreased rate of surface skin cell shedding.

How often to use retinol

If you’re new to retinol or if you’re trying out a new retinol formula, start with low-strength 2-3 times a week and space out your application to every other night. This gives your skin time to acclimate.

If your skin responds positively to this low and slow approach, gradually increase your retinol use to every other night and then to every night as tolerated. If all goes well and you’re hoping for advanced results, you can repeat this integration process with a higher strength retinol.

Yes, it’s good to use retinol every day and reap the benefits, plus you can choose between AM and PM depending on your expectation of sun exposure. But remember that retinol doesn’t need to be applied twice a day and you don’t need a lot of retinol either. You can follow the recommendation on your product’s packaging, though a little really goes a long way with retinol. We recommend just a pea-sized amount, applied in a thin layer.

At what age should you start using retinol?

The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends starting retinol (and other vitamin A derivatives) in your 20s if you want to use it for anti-ageing purposes. This is their recommendation because only at that stage does the skin cell turnover process slow down. Adding retinol to your skincare routine during your 20s can help combat this decreased cell turnover rate, and in turn, promote healthy and younger-looking skin. Using retinol before your 20s won’t give many anti-ageing results because, in general, your skin health is still doing well at this time.

Although teenagers don’t need to use retinol for anti-ageing purposes, some teens with breakout-prone skin choose retinol to help combat bumpy texture and clogged pores. We recommend a chat with your GP if you’re looking to use retinol before your 20s to tackle acne-prone concerns.

How long does retinol take to work?

The strength of the retinol formula and the frequency of your usage decides how long it’ll take before you start to see results. Some people notice a visible difference in just a few days but usually it’s about 4-6 weeks. Patience is key when it comes to retinol!

If you’re wondering whether your retinol is working at all before the 4-6 week mark, you’ll know the formula is effective if you see:

More even skin texture (like fewer bumps & clogged pores)
More even skin tone
Brighter skin
With continued usage, a visible reduction in fine lines & wrinkles usually occurs around 12 weeks

Results only get better with time so keep going!

Which retinol is best for your skin type?

Trying to decide which retinol is best depends on more than just skin type, so let’s break down how to choose retinol:

Packaging: retinol is sensitive to air & light exposure which means formulas become ineffective when packaged in jars or clear containers, so choose retinol in opaque, airless & air-restrictive containers
Avoid fragrance: retinol with fragrance can increase the likelihood of unwanted side effects as volatile aromatic compounds can cause irritation
Avoid drying alcohols: any retinol formulas with SD alcohol or denatured alcohol can wreak havoc on the substances that skin needs to stay healthy
Choose according to skin type: match the formula’s texture to what is right for your skin type – creams for dry skin, lotions for normal to combination skin, serums & gels for oily to congested skin
Choose the cocktail approach: retinol works best when its formula is supported with antioxidants, skin-restoring & skin-replenishing ingredients
Experiment: if an over-the-counter retinol formula doesn’t seem to be working well for you after a few weeks, try a different formula (you could need the above or below)
Know your retinol alternative options: try formulas with retinyl palmitate, retinaldehyde, retinyl retinoate & retinyl propionate if retinol in pure form isn’t working for you (though retinol is backed by the most research)

Retinol side effects

There’s extensive research supporting retinol’s safety in topical application. Most people’s skin can tolerate retinol when they choose a skincare formula with soothing ingredients and without fragrance or irritants. Still, retinol is a potent and bio-active ingredient that can cause side effects for some people. This is what you can look out for:

Redness
Peeling or scaliness
Sensitivity or a tight sensation
Increased sensitivity to the sun (mitigate the chance & always use an SPF 30+)
A period of skin purging (due to the increased cell turnover)

If you experience any of these concerns, experiment with your retinol usage and application technique. It could be that your skin can only tolerate retinol 1-2 times a week, rather than once a day. Tweaking your application technique and “buffering” your retinol product can also help tolerability, eg. applying a moisturiser or facial oil before retinol.

You could also be more sensitive to higher concentrations of retinol, which means it’d be better to choose a lower percentage. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid retinol altogether – the science shows that retinol in amounts as small as 0.1% can still have a visible impact on your skin!

Can you use retinol while pregnant?

Currently, there isn’t a direct link between retinol and issues related to pregnancy and breastfeeding. But because retinol is linked to tretinoin,* it is safest to avoid retinol during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Thankfully, there are plenty of other effective skincare ingredients proven safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It’s a good idea to check with your GP when it comes to topical application of different active ingredients.

*Tretinoin has limited research indicating issues with its use.

Retinol alternatives

If you have tried lower concentrations of retinol and a reduced application schedule but you are still experiencing issues, it could mean that retinol is just not a fit for you. Don’t panic, if you think you should avoid retinol in general, there are still other ingredients that can have a similar impact on signs of ageing.

An alternative to retinol is bakuchiol , which targets many of the same concerns like lack of firmness, discolourations and wrinkles. Peptides are also a good alternative. While they don’t work in quite the same way as retinol, peptides also communicate with the skin and tell it to increase substances within the skin that will help with a younger look and feel.

That said, if you haven’t tried retinol before, or if you are still trying to find the right formula, we encourage you to keep experimenting and check your results over time.