Retinal and Retinol: Confused? Come and see, I'll explain it all in one article!

1. What is retinol/retinal?

Retinal and retinol are both vitamin A derivatives, also known as retinoic acid.

Retinic acid comes from vitamin A and helps support the production of natural collagen, making skin smoother and younger. In fact, our bodies don't naturally produce vitamin A, meaning the only way to obtain it is through food, supplements, or topical skincare.

As for the downsides, using either retinol or retinal can cause dermatitis, manifesting as redness, sensitivity, dryness, and peeling. They also make the skin more "fragile," meaning it may be more easily irritated or prone to inflammation.

It's important to stop using retinol or retinal a few days to a week before undergoing any treatment that might irritate the skin, such as hair removal, peeling, or laser treatments.

2. What's the Difference Between Retinol and retinaldehyde?

First, our bodies must convert both retinol and retinal into retinoic acid, the active form of vitamin A, which revitalizes your skin.

Retinaldehyde converts to retinoic acid about 10 times faster than retinol. Retinol must be converted to retinal, and then to retinoic acid, before it can be applied to the skin.

Therefore, retinol requires two steps to convert, while retinal only requires one. This allows it to be converted to retinoic acid much faster.

Secondly, retinaldehyde works faster than retinol, and therefore may be more effective, but also more irritating. However, retinaldehyde is less stable than retinol. Our company uses liposomes to encapsulate retinaldehyde in nano-encapsulation to improve its stability and bioavailability.

3 What is Retinaldehyde?

3.1 The Effects of Retinaldehyde

The most significant effect of retinaldehyde is its ability to stimulate natural collagen production in the skin, helping to reduce wrinkles and making the skin look and feel smoother and firmer. Collagen helps enhance skin elasticity, making healthy skin look firmer and softer. If you imagine the skin as a mattress, then collagen fibers are the springs. It also helps accelerate the skin's natural renewal process, making skin tone look more even.

After using retinaldehyde twice daily for 12 weeks, there are significant improvements in skin texture, fine lines, hydration, and transepidermal water loss. Retinaldehyde is generally recommended for skin whitening and stimulating collagen production, but it is less suitable for acne.

3.2 Who is Retinaldehyde Suitable For?
Retinaldehyde is ideal for those who want something more effective than retinol but aren't ready to use prescription retinoic acid.

It's suitable for most skin types, but if you have sensitive skin, stick with retinol until your skin is fully accustomed to its effects.

3.3 What Qualities Should an Effective Retinaldehyde Product Meet?

Since retinaldehyde products are considered cosmetics, concentrations don't need to be listed on the packaging. In serum or cream formulations, the retinaldehyde content is typically no more than 0.1%. As mentioned above, retinaldehyde is used less frequently in cosmetics than retinol because it's less stable. Therefore, it's recommended to look for terms like "stabilized" or "encapsulated" on the packaging or product description.

Additionally, you shouldn't compare the concentration of retinaldehyde (if listed) to other vitamin A derivatives, as these ingredients are not equivalent. These ingredients differ from prescription retinoic acid (such as tretinoin), which has a concentration between 0.01-0.1% and may be more potent.

4. How to Use Correctly

4.1 Frequency of Use

If this is your first time using retinaldehyde, your skin may need an adjustment period. I recommend starting slowly, gradually incorporating retinaldehyde into your nighttime skincare routine. Here is a suggested starting schedule:

Week 1: Use every three nights.

Week 2: Use every other night.

From Week 3 onwards, if your skin feels comfortable, you can use it every night.

If you find that your skin doesn't respond well to increasing the frequency of use, return to the frequency that your skin is comfortable with.

4.2 Timing of Use

It is recommended to use retinol or retinaldehyde products at night because they can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight, and these two ingredients themselves may be unstable in sunlight, so sun protection is very important.

4.3 Contraindications

4.3.1 Which products should not be used with retinol/retinaldehyde?

When you have a rash or your skin is irritated, it is best to avoid using retinol and retinaldehyde, as they may worsen the condition.

Avoid using retinol and retinal simultaneously with other skincare ingredients that may irritate the skin, such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide.

4.3.2 So what products pair well with retinol and retinal?

Moisturizing products. Using these two ingredients with hyaluronic acid is highly recommended.

5. Summary

Conversion Efficiency: Retinaldehyde converts to active retinoic acid more efficiently than retinol because it only requires one conversion step.

Stability: Retinol is more stable than retinal, which is easily degraded by light and air.

Irritation: Retinaldehyde is generally more irritating than retinol.

Use Scope: Due to stability and formulation difficulties, retinal is not as widely used in skincare products as retinol.

Effects: Both are effective in improving skin aging, but retinal may be better at improving pigmentation.

Safety: Both are safe, but high-concentration formulations should be used with caution on sensitive skin.

Photoprotection: Retinol has good antioxidant and photoprotective properties.