Why most retinol creams are too harsh to stick with

If you've read anything about skincare, you've met retinol. It's the most researched renewal ingredient in dermatology, with clinical studies showing that it speeds up cell turnover and supports collagen production [1, 2]. You've probably also lived the problem that comes with it. Many retinol products chase headline strength, and the result is redness, flaking and a fortnight of discomfort that ends with the jar abandoned in a drawer. The uncomfortable truth is that the strongest product in the world achieves nothing if your skin won't let you use it.

We designed around that. In a randomised, double-blind clinical trial published in the British Journal of Dermatology, bakuchiol, a plant-derived compound, produced improvements in wrinkles and pigmentation comparable to retinol, with better tolerability [3]. Rather than picking a side between the proven classic and the gentle newcomer, our Radiance Repair Cream pairs them. Retinol at a considered 0.05 percent works alongside bakuchiol at 0.1 percent, a combination chosen to get the renewal benefits while keeping things comfortable for sensitive skin. The cream you can happily use every night will always achieve more than the stronger one you give up on.

The rest of the formula is there to support that work, not to pad out the label. Five signal peptides, including copper tripeptide, which has a substantial body of research on collagen production and skin regeneration [4], help keep skin firm. Niacinamide at 2.8 percent strengthens the barrier by increasing the skin's own ceramide production, an effect shown in research published in the British Journal of Dermatology [5]. A full 5 percent of alpine edelweiss extract, grown sustainably in plant cell culture and studied for its antioxidant and skin-improving effects [6], protects, while ceramide and shea butter seal everything in overnight.

Try it yourself

Give the cream the two-week consistency test that harsh products fail. Apply it nightly for fourteen nights in a row (building up from 2 to 3 nights a week if you're new to retinol) and keep a simple note of two things: how your skin feels each morning, and whether you see any of the redness or flaking you may have had with stronger retinol products. What you're looking for is partly what you see, smoother and fresher-looking skin, and partly what you never see at all.

References

1. Kafi R, Kwak HS, Schumacher WE, et al. Improvement of naturally aged skin with vitamin A (retinol). Archives of Dermatology. 2007;143(5):606 to 612.

2. Mukherjee S, Date A, Patravale V, et al. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clinical Interventions in Aging. 2006;1(4):327 to 348.

3. Dhaliwal S, Rybak I, Ellis SR, et al. Prospective, randomized, double blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. British Journal of Dermatology. 2019;180(2):289 to 296.

4. Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018;19(7):1987. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19071987

5. Tanno O, Ota Y, Kitamura N, Katsube T, Inoue S. Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrier. British Journal of Dermatology. 2000;143(3):524 to 531.

6. Cho WK, Kim HI, Kim SY, et al. Anti-aging effects of Leontopodium alpinum (Edelweiss) callus culture extract through transcriptome profiling. Genes. 2020;11(2):230. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11020230