“Am I too young to use retinol?”: The most common retinol questions, answered
IMAGE VIA @MECCAMAX/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
“We strongly believe that each and every one of us should use at least one vitamin A-based product every day.”
We’re all miniature scientists these days. Despite the lack of a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, I pride myself on my knowledge and interest in skincare. I saw a Tweet a while back that corroborated this, saying skincare is like conducting science experiments, just on ourselves. Phrased this way, I would’ve paid more attention to Year 9 science.
In the same breath, the internet is now our classroom. As hard as I try to untangle and decode passing beauty trends and mistakes, I know I can’t do it solo. When I was presented with the opportunity to chat with Lars Fredriksson, the CEO and founder of Verso Skincare, I knew I had to make the most of it.
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The Swedish brand launched in 2013, and with it, changed the way we perceive and use retinol. It’s a brand that believes we should all use at least one vitamin A product in every skincare routine, which sounds intimidating to those who are yet to familiarise themselves with the ingredient.
There’s a lot of misinformation and fear-mongering when it comes to retinol. In an attempt to answer the most common questions vitamin A comes up against, I decided to quiz Lars himself.
What does retinol actually do?
The best way to explain this is that retinol makes your skin cells behave like [they’re] young. It improves and increases cellular turnover and with that comes so many great benefits. I think that even though you might not have visibly, totally-damaged skin in terms of fine lines and wrinkles, you could absolutely benefit [from] it. You always need to make sure of having enough hydration in a good moisturiser to really make sure that you get the best effect.
At what age should you start using retinol?
That’s the $1,000 question! I think it all depends on [your] expectations. When it comes to [vitamin A’s] purest form, retinoic acid, it [can be] prescribed for acne. So, if there is a teenager having issues with breakouts, I would say that you can definitely start with vitamin A.
But if you[‘re using it] for other reasons [like reducing the appearance of fine lines]… a 20-year-old would most likely not yet experience or see any photodamaged skin. So I think that [starting retinol in your] early thirties, you [may] really see and notice [its] benefits. That being said, it’s not wrong to start early, but I think the money could be spent elsewhere. We strongly believe that each and every one of us should use at least one vitamin A-based product every day.
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Can retinol be used as an ageing preventative?
I don’t think there is really any good data on that. I think that we know retinol has some really great benefits when it comes to treating photodamaged skin, absolutely. When it comes to other preventative [options], I think vitamin C is a very good alternative.
What can you do when you’re experiencing a retinol purge?
Overall, anyone that is not used to using pharmaceutical or high-efficacy skincare products should gradually increase [their usage], start[ing] every third day. I recommend speaking to the stockist [about] what a normal feeling is – a slight tingling effect is normal – and when is it not normal. A tendency when it comes to vitamin A is that it can dry out the skin. Dryness and sometimes flakiness and redness can be handled with extra hydration and moisture.
If someone starts with a high concentration of retinol, it might give them a higher risk of an unwanted effect, compared to if you go to the mass market and buy a product with retinyl palmitate which would most likely not give a reaction and might not even give any big effect either. But, you know, it’s still vitamin A. What we have done and continuously are doing is [working out] how can we provide an effective vitamin A that will give these wanted effects without giving any unwanted effects – or at least lower [them] as much as possible.
What should we avoid when using retinol?
There are two times when we say that you should avoid it. The first thing is if you’ve done a strong peel because it’s going to hurt. The other thing is that don’t go out in the sun immediately. It’s just going to be useless, [you’d be] just throwing money [away].
That being said, if you want to use vitamin A during the day, make sure that you’re putting it on [with plenty of] time before you go out. Make sure that you add a good sunscreen on top of it when you go out. I would preferably recommend a sunscreen with some really good antioxidants in it because that will also help prevent any sun damage.
This article was originally published on March 16, 2023.
Verso Skincare is exclusively stocked at Mecca.
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