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Skin-care innovations often arrive at the rate of iPhone updates, with smart new technologies appearing every time you blink. That being said, finding the best retinol serum or cream can be understandably overwhelming. But this anti-aging ingredient shouldn’t fall by the wayside. First used in over-the-counter creams in the ’70s, this powerful form of vitamin A is prized for its proven youth-enhancing results.
Best Retinol Serums and Creams
- Best Retinol for Mature Skin: Lancer Advanced Retinol Treatment, $95
- Best Retinol Cream: SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3, $78
- Best Retinol Serum: Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum, $122
- Best Drugstore: RoC Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Cream, $25
- Best Retinol for Beginners: Glossier Universal Pro-Retinol, $35
- Best Retinol for Pigmentation: Epi.Logic Double Feature Overnight, $140
- Best Retinol Oil: 111Skin Celestial Black Diamond Retinol Oil, $250
“Retinol signals your body to produce collagen and new cells for firmer and smoother skin, while also reducing hyperpigmentation and clogged pores,” says dermatologist Dr. Anne Chapas, of its multitasking capabilities. Still, the superhero ingredient has its drawbacks, namely that it can cause dryness and irritation, especially in the colder months, and has a tendency to become unstable (and therefore ineffective) in the presence of oxygen and light.
That is, until now. The best retinol creams of the moment feature intelligent timed-release technology, anti-inflammatory peptides, ultra-replenishing moisturizers, or even airless pump packaging to keep ingredients lab-fresh. Whether you choose a weightless serum or a line-softening cream, they belong in any anti-aging routine, from the acne-prone to those with sensitive skin. Keep these in rotation year-round or use them once or twice a week for a rejuvenating boost—and watch skin transform. Read on to find Vogue’s edit of the best retinol treatments to consider, compiling favorites from dermatologists and our editors—along with some important ingredient callouts and application best practices.
Best Retinol Serum
- Why We Love It: Powered by a potent 6.5% solution of stabilized retinoid blends and a botanical retinol-alternative extract, Sunday Riley’s serum certainly delivers the best of the vitamin A derivative—working in tandem with conditioning ingredients to keep skin calm and balanced. With consistent use, expect an even, youthful complexion.
- Key Ingredients: Retinoid ester blend 5%, liposome-encapsulated retinol blend 1%, 0.5% blue-green algae, CoQ10, Hawaiian white honey
- Best For: Fine lines, dark spots, dry skin, enlarged pores
- When to Apply: According to Sunday Riley, apply one to two pumps nightly. For those with sensitive skin, follow with a moisturizing oil.
- Why We Love It: This Paula’s Choice has the ability to promote firm, radiant skin sans irritation or redness through its supercharged blend—powered by a high concentration, controlled-release retinol.
- Key Ingredients: 1% retinol, vitamin C, licorice extract
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines
- When to Apply: According to Paula’s Choice, apply this to the face and neck up to three times per week. Follow with sunscreen during the daytime.
- Why We Love It: One of the market’s latest formulas, the Augustinus Bader retinol serum has a dreamy, lightweight texture that manages to condition skin while diminishing the look of fine lines, blemishes, and hyperpigmentation concerns—powered by the acclaimed TFC8 you expect from the brand. When applied at night, skin feels soft, smooth, and firm even by morning.
- Key Ingredients: 0.06% pure retinol, a zinc complex, botanical extracts (manuka, black pepper, and magnolia), marine ectoine, Japanese knotweed extract, TFC8
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, blemishes, hyperpigmentation, oily skin, dry skin
- When to Apply: According to Augustinus Bader, apply this serum to the face, neck, and décolleté.
- Why We Love It: Advanced plant-derived retinol, also known as bakuchiol, and collagen work together to soften the overall look of fine lines and wrinkles, while prickly pear extract plumps skin for a hydrated, smoother glow in Dr. Lancer’s treatment. It also includes the brand’s CoRetinol technology, which takes skin softness to a whole other level, improving the skin’s overall elasticity. Prickly pear is the cherry on top of this plumping formula.
- Key Ingredients: CoRetinol technology (1.25% retinol, bakuchiol, and a soy complex), prickly pear extract, hydrolyzed collagen, squalane
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, uneven texture, dryness, dullness
- When to Apply: According to Lancer, apply a thin layer of this treatment (using upward strokes) to the face, neck, and décolleté.
- Why We Love It: Designed to improve skin tone, texture, and elasticity, SkinMedica’s treatment is a thoughtful addition to any skin-care routine. Retinol works with an antioxidant complex to smooth intense wrinkles and diminish the look of dark spots to improve your complexion over time.
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, a PhytoShield Complex (rich in antioxidants)
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, enlarged pores
- When to Apply: According to SkinMedica, apply this to the entire face in the evening, starting with two to three days between treatments.
- Why We Love It: Celebrity esthetician Shani Darden created this serum as a gentle retinol solution. Through its retinol and AHA-rich blend, expect firmer, smoother skin without pesky irritation or sensitivity.
- Key Ingredients: Encapsulated retinol, lactic acid, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract
- Best For: Sensitive skin, fine lines, wrinkles, bumpy texture, dullness
- When to Apply: According to Shani Darden Skin Care, apply two to three pumps to the face and neck at night. The brand advises against pairing with other AHA products.
- Why We Love It: From board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton’s line Epi.Logic comes the powerhouse overnight treatment—crafted specifically with black and brown skin tones in mind. The aptly named Double Feature pairs the best of retinol and exfoliating acids to keep skin smooth and even.
- Key Ingredients: Time release, encapsulated retinol and vitamin A retinoid, lactic acid, madelic acid, melatonin
- Best For: Hyperpigmentation, fine lines, enlarged pores, dryness
- When to Apply: According to Epi.Logic, apply a pea-sized amount one to two times per week, gradually increasing frequency to your liking.
- Why We Love It: Dr. Gregory Bays Brow’s lauded skin-care label RéVive offers this renewing serum rich in retinol, peptides enzymes, and antioxidants. The Magnifique Serum’s cocktail is known to improve skin’s firmness and fullness in as little as four weeks for a complexion that appears more youthful than before.
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, Bio-Renewal, Bio-Firming, and Bio-Volumizing Peptides
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, pigmentation, bumpy texture, dry skin, dullness
- When to Apply: According to RéVive, apply one to two drops onto the face, neck, décolletage, and hands nightly.
- Why We Love It: Hoping to achieve that signature Glossier glow? Be sure to add its retinol treatment to cart. Designed to benefit new and experienced users of the vitamin A derivative, this well-rounded targets various signs of aging from fine lines to bumpy texture and blemishes.
- Key Ingredients: 0.5% retinyl sunflowerate (a retinol derivative of retinol and sunflower seed fatty acids), stevia extract, mondo grass root extract
- Best For: Beginners, fine lines, enlarged pores, blemishes
- When to Apply: According to Glossier, apply a pea-sized amount of this treatment nightly, followed by a moisturizer. The brand recommends starting with one to two times per week, then gradually increasing frequency to your liking.
- Why We Love It: Want to ensure that your retinol is as effective as the moment it’s packaged? Look no further than Common Heir’s serum which is housed in hand capsules. The formula is designed to be gentle for beginners (or those with sensitive skin), and was even tested on darker skin types. All this to say, it’s a safe bet to improve the firmness and skin clarity of any user.
- Key Ingredients: Retinyl linoleate, squalane, algae oil, huang qi (astragalus propinquus), paracress
- Best For: Beginners, sensitive skin, dry skin, fine lines, inflammation
- When to Apply: According to Common Heir, twist off the capsule and squeeze the serum onto your fingertips. Apply nightly before other active ingredients.
Best Retinol Cream
- Why We Love It: SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3, a favorite of dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe’s, is a less invasive version of the brand’s original cult retinol formula and even includes bisabolol—chamomile extract—to help calm the skin’s irritation. Not to mention, this retinol utilizes a steady-release technology to optimize your treatment.
- Key Ingredients: 0.3% pure retinol, bisabolol (derived from the chamomile plant), boswellia serrata extract (derived from frankincense)
- Best For: Fine lines, dark spots, acne
- When to Apply: According to SkinCeuticals, apply a pea-sized amount to skin at night. The brand recommends using one to two times per week, then gradually increasing frequency to your liking.
- Why We Love It: “Using a retinol cream offers a host of skin benefits, including increasing the rate of skin cell turnover and exfoliating away dead skin cells to reveal healthy, new skin cells,” says dermatologist Dr. Michele Green. She recommends the RoC Retinol Correxion Max Hydration Cream because it “offers the anti-aging benefits of retinol, combined with the ultra-hydrating and soothing benefits of hyaluronic acid.”
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, hyaluronic acid
- Best For: Dry skin, wrinkles
- When to Apply: According to RoC, apply this to the face and neck morning or night. In the AM, the cream should be followed with sunscreen.
Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
- Why We Love It: Drunk Elephant’s lightweight A-Passioni offers a multitude of benefits. The cream is formulated with 1% vegan retinol to exfoliate and erase any wrinkles, pollution, or UV-ray damage, such as dark spots, while vitamin F soothes the skin’s barrier, making it an excellent choice for those with sensitivities.
- Key Ingredients: 1% retinol, peptides, winter cheery juice, kale leaf extract, vitamin F, xanthophylls, botanical oils (virgin marula, passionfruit, apricot, and jojoba)
- Best For: Pigmentation concerns, bumpy texture, dullness, sensitivities
- When to Apply: According to Drunk Elephant, apply a pea size amount to clean skin morning and night. The brand recommends starting with one to two times per week, gradually increasing frequency to your liking.
- Why We Love It: Bottled in an airless pump, the Avène RétrinAL 0.1 Intensive Cream contains retinaldehyde, a less irritating form of vitamin A that stimulates cell turnover and collagen synthesis, along with French thermal spring water to provide anti-inflammatory benefits even for those with very reactive skin.
- Key Ingredients: retinaldehyde, vitamin E, pro-elastin peptide, Avène thermal spring water
- Best For: Wrinkles
- When to Apply: According to Avène, this is best applied to the face, neck, and décolleté at night, followed by sunscreen in the morning.
- Why We Love It: La Roche-Posay’s Redermic R Retinol Cream is packed with not only pure retinol but also skin exfoliants and soothing antioxidants to diminish the signs of aging without irritating sensitive skin.
- Key Ingredients: pure retinol, lipo-hydroxy acid (LHA), glycerin, La Roche-Posay thermal spring water
- Best For: Wrinkles, Fine lines, age spots, premature sun damage
- When to Apply: According to La Roche-Posay, this cream should be applied to the face and neck at night—alone or under moisturizer.
- Why We Love It: Murad’s overnight treatment infuses the brand’s Retinol Tri-Active technology, to minimize fine lines and wrinkles and prevent those you can’t yet see, with red algae (which is filled with peptides) to restore your skin’s desired bounciness.
- Key Ingredients: Retinol Tri-Active Technology (retinoid, time-released retinol, and a retinol booster), niacinamide, and dipeptide
- Best For: Wrinkles, dullness
- When to Apply: According to Murad, apply this cream to the face, neck, and chest nightly.
- Why We Love It: Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream, a pick of dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman’s, “uses hyaluronic acid to help add moisture to the skin,” especially if you’re looking for a drugstore alternative or have sensitive skin—just look for the fragrance-free version. That said, its blend combats fine lines, dark spots, and dullness.
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, hyaluronic acid
- Best For: Dry skin, wrinkles, dark spots
- When to Apply: According to Neutrogena, apply a pearl-sized amount of product to the face and neck twice daily. In the AM, follow with sunscreen.
Best Retinol Oil
- Why We Love It: Designed to optimize your beauty sleep, 111Skin’s Celestial Black Diamond oil promises to rejuvenate dull skin. Blemishes, pigmentation, and wrinkles are just a few of the signs of aging that don’t stand a chance against its sumptuous blend.
- Key Ingredients: 1% retinol, botanical oils, diamond particles
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, age spots
- When to Apply: According to 111Skin, apply two to three drops of the oil nightly, one to three times per week, gradually increasing frequency to your liking. Follow with SPF in the morning.
- Why We Love It: This face oil by La Prairie is as luxurious as they come. Luckily, the oil is as potent as it is indulgent. Powered by caviar lipids and caviar-derived retinol, this promises to lift, smooth lines, and lock in moisture overnight.
- Key Ingredients: Caviar lipids, caviar-derived natural retinol, La Prairie’s Exclusive Cellular Complex
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, dry skin
- When to Apply: According to La Prairie, massage two to four drops nightly across the face and neck.
- Why We Love It: Filled with algae extracts, retinol, and natural sources of vitamin A, Mara’s retinol oil will lessen the appearance of wrinkles and protect the skin’s barrier from harsh environmental stressors. The formula also features hydrating and plumping agents that keep skin looking radiantly supple.
- Key Ingredients: 1.2% retinol, fermented green tea, cacay, algae, brown seaweed, evening primrose
- Best For: Wrinkles, fine lines, enlarged pores, uneven texture, dryness, sensitive skin, acne-prone skin
- When to Apply: According to Mara, apply six to eight drops of the oil in the evening, two to three times per week.
How to Use Retinol
If you plan to introduce retinol into your routine, it is important to consider its implications on your skin. Hartman says the ingredient is safe for all skin types and tones but advises patients with rosacea or overly sensitive skin to consider a retinol alternative, as not to cause further irritation. Think gentle vitamin A derivatives like retinaldehyde, retinoic acid, and retinyl esters or plant-based options like bakuchiol. What’s more, Green emphasizes that retinol is not safe for those breastfeeding or pregnant.
Retinol vs. Retinoid vs. Tretinoin
Those new to the world of this acclaimed ingredient might need a breakdown. Are they the same? Do they have the same efficacy? What’s the benefit of one over the other? To be clear, retinoid is the general term for the group of molecules that react with retinoic acid receptors on the skin to address age spots, texture, and wrinkles. (Retinoic acid is the active form of retinoids that the skin uses for anti-aging and acne-fighting benefits.) “The pure form of retinoic acid can be too harsh on the skin,” explains Green. “To combat potential irritation, scientists developed other forms of retinoids that require additional conversion steps that gradually lead to retinoic acid.” These gentler solutions include retinol, tretinoin, isotretinoin (also known as Accutane), tazarotene, and adapalene. Below, a breakdown of the most common vitamin A forms—along with some general guidance on choosing the best for your skin type—courtesy of Green.
Retinoid: Again, retinoid is the general term, including over-the-counter retinols and prescription-strength retinoids. “Sometimes, retinoid is used to describe Retin-A or tretinoin, which is pure retinoic acid, and requires a prescription by a physician. Other types of retinoids, like tazarotene, also require a prescription. Both retinol and adapalene are available over the counter without a prescription. Retinol and adapalene are gentler than prescription retinoids, making them ideal for dry, sensitive, or mature skin.”