Will Retinol Make My Face Fall Off?

Will Retinol make my face fall off? Will I look like Samantha from Sex In The City, after her peel? What is the correct strength of Retinol?  Let's uncover the myths and reveal the facts.

The Facts

• Retinol is for anti-ageing skincare (youthful ageing, as we say) and in the treatment of acne. It is extremely effective.
  
  
• Retinol  comes under the category of ingredients called Retinoids.  Also known as Vitamin A, Retinyl Acetate, Retinoic Acid (can only be prescribed by a dermatologist) Retinyl Palmitate (a stable form that we use).
  
  
• Retinol is known to irritate the skin and cause inflammation, by the very way it works - peeling top layers of skin away. We use the stabilised Vitamin A Palmitate for that reason and combine it with effective anti-inflammatorys; Aroleat Samphira and Mediacalm, so that the irritation is significantly minimised. Thus, Retinol Resurfacing Treatment™ can even be used by many senstive skins.
  
  
• Retinol is only used at night only. It makes skin more susceptible to UV damage and irritation, hence you are advised to always wear and SPF during the day when using Retinols.
  
  
• The legal maximum concentration in Europe, is 0.3%.  In America, higher concentrations are permitted for over the counter sale. However, we know that at 0.3% Retinol is very effective, without causing excessive irritation, inflammation, redness, peeling, flaking etc. that makes you look (and feel) like your face is falling off.  Some of those products can make their way for sale on the internet in Europe, but it is not legal to sell them here and, for good reason - safety!**
  
  
• If you want to seriously address signs of ageing, or if you suffer from acne, spots, congestion or blemishes, Retinol is an excellent ingredient provided, it is used at a maximum of 0.3%, it is formulated like ours with a heap of anti-inflammatory ingredients and you use SPF during the day.

Here's why you should try or switch, to Retinol Resurfacing Treatment™.

• Retinol (Vitamin A Palmitate) is an extremely effective ‘cell- communicating’ active ingredient, which is able to connect to skin cell receptor sites and tell them to behave like healthy, younger skin cells. Vitamin A boosts cell turnover, peeling away top layers, to even skin tone, thicken the new skin layers and effectively smooth out wrinkles. For all these reasons and its ability to regulate sebum, it shows superb results, even for more sensitive skins, acneic skins and helps reduce acne scarring.
  
  
• Retinol is unstable so, we use Vitamin A Palmitate, a stabilised version with proven efficacy.
  
  
• Aroleat Samphira is an incredible active ingredient extracted from Rock Samphire (also known as Sea Fennel). It imitates the beneficial effects of Retinol, but without causing skin irritation. Retinol (Vitamin A) is well known to stimulate inflammation as it works, resulting in redness, flaking, irritation and tightness. Aroleat Samphira has been proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, even out the skin tone, regulate sebum and reduce inflammation.
  
  
• Never before has a Retinol Treatment included Matrixyl 3000. A peptide blend with powerful skin repairing effect. It restores key proteins including fibrillin, which are broken down with ageing.  It works together perfectly with Vitamin A to improve even deeper lines.
  
  
• Mediacalm™ is an active ingredient from Boerhavia Diffusa Root. Thanks to its outstanding calming properties (clinically tested on freshly shaven skin), it restores softness to the skin and provides intense soothing, whilst stimulating the release of anti-irritant neuromediators in the skin.
  
  
• Two different molecular weights of Hyaluronic Acid. Has the double effect of retaining moisture in the epidermis and dermis while also activating the skin’s own beta defensins, that help to prevent the microbial invasion that causes spots.
  
  
• Squalane is a component of the skin’s natural lipid barrier. We use Squalane from Olive Oil origin. This gives a luxurious feel to skin while supporting and reinforcing the skin’s natural moisture barrier.

**In October 2016, the European Commission re-confirmed the maximum permitted Vitamin A (Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate & Retinyl Acetate) levels in cosmetics following a review by its Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). For hand/face creams, the maximum level remains at 0.3%. Higher level of Vitamin A are found in cosmetics from other regions, including USA where creams containing 2% are commonplace, often marketed as the highest dose without needing a prescription. While these may be found entering Europe through online sales and alike, they are in breach of European regulations and effectively illegal. While 2% Vitamin A creams may sound attractive due to the elevated level, there may be serious safety implications. The basis of the European Commission’s 0.3% maximum level is on the back of extensive safety testing, which can be reviewed within it’s published document (ref. SCCS/1576/16). Having reviewed the SCCS data, understanding the efficacy of Vitamin A, and with the safety of consumers being our primary concern, we have no reason to consider the European maximum as anything other than sensible and correct.