Retinal is considered less potent than tretinoin as it requires one step of conversion to start working on our skin. However, with long-term and consistent use, they may give comparable results.
In addition, retinal is available over the counter, while tretinoin is only available by prescription.
Table of Contents
Retinoids have a long history; they were first developed in the 1960s for acne but later were found to be useful for wrinkles too. Today, retinoids are one of the top and most well-studied ingredients to tackle multiple skin problems.
However, the retinoid family has many members: retinol, retinal, retinyl palmitate, tretinoin, adapalene, and so on.
In this article, we will talk about retinal (aka retinaldehyde) and tretinoin (aka retinoic acid, also found in Retin-A) and how they are different.
Comparison Chart
This chart summarizes the main differences between retinal and tretinoin. A detailed explanation is below.
Availability
Retinoid is a big group of vitamin-A derivatives that includes both over-the-counter and prescription-strength retinoids.
- Over-the-counter retinoids include retinol, retinal aka retinaldehyde, retinyl esters, adapalene (0.1%), and other derivatives.
- Prescription-strength retinoids include tretinoin (retinoic acid), tazarotene, adapalene (0.3%), and trifarotene.
Tretinoin comes under different brand names like Retin-A, Renova, Altreno, Atralin, and Retin-A micro (with microspheres). The tretinoin strength varies from 0.01% to 0.1%.
Retinal can be found in over-the-counter products in concentrations ranging from 0.01% to 0.2%. The most commonly available concentrations are 0.05% and 0.1%.
So, you can buy retinal in a store while for tretinoin, you will need a prescription from a doctor.
Potency
Retinoids need to be converted to retinoic acid. Retinoic acid binds to receptors inside the nucleus of the skin cell. By activating these receptors, it can produce various effects by acting on the genes involved in the formation of skin cells and their differentiation.
Tretinoin, which is basically retinoic acid, starts working when applied to the skin without the need for any further changes.
On the other hand, retinal needs to be converted into retinoic acid and then it starts working on the skin.
To summarize, this is how it works:
- Retinal → Retinoic acid → Starts working
- Tretinoin (aka retinoic acid, retin-A) → Starts working
Overall, tretinoin is more potent than retinal.
Stability
Tretinoin is very sensitive to light and one should not use it during the day. The newer formulations with micronized tretinoin and microsphere technology used in Retin-A micro are much more stable. However, some of these forms are more expensive than generic tretinoin.
Retinal is sensitive to light as well. However, the encapsulated forms are considered more stable.
Stability is one of the issues when buying over-the-counter-retinoids like retinal. Make sure to buy a fresh batch, preferably in airtight containers.
Benefits
Let’s talk about how retinal and tretinoin can benefit our skin.
1. Fine lines and wrinkles
Retinal and tretinoin can improve fine lines and wrinkles by several mechanisms.
- By increasing cell turnover, it can improve the texture and make the skin surface smooth.
- Retinoids can preserve or protect our collagen and can also stimulate its formation.
- It can stimulate the formation of new blood vessels which can give a pink glow to the skin.
- These can increase the hydration of the skin by stimulating the formation of natural moisturizing factors like glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).
2. Acne
Both tretinoin and retinal can be useful for acne by:
- Increasing skin cell turnover which prevents plugging of the pores with dead skin cells.
- Decreasing sebum output further helps in preventing the blockage of pores.
- Retinal, in addition, also has antibacterial properties against Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that is linked to acne.
3. Dark spots and melasma
Both retinal and tretinoin can fade dark spots and improve melasma. The two mechanisms include:
- By increasing cell turnover, it can get rid of the skin cells with excess melanin pigment.
- Downregulating tyrosinase transcription results in a decrease in tyrosinase enzyme which is responsible for making melanin pigment in our skin.
4. Keratosis pilaris
Keratosis pilaris refers to the rough and bumpy appearance of the skin, especially the upper arms. Retinoids can improve the appearance and texture of the area affected by keratosis pilaris.
Read more: Keratosis pilaris treatment
5. Stretch marks
Stretch marks can be tough to treat, especially old or white stretch marks. Retinoids, specifically tretinoin, may improve its appearance.
Read more: Retin-A (Tretinoin) for Stretch Marks: Is it Effective?
Side effects
Both tretinoin and retinal can lead to the following side effects:
- Dryness
- Redness
- Peeling or flaking
- Irritation
- Purging (transient increase in acne breakouts)
The side effects are more pronounced with tretinoin especially when you first start using it. A lot of people get only mild side effects from retinal.
There is also one study that showed that when retinal and tretinoin are used long-term (for 44 weeks), side effects like erythema, scaling, and burning were more common with tretinoin than with retinal.
Can retinal give results similar to tretinoin?
When talking about these ingredients, a common topic that comes up is whether retinal is as effective as tretinoin.
Now, tretinoin is considered to be the king of anti-aging. It is strong and effective and comes with side effects. Not everyone can tolerate it (including me).
So, what is our choice to get the gentle but effective option? Here comes “Retinal”.
This is closest to tretinoin as it is just one step away from it as compared to other over-the-counter retinoids which need 2 or 3 steps to get to tretinoin or retinoic acid.
When it comes to comparing tretinoin and retinal, there is very limited data available.
Research data
One study compared 0.05% retinaldehyde cream with a 0.05% retinoic acid cream in patients with photodamaged skin.
Both led to a reduction in wrinkles and surface roughness when evaluated at week 18. The patients were again evaluated at week 44 when the improvement was not as pronounced. However, both groups led to similar results with no significant differences. In addition, retinal was better tolerated as compared to tretinoin.
This is just one study so it is hard to say that both retinal and tretinoin are equally effective. In addition, retinal needs to be converted to retinoic acid by our skin cells and we cannot tell how effectively it is done in an individual.
Which one to choose?
If you have used retinal for over 6 months and do not see the desired results in your acne or wrinkles, it may be best to see a doctor for prescription tretinoin or any prescription retinoid as recommended by your doctor. However, keep in mind that tretinoin can lead to more pronounced side effects,
If you have tried tretinoin and it was too strong for you, maybe give retinal a chance. It is the next best retinoid you can get over-the-counter which is effective and gentle.
(Another retinoid to consider is adapalene, especially if you are dealing with acne. Adapalene at a concentration of 0.1% is available over the counter.)
Switching from retinal to tretinoin
If you have been using retinal for some time and you make a switch to tretinoin (retin-A), you may experience some initial dryness and irritation depending on your skin’s tolerance.
If you have stubborn closed comedones, they may respond better to tretinoin.
In addition, if you have a lot of sun damage, you may notice faster improvement with tretinoin.
How to use
Although retinal is gentle as compared to tretinoin, it still can cause the same side effects. Below are some tips on using these skincare ingredients.
- Do not use multiple retinoids together (like don’t use both tretinoin and retinal at the same time).
- Start slowly by using it a few times a week.
- Use a pea-sized amount for the whole face.
- Apply on a completely dry face.
- If you are new to retinoids, moisturize your face before applying tretinoin or retinal.
- Consider the moisturize sandwich method which includes applying moisturizer, then retinoid, and finally another layer of moisturizer on top.
- Include niacinamide in your routine to reduce side effects.
- Protect your skin from the sun: Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day.
- Do not use retinoids with exfoliating acids like glycolic acid.
Read more: How to Use Retinoids: 18 Tips for Beginners
Key points
Both retinal and tretinoin can do wonders for our skin: tackle acne breakouts, improve fine lines and wrinkles, reduce dark spots, and give a pink glowing complexion.
The main difference between retinal and tretinoin is that tretinoin starts working when applied to the skin, whereas retinal needs to be converted to tretinoin first; therefore, tretinoin is considered more potent than retinal.
Tretinoin is available only by prescription while retinal (retinaldehyde) is available over-the-counter.
However, they both may give similar results when used long-term (although the data is scant). If you want faster results or didn’t have luck with retinal, tretinoin may be a better choice!!
Further reading
- See all the posts on retinoids here.
- The 8 Best retinaldehyde serums
- Tretinoin vs Retin-A
- Tretinoin vs Trifarotene
- Tretinoin vs retinol
- Tretinoin vs adapalene
References
- Creidi P, Vienne MP, Ochonisky S, Lauze C, Turlier V, Lagarde JM, Dupuy P. Profilometric evaluation of photodamage after topical retinaldehyde and retinoic acid treatment. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998 Dec;39(6):960-5. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(98)70270-1. PMID: 9843009.
- Fluhr JW, Vienne MP, Lauze C, Dupuy P, Gehring W, Gloor M. Tolerance profile of retinol, retinaldehyde and retinoic acid under maximized and long-term clinical conditions. Dermatology. 1999;199 Suppl 1:57-60. doi: 10.1159/000051381. PMID: 10473963.
- Pechère M, Germanier L, Siegenthaler G, Pechère JC, Saurat JH. The antibacterial activity of topical retinoids: the case of retinaldehyde. Dermatology. 2002;205(2):153-8. doi: 10.1159/000063903. PMID: 12218231.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for information purposes only and does not replace medical advice.