Meet Retinal, The Supercharged Retinol Product That You May Be Sleeping On

It feels like not a day goes by without a new buzzy skin care ingredient popping up, sending beauty-lovers into overdrive. And while those of us devoted to skin care products have been familiar with the active ingredient retinol (the most popular form of vitamin A) for a while, I’m starting to see more and more products made with retinal, and have been curious to learn what, if any, differences there are between these two ingredients.

It turns out retinal is stronger and works faster than retinol to turn over skin cells, according to Dr. Deanne Mraz, a board-certified dermatologist at Modern Dermatology in Connecticut and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. This is because after it’s applied, all retinol is first converted to retinal and then into retinoic acid before it works its magic on the skin. Since they are essentially skipping the first “step,” retinals have a faster, more direct route to getting to work.

Even though they “essentially work the same and have the same benefits to the skin, the key difference is the speed at which they work and how quickly you can expect to see results,” Mraz said. But this doesn’t mean that one is necessarily better or more effective than the other. She noted that while you may see results quicker with retinal, you may be better off with retinol if retinal is causing irritation and excessive dryness. Not all faces can tolerate daily use, and you may want to start with a gentler form of this popular ingredient that you can use more often.

“When it comes to skincare,” Mraz said, “consistency is key for efficacy, and it’s a matter of finding what works best for your skin — which can change seasonally and based on hormonal fluctuations.”

Mraz