I’m on the train to Connecticut. Over the past year, it’s felt like a surreal experience on most journeys “home” to see my family.

I recall the handful of times at the height of the pandemic last April and May when I knew even being on this train was immensely risky. Sitting in a confined space with people I don’t know, even masked, was contrary to everything we were told to do — everything we needed to do to stay alive.

But it was somehow a risk worth taking, one I had to take.

Honestly, I just had to get out, had to get away for a day. The constant sirens, the refrigerated trailer trucks in front of Brooklyn Hospital across the street, disinfecting my sneakers and washing off the groceries. The whole thing felt like wading through molasses. Speaking of molasses, there was a whole lot of baking for no one but Orpheus and me. He wouldn’t do more than glare at a cupcake if I put it in his dish!

And here I am feeling not the least bit skittish, like a cat. Even given the increased number of people around me on the train right now. During those dark days of spring 2020, I often shared the train car with nary a soul, had it all to myself as far as the eye could see. A car that on any normal Saturday morning would be packed with dozens of people — their knees and shoulders right up against mine. Eww.

The green shoots of normalcy are popping up everywhere. I even ventured out to meet up with a friend for lunch in the City again this week. We went back to the vegan Chinese restaurant where the soy in the food triggered a migraine a few hours later. (I needed a do-over!) This time, I asked the waiter to tell me which menu items were safe and soy-free. It worked like a charm!

Sometimes feeling normal takes just a little extra effort….

The skincare stuff starts here.

Two weeks ago, I pushed past my limits to craft the first of two long deliberated upon articles on my favorite Retinol products. I use “favorite” loosely as I’m not the biggest fan of Retinol to begin with. So, it’s taken me a long time, over an arduous journey, to arrive at a collection of what I truly consider the best retinol face creams, best retinol serums and even the best eye creams with retinol that I felt comfortable enough to recommend.

That first piece was titled, Retinol, Retinoids, Retinoic Acid Part One: Best Retinol Serums, Best Retinol Creams From Paula's Choice, Wander Beauty And First Aid Beauty. In part one, I reviewed the gentler five of my top ten recommendations, including two innovative face creams that combine Retinol with Bakuchiol.

RETINOL, RETINOIDS, RETINOIC ACID PART ONE: BEST RETINOL CREAMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, FIRST AID BEAUTY AND MORE!

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The first five recos included the Wander Beauty Do Not Disturb Overnight Repair Concentrate, the Paula’s Choice 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment and Paula’s Choice Ceramide-Enriched Firming Eye Cream — one of the best Retinol eye creams I’ve come across. For sensitive skin types, there’s First Aid Beauty’s FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% Pure Concentrate. And, another Retinol-Bakuchiol combo, The Clinical Beauty’s 0.3% Retinol and 3% Bakuchiol Creamserum. It’s an extraordinary skincare formulation that you don’t want to miss!

If you’re curious about each of these, you can catch part one here; though the information on the various forms of retinoids, their differences and benefits is the same in parts one and two.

My first real experience with Retinol was the Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment. To me, that’s the OG of Retinol products. Much like the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster is my OG Niacinamide serum — and perhaps the best anti-aging serum ever. (Psst…I’ve reviewed it on the blog here.)

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE 10% NIACINAMIDE BOOSTER – THE BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM

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Paula’s 1% Retinol Treatment made Retinol an indispensable part of my regular skincare routine. My first experience with it was like playing with fire. Retinol is like that. You have to proceed with caution. Many people build up a tolerance for it that allows them to use it daily.

Not me.

I can use a Retinol treatment once, sometimes twice, a week. You have to find your own balance. It took me a long time to accept that I wasn’t going to work up to daily use — and didn’t need to.

What Is Retinol and What Does Retinol Do for the Skin?

It’s commonly accepted that Retinol and retinoids, more specifically, are the gold standard in anti-aging. Like Vitamin C and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), the Vitamin A derivative has multiple pro-skin health, anti-aging benefits. Among them are the smoothing of lines and wrinkles, potent antioxidant defense and visible skin firming. As with Niacinamide, topical retinoids — as all derivatives of Vitamin A are referred to — can even minimize the appearance of pores and defend skin against aging environmental damage.

There’s a superb piece on retinoids by the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, The Complete Guide To Retinol: The Anti-Aging (And Anti-Acne) Hero — which you can catch here. Here is what I found most salient:

Retinol is classified as a Cell-Communicating Ingredient, which means that it can tell a skin cell how to behave. Retinol ‘tells’ developing skin cell in the lower layers of the skin – called the dermis, to develop normally, instead of a sun-damaged or genetically malformed skin cell. This is how, over time, Retinol can address multiple skin concerns.
Another way Retinol works is also by telling the older cells in the upper layer of skin to die quicker which in turn allows the newer, healthier skin to surface faster. This quicker skin cell turnover rate, paired with cell communicating abilities is what makes Retinol such a superstar!
There are many derivatives and strengths of retinoids available in both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription products today. The term “Retinol” is the name of the purest form of Vitamin A, and used most often to refer to the non-prescription version of Retinoids.
However, Retinol itself is not active. It has to go through a conversion process in the skin to get to the active form which is then usable by the skin.
Retinyl Palmitate –> Retinol — > Retinaldehyde –> All-Trans-Retinoic Acid (Tretinoin)

There are many forms of retinoids used in skincare today and it can get confusing. Brands and their formulators have multiple format options in seemingly infinite concentrations, depending on the formulation and the product’s claims positioning. Here is a breakdown of the most common forms with a brief description.

Retinyl Palmitate

This form of Vitamin A is created by combining Retinol, or pure Vitamin A, and palmitic acid – a saturated fatty acid derived from palm oil. Retinyl Palmitate is actually naturally occurring in the skin. Because of the lengthy conversion process required within the skin, it’s the least effective of the retinoids. As the weakest form, it’s also generally the most well tolerated.

Retinyl Palmitate gets a bad rap and is on the clean beauty ingredient hit lists of both Sephora and Credo, meaning a formula that contains it cannot be classified as “clean”. According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, the claims that it’s unsafe are “based on a study from nearly 20 years ago that has never been reproduced or tested under real-life conditions such as how people use sunscreens that contain this ingredient.”

Retinol

The term “retinol” has become the catch-all for all forms of retinoids in skincare marketing. To be exact, Retinol is the name for the entire vitamin A molecule and the purest form of the antioxidant vitamin. While its anti-aging benefits are proven, it also has legitimate downsides; notably, Retinol can cause extreme sensitization, irritation, redness, dryness and unsightly flaking of the skin.

What causes Retinol irritation? Well, in order to achieve the unparalleled results of Retinol, the molecule must go through a lengthy molecular transformation in the skin as it converts to retinoic acid. It is this conversion process that causes the significant downsides associated with Retinol.

Ironically, while it’s known for causing skin sensitivity, Retinol is also quite sensitive itself. It needs to be packaged in an opaque, air-tight pump as it easily degrades in the presence of light and air. Just like its BFF Vitamin C!

Retinaldehyde (Retinal)

Retinal is even more potent and effective on the retinoid scale than Retinol itself. Interestingly, “Retinaldehyde has promise in being an anti-acne treatment, without the same harsh side effects of its prescription cousins.”

Because it is perhaps the most expensive of the retinoid class, it’s seldom used in topical skincare products — and is reserved for the savvy marketers who want their Retinol treatment to sound unique and to boast the highest efficacy without a prescription. The default is most often to formulate with the less expensive Retinol. Because of its higher potency, Retinaldehyde is used in lower concentrations, which can give the impression that the formula is weaker from a marketing perspective.

Retinyl Retinoate

This synthetic form of Vitamin A is part of a new generation of retinoids. Because of its slower conversion in the skin into Retinoic Acid, studies have shown it to be less problematic for skin than Retinol and pure form of topical Retinoic Acid — more commonly known as Tretinoin or Retin-A.

Because of the serious downsides of using Retinol, Retinyl Retinoate may become increasingly popular in the years ahead.

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) or Granactive Retinoid

Marketed as Granactive Retinoid, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) is the newest and most promising member of the class of anti-aging retinoids. HPR is an ester of retinoic acid with benefits on par with prescription-strength retinoic acid, commonly known as Tretinoin or Retin-A. The greatest benefit is that HPR is more readily tolerated by the skin, with none of the side effects of Retinol or retinoic acid — including irritation, sensitivity, dryness and flakiness.

How is it possible to have the upside without the downside? In order for the skin to benefit from Retinol, the Vitamin A molecule goes through a transformation process as it converts to retinoic acid in the skin. It is this conversion that leads to the irritation common to Retinol. Hydroxypinacolone retinoate does not require a lengthy conversion in order to achieve the sought-after anti-aging benefits of Retinol, making it far more tolerable.

Tretinoin / Retin-A

With Retinyl Palmitate at the low end of the retinoid scale, Tretinoin (or Retin-A) is at the exact opposite end — the strongest of the retinoids known as retinoic acid, the generic name for synthetic Vitamin A. Tretinoin is only available by prescription in most countries — except notably, Mexico, where its access is quite pervasive. Even I have been caught up in grabbing tubes of Retin-A at the airport before my flights home.

While Tretinoin is commonly used to treat signs of aging including fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots, the versatile medication is also an effective treatment for acne and sun-damaged skin. According to the Healthline website, “It may sound counterintuitive, but tretinoin works by irritating the skin. Tretinoin is able to speed up the life cycle of skin cells. It makes them divide faster and die faster, so newer, healthier cells can take their place.”

Let’s take a look at the next five of my retinoid product recommendations in my two-part series on the best anti-aging serums, face creams and eye creams with Retinol (and other retinoids!)…

Sobel Skin Rx | 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment

What I believe to be the top-selling treatment from New York dermatologist Dr. Howard Sobel’s new brand, the Sobel Skin Rx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment is a legit anti-aging cream with Retinol. After all, it sits right at the top of the search results on the Sephora website.

Out of all of today’s most popular skincare trends, anti-aging Retinol is perhaps one of the most serious (and potent!) topical treatments to come out of the dermatologist office. In fact, the purest, most effective form of the anti-aging retinoid molecule, Retin-A, still requires a prescription.

As crazy as it sounds, I know a lot of people who bring back tubes of prescription-strength retinoid creams like Retin-A from trips to Mexico. If you’ve ever been, you know there are displays of Retin-A boxes throughout the airports in Mexican cities — piled high at checkout stands. I’m guilty of picking up a few myself for friends and family.

So, I completely get the appeal of an intense treatment like the Sobel Skin Rx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment — and why it’s atop Sephora’s best-sellers.

I haven’t had great luck with Tretinoin, the powerful prescription medication also known as Retin-A. That said, a concentration of 4.5% Retinol is a lot for an OTC skincare product and I have proceeded with the utmost caution when using it.

It terrifies me for good reason.

So, when testing it out, I applied Dr. Sobel’s 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment formula every third night or so — and haven’t even dared to try it on consecutive nights. I could tell I was pushing it when my skin started acting up. I know my skin, and I know it’s just too much for me.

Like the other treatments in the Sobel Skin Rx collection, the 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment contains a complex of skin-soothing actives, including Aloe Barbadnesis Leaf Extract and Chamomile Extract. I love that Dr. Sobel is concerned about how skin will react to his hyper-active treatments. Without the personal care his patients are accustomed to receiving at his NYC practice, he knows they’re on their own, with the danger that entails.

Dr. Sobel’s new Retinol treatment isn’t only powered by Retinol, perhaps the best anti-aging treatment for all skin types and skin concerns. The 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment also contains an anti-aging complex of ceramides and peptides to plump and nourish skin.

It’s not for the faint of heart; but if you’re looking for a solid anti-aging treatment without having to fly all the way to Mexico to get it, you may want to consider the Sobel Skin Rx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment. This is one serious Retinol treatment.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Sobel Skin Rx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment for $105 here.

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**Sobel Skin Rx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment**
**Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream**
**The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane**
**The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane**
**Shani Darden Retinol Reform**
**Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick**
**Curology Custom Superbottle**

Drunk Elephant | A-Passioni Retinol Cream

When I first picked this Retinol treatment up from Sephora, I asked myself, “Did I really just spend $74 for a one-ounce tube of cream?” I often say when asked that the most I would ever spend for a skincare product is $70. And the most expensive face cream that I think anyone should ever shell out that kind of money for is, ironically, Drunk Elephant’s Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer — at $68.

So the real question here is whether the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream is even worth $74 for what is touted as one of the best face creams with Retinol. With a ridiculous 63 ingredients in the formula, you have to ask yourself why. Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that. Sixty three ingredients is borderline insane. That’s more than one dollar per ingredient!

All kidding aside, A-Passioni is a very complex formula and it does work as intended. Especially if you feel that a Retinol treatment needs to irritate your skin as a sign that it’s working. Ouch!

But I’m not sure that Drunk Elephant has done a good job of marketing it well.

They’ve been on this big kick over the last year of recommending that Drunk Elephant fans “cocktail” multiple products — blending A-Passioni, for instance, with the Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer and B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum. The point is to get people to buy into a DE regimen by buying more of their skin care — which makes sense from a greedy marketer’s perspective.

This exact thing made beauty guru, aesthetician, and fellow skinfluencer Caroline Hirons’ head explode in her blog not too long ago. To be honest, it’s completely unnecessary to layer the A-Passioni Retinol Cream with anything. And it’s kinda crazy to formulate a 1% Retinol treatment with 62 other ingredients, too.

That said, the stuff really does work. Though I prefer using a straight-up Retinol serum in my regimen, there’s something to say about a potent, well-rounded Retinol cream that does the trick. And especially if your skin is conditioned to tolerate a high concentration of Retinol.

It’s best to think of A-Passioni as a powerful anti-aging cream that does all you need on its own. There are plenty of pricy anti-aging creams from La Mer, La Prairie, Chanel, Lancôme and Lauder that couldn’t even be remotely described as “anti-aging”. (Psst…most of their anti-aging clinicals come from a moisturizing benefit that gives consumers the feeling that their skin is softer and thus the product is working.)

THE SKINCARMA CHALLENGE: CULT MOISTURIZER EGYPTIAN MAGIC VS. DRUNK ELEPHANT PROTINI

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When I initially tested out Drunk Elephant’s A-Passioni Retinol Cream, I really stuck with it, using it three to four times a week over two weeks. In fact, I even used it two nights in a row and found it as sensitizing as I expected it to be. It works. Period. No need to “cocktail” it with anything.

Is Drunk Elephant’s A-Passioni Retinol Cream worth $74? It is if you’re a Drunk Elephant fanatic and you want it badly enough. And at least you’re paying for something that actually works — unlike a jar of Crème de la Mer Moisturizer which, at $190 for a one-ounce jar, does little more than make you think it’s doing a whole lot more than it actually is.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream for $74 here.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: DRUNK ELEPHANT PROTINI POLYPEPTIDE MOISTURIZER – BEST ANTI-AGING MOISTURIZER

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The Ordinary | Granactive Retinoid 2%/5% in Squalane

Okay, so who doesn’t have a love-hate relationship with Retinol? It’s a rather complicated ingredient with multiple forms in varying strengths. And as they do with Vitamin C serums, Deciem’s The Ordinary seems to rule the category with multiple options. Among the more popular are the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion and the dual Granactive Retinoid serums in Squalane.

I’ve been a long-time fan of both of The Ordinary’s Granactive Retinoid options. I started out with the Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane se vera years ago and, after several weeks, graduated myself to the double-strength serum, The Ordinary’s Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane. I experience no irritation with the two-percent version and moderate irritation with the five-percent one.

What Is Granactive Retinoid?

Marketed as Granactive Retinoid, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) is the newest and most promising member of the class of anti-aging retinoids. HPR is an ester of retinoic acid with benefits on par with prescription-strength retinoic acid, commonly known as Tretinoin or Retin-A. The greatest benefit is that HPR is more readily tolerated by the skin, with none of the side effects of Retinol or retinoic acid — including irritation, sensitivity, dryness and flakiness.

How is it possible to have the upside without the downside? In order for the skin to benefit from Retinol, the Vitamin A molecule goes through a transformation process as it converts to retinoic acid in the skin. It is this conversion that leads to the irritation common to Retinol. Hydroxypinacolone retinoate does not require a lengthy conversion in order to achieve the sought-after anti-aging benefits of Retinol, making it far more tolerable.

No matter the price, the trick is always in finding a retinoid that is both well-formulated and affordable for your budget. If your aim is to use a complex, super effective Retinol treatment that offers multiple skin benefits without a prescription, then either the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream or Shani Darden’s Retinol Reform are for you.

But if you perfectly happy spending as little as possible to benefit from the anti-aging power of a simple retinoid treatment, either of The Ordinary’s Granactive Retinoid serums will suffice.

As I recall, Deciem actually offers six retinoid options — three conventional Retinol serums and three more potent retinoids.

Again, I experienced little, if any, irritation at the two-percent level and moderate dryness and sensitivity around my mouth at the five-percent strength.

Of course, I love the fact that both of the formulas are in a Squalane base (it’s the #1 ingredient!) which gives skin extra nourishment and moisture retention.

I also love the high level of soothing Bisabolol in The Ordinary’s Granactive Retinoid serums. Bisabolol is the active component of chamomile that helps to soothe skin and ameliorate some of the irritation associate with Retinol.

At just under ten bucks each, you can’t go wrong with either option.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane for $9.60 here. Purchase The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane for $13.90 here.

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THE ORDINARY'S THE BALANCE SET – BEST PRODUCTS FROM THE ORDINARY

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RETINOL, RETINOIDS, RETINOIC ACID – PART ONE

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Shani Darden | Retinol Reform

Similar to the Sobel Skin Rx 4.5% Retinol Night Treatment, the Shani Darden Retinol Reform is quite a serious Retinol treatment. It’s also popular, ranking high up there in Retinol product searches on the Sephora website along with The Inkey List’s Retinol Anti-Aging Serum and Drunk Elephant’s A-Passioni Retinol Cream. While its potency is clear, unlike the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni, it’s not nearly as irritating.

As with all retinoid treatments, I proceeded to test drive it with the utmost caution!

If you’re curious about who Shani Darden is, I was too. Her eponymous brand seemed to come out of no where to reach cult status!

I found a fun, cool piece on the famous aesthetician on Harper’s Bazaar titled, Celebrity Skin Expert Shani Darden Shares Her Nightly Routine.

“Shani Darden is Hollywood's favorite expert aesthetician. From starting her career by working with esteemed dermatologist Erma Benitez to earning tenures at Los Angeles clinics like Argyle Salon & Spa and Kinara Skin Care Clinic, she undoubtedly has her own nightly skin care routine down to a T. In the latest episode of Go to Bed with Me, she shares all the skin care products she can't live without.”

What was in Shani’s routine? A few familiar products, including the cult Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel from Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. And, of course, her own Retinol Reform serum. There are actually two similar treatments in the Shani Darden range. There’s the Retinol Reform, a potent retinoid; and there’s the Texture Reform treatment, a much gentler version with 5% Retinyl Palmitate — the least potent and thus least irritating of the class of retinoids.

While I didn’t find Shani’s Retinol Reform overly irritating, I much prefer her Texture Reform for regular use.

Retinol Reform is infused with 2.2% Encapsulated Retinol for a sustained release of the retinoid as well as 2% Lactic Acid which, unlike Glycolic Acid, my skin loves. There’s also some Apple Fruit Extract, a nice antioxidant botanical, and multiple pro-skin health actives.

Among the most notable of these are nourishing probiotic Lactobacillus Ferment, Plankton Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and humectant Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice. Notably absent from the formula are the kind of skin-soothing actives I like to see in a Retinol treatment like Bisabolol, Chamomile, Oat Kernel Extract and Allantoin.

While Retinol Reform is not a clean formula by Sephora’s standards, it’s certainly effective. And the sustained release of Retinol certainly helps ameliorate the irritation associated with Retinol use.

The Shani Darden Retinol Reform is a solid option, and it’s no where near as irritating as the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream with it’s 88,000 actives.

THE BLOG: Purchase the Shani Darden Retinol Reform for $88 here.

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BRANDS I LOVE: FIRST AID BEAUTY AND THE BEST FACIAL SKINCARE FOR SENSITIVE SKIN

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Peace Out | Retinol Eye Stick

You don’t come across an eye cream in a stick all that often. And certainly not a good one. At least that’s been my experience. The last time I truly enjoyed using an eye stick was the Kate Somerville Goat Milk De-Puffing Eye Balm. It’s been off the market for a while now. Gosh, it was so nice. Such a shame to see good products disappear for lack of appeal.

Hey, the Peace Out brand seems to be trying to break out of the acne patch thing so I thought I’d give the Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick a try.

I gotta say, it’s an intriguing product. To start, Peace Out’s Retinol Eye Stick is certainly convenient.

It’s also kinda fun to use — much like Kate’s goat milk thingy was.

But the Retinol Eye Stick is actually a serious treatment. Its star active is Encapsulated Retinol. As with the Shani Darden Retinol Reform, encapsulation assures a slow release of the anti-aging, anti-wrinkle powerhouse to mitigate the irritating effects common to Retinol. I know I’m scared to use Retinol, let alone around my eyes!

There’s also a peptide complex and powerhouse antioxidant Astaxanthin. I haven’t noticed much difference around my eyes when using it and it’s not quite as pleasurable as a light, silky serum or cream.

For retinol around the eyes, I much prefer the Paula’s Choice Ceramide-Enriched Firming Eye Cream — which I reviewed on the blog here. It’s a more conventional eye cream and pairs Retinol with its BFF Bakuchiol. Plus, it’s quite nourishing and moisturizing.

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE CERAMIDE-ENRICHED FIRMING EYE CREAM - BEST RETINOL EYE CREAM

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But hey, if you’re looking for a convenient, gentle Retinol treatment for use around the eyes, I guess the Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick may just interest you.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick for $28 here.

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Curology Custom Treatment

A Curology custom superbottle is powered by the most potent form of the retinoids, Retinoic Acid. More commonly known as Tretinoin, or Retin-A, the stronger, more intense cousin of Retinol is broadly available from a dermatologist and by prescription only. But what makes a Curology product so unique is that it’s made for my wrinkles, dullness, dark spots and skin texture.

How? Curology is a direct to consumer prescription dermatology service that cuts out the doctor, saving you a trip to the dermatologist and the cost of the visit.

Through Curology, you have access to a dermatologist or nurse practitioner who consults with you to determine the individual needs of your skin.

I first discovered this innovative brand several years ago when I was introduced to them by an industry colleague. I did some ad and social copywriting for them early on as they were just starting out.

Today, Curology is actually one of the most popular brands for acne sufferers, not Retinol users — with the best acne treatments for blemish prone skin.

And while the project work wrapped up a while ago, my admiration for the brand and the unique service they offer remains.

How Curology makes the best anti-aging cream to treat signs of aging.

Everyone (and I mean everyone!) can use some form of Vitamin A (i.e. Retinol, Retin-A, Tretinoin, Retinoic Acid or a retinoid) in their skincare regimen. Retinoids can work wonders on the skin. Depending on the form and the concentration, it can help with multiple signs of aging, including smoothing the look of wrinkles, firming skin and preventing aging environmental damage.

But not everyone has a dermatologist to write them a prescription for the more potent treatments, including Retin-A, right?

Curology solved that issue with a team of dermatologists you have access to through their website. You upload pictures of your face at various angles, fill out a quick questionnaire, and in a day or so, they prescribe a prescription-strength treatment just for you.

My personal Curology custom treatment contains a .07% concentration of Retin-A, 4% Niacinamide and 5% Azelaic Acid. If you’re unfamiliar with Azelaic Acid, it’s an excellent active for brightening skin tone. Of course, Niacinamide does that too — along with its antioxidant and pore-flushing benefits.

Every four weeks, a fresh custom bottle arrives in the mail — planned for just around the time that a normal user would be running out. Of course, as a skincare blogger, these custom superbottles can pile up and I end up paying them forward to friends.

Curology literally changed the whole Retinol game — and a custom treatment from the brand seems to have become the smartest, most convenient way to to obtain a prescription-strength retinoid treatment.

I‘m so grateful to Curology and to Phuong, my very own dermatologist, whose been by my side whenever I’ve needed her. She’s always ready to strengthen or weaken my custom treatment based on my skin’s well-being at any given time.

How Curology makes the best acne cream to treat blemish-prone skin.

In exactly the same way that Curology prescribed what I consider the best prescription anti-aging cream, its team of experts will customize a treatment for acne. The acne treatment cream may include Tretinoin based on your preferences — along with actives like Niacinamide and Azelaic Acid that clear out pores and brighten the complexion.

The custom formula can help to clear up acne, fade acne marks and prevent the occurrence of acne. Because the formula is customized, it’s among the best acne creams for face that I’ve come across. If you struggle with blemishes, give Curology a try.

And if you’re looking for a potent, prescription-strength anti-aging treatment, forget about the derm. Curology has you covered!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Curology Custom Superbottle for $19.95 here. For a limited time, receive a custom consultation and a 30-day supply of your personalized treatment for just $4.99 + the cost of shipping.

That’s it, guys! If you’re in the mood, and in the market, for a great Retinol treatment, give one of these a try. And, again, if you’re interested in a more gentle retinoid, or even a Bakuchiol treatment, catch part one of the series here.

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