Experts Corner - The Best Way to Introduce Retinoids into Your Skincare Routine

The Best Way to Introduce Retinoids into Your Skincare Routine - using RoC Skincare’s Retinol Correxion® Line Smoothing Range.

We know retinoids deliver results, but where and how do you start? Broadcaster Emma Gunavardhana investigates.

In my 20-plus years as a beauty journalist, there is no ingredient dermatologists and skincare experts are as evangelical about as they are about retinoids. Retinoids, the umbrella term for retinol products, are a gold-standard skincare ingredient with good reason; when applied topically, they help regulate skin cell turnover, reduce inflammation and pigmentation and stimulate the body’s own collagen production. What that means for you is that the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles is minimised, skin texture and tone is evened-out and pores can even appear smaller.

Retinoids deal in results and are supported by mountains of data and clinical trials that back up all the claims. However, it is an active ingredient, and, in skincare, an active ingredient is one that is biologically active, meaning it can have a beneficial impact on the skin. So, if you’ve been used to using hydrating, inactive skincare ingredients, the shift to more active products can feel intimidating.

Fear not, RoC Skincare’s Retinol Correxion® Range has you covered… The advice with retinoids is to ‘go slow’ meaning to begin at a low percentage and use them once or twice a week to begin with to give your skin a chance to acclimatise because retinoids can cause irritation. It’s an active ingredient, remember, so it is having an impact on the skin when you apply it.

However, if you’re already unsure it can be bamboozling to know which products to start with, especially when percentages are thrown into the mix. This is why I love what RoC Skincare has done, because they have created what I think is the perfect range of products with their Line Smoothing Range, to introduce retinoids into your skincare regime. They were the first skincare brand to stabilise retinol and they’ve created a formula that’s gentle but extremely effective.

Here’s how I use the Retinol Correxion® Line Smoothing range:

The Retinol Correxion® Line Smoothing Eye Cream is my go-to eye cream because it has been formulated to address the three major skincare concerns for the eye area; puffiness, dark circles and wrinkles. It’s formulated with that stabilised retinol and is gentle enough to use around the eyes and get those smoothing, lifting results I’m after.

Every night, I squeeze a sequin-sized amount on my ring finger and pat it into my skin following the orbital bone. It’s as simple as that to apply but the skin around my eyes looks immediately refreshed and the clinical trials show that after 12 weeks of consistent use, the appearance of fine lines can be reduced by up to 50%.

My love for The Retinol Correxion® Line Smoothing Night Serum Capsules is two-fold; I adore the simplicity of the capsule-dosage and the way it makes my skin look and feel. The serum in these capsules goes a long way and it’s potent enough to elicit a visible result in just one night - in trials, 97% of participants reported visibly reduced lines and wrinkles.

The capsule also means you can’t get the dose wrong and you know that every time you apply you’re getting a fresh, potent serum. It’s powerful but in trials not a single participant had any irritation. This is why I always recommend it to first-time retinoid users.

I twist open the capsule, dispense the serum onto the tips of my fingers and gently smooth it across my entire face and neck.

One thing that has to go hand-in-hand with retinoid use is a quality, efficient hydrating product. The Retinol Correxion® Line Smoothing Max Hydration Cream offers deep hydration and contains RoC’s stabilised retinol with hyaluronic acid, so it delivers that proven skin-forming formula and leaves skin soft, supple and plumped.

I put a pea-sized amount in the palm of my hand, press my hands to together and press into the skin.

Three simple yet effective products that deliver the results you want in formulas that are a pleasure to use!