The Best Retinoids for Every Skin Type

Words by Jennifer George

Retinoids, a family of vitamin A-derived ingredients for your skin, have been around for long enough now that anyone remotely interested in skincare would have heard of them. You may already be a huge fan and daily user, with your own favourite brands and strengths. Retinol is the most popular and well-known of them all, but all types are brilliant for increasing the speed of cell turnover in the skin and encouraging collagen production, resulting in smoother, firmer and even clearer skin.

There is, however, a lot of confusion around retinoids, and whether they suit all skin types. “There are so many different types of retinoids, and that has caused confusion for quite a bit of time,” says Daniel Isaacs, Chief Product Officer and Founding Partner at skincare brand Medik8. “What is also a bit of a challenge is that some of these forms just don’t do anything at all, whilst others are really, really effective but can be very irritating.” The best ones to look for (and the only ones they use at Medik8), he says, are “those that have been proven in independent clinical studies.” The good news is that even if you’ve got especially dry, sensitive, blemish-prone or oily skin and have been nervous about using them, there’s probably a retinoid skincare product out there for you just waiting to give your complexion a serious boost.