Cosmetic ingredient

RETINOL

Retinol is a form of vitamin A used in cosmetics, particularly in leave-on skin-care products. On an ingredient list, it may appear simply as RETINOL. It belongs to the retinoid family, but it is not the same ingredient as vitamin A esters such as retinyl palmitate or retinyl acetate, even though all of them are vitamin A derivatives.

INCIRE2 products

CAS number

68-26-8 / 11103-57-4

EC number

200-683-7 / 234-328-2

Chemical name

Retinol; vitamin A

RETINOL: what it is

Retinol does not come from one specific plant: it is a chemically defined substance that can be made through different manufacturing routes. This matters when comparing labels, because the name identifies retinol itself, while other vitamin A derivatives have their own names and may be subject to different conditions of use.

RETINOL: what it does in cosmetics

In skin-care products, retinol is used for skin conditioning. In everyday terms, that places it in leave-on care intended to improve the skin's perceived appearance and texture rather than to cleanse, add colour or screen ultraviolet light. It is often found in serums and creams, where the product remains on the skin for longer.

One small controlled clinical study applied a lotion containing 0.4% retinol to the arm of 36 older adults up to three times weekly for 24 weeks and found an improvement in fine-wrinkle scores compared with the vehicle. That finding concerns that lotion, strength, body area and study group; it cannot predict the same outcome from every product containing retinol or guarantee an individual result.

RETINOL: conditions and care

In the European Union, leave-on products for the face and hands are limited to 0.3% retinol equivalents, while products intended for the body are limited to 0.05%. The rule also requires a warning that the product contains vitamin A and advises users to consider their daily intake before use.

Use limits