Retinol is one of the most potent anti-aging ingredients, yet its side effects include dryness and irritation. Therefore, Shop TODAY consulted experts in order to source these serums without retinol that offer similar anti-ageing results without additional adverse reactions.
Bianca Alvarez of Select associate reporter Bianca Alvarez recommends this milky retinol alternative packed with bakuchiol to smooth skin, acai stem cells to protect from aging and hyperpigmentation, rosehip oil to even out skin tone, and rosehip seed oil as a skin tone-evener. According to her experience, it works for all skin types.
1. Colorescience Retinol + Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Garshick recommends using this serum twice daily after cleansing and before moisturizing for optimal results. Bakuchiol works to minimize fine lines and wrinkles while hyaluronic acid provides essential hydration. Garshick recommends applying both treatments after cleansing but prior to moisturizing for best results.
Garshick recommends this retinol alternative as an ideal way to care for sensitive or rosacea-prone skin, and has shown success at reducing breakouts, improving discoloration, evening out tone and texture, reducing inflammation as well as inhibiting the tyrosinase enzyme which creates melanin. These actions all help maintain clear skin.
This oil-free cream utilizes bakuchiol to target fine lines and dark circles while orchid stem cells help protect and moisturize skin, and boost collagen and hydration. Bianca Alvarez uses two to three drops on her face, neck and decolletage every night as part of her nightly skincare ritual.
2. Skinceuticals Retinol + Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Hyaluronic acid is an natural humectant that draws water to the skin, providing instantaneous hydration without clogging pores. This lightweight serum containing 1.3% hyaluronic acid and enhanced with proxylane, extracts of licorice root and purple rice helps improve skin texture while providing surface hydration for firmness, smoothness and facial plumpness.
This non-comedogenic formula helps to diminish redness, inflammation and discoloration caused by sun exposure. Packed with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5, its combination will leave your skin looking bright and rejuvenated!
Use alone or layer it under your moisturizer of choice for maximum effect. For best results when used alone, apply after applying vitamin C antioxidant serum in the morning and before sunscreen; at night follow with your retinol application.
3. Nip + Fab Retinol + Niacinamide Brightening Serum
Retinol helps reduce fine lines, fade sunspots and increase hydration. Furthermore, Retinol encourages cell renewal to visibly smooth skin tone and firmness as well as brighten dark spots and under-eye circles.
Our formula features 0.3% time-release encapsulated pure retinol at 0.3% concentration to promote cell renewal, along with other powerful ingredients that help minimise irritation. Hyaluronic acid and bisabol help hydrate skin for balanced appearance that looks plump.
Vitamin C helps visibly brighten and even out skin tone, with Ferulic acid augmenting its efficacy by helping it penetrate more effectively the upper layers of epidermis. Panthenol (Vitamin B5) softens and soothes while simultaneously diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.
4. Bioderma Hydrabio Retinol + Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Hyaluronic acid is an incredible water-binding ingredient, holding 1000 times its own weight in moisture and providing much-needed plumps to dry skin while smoothing away wrinkles and fine lines.
Bioderma Hydrabio Serum is an intensive hydrating serum containing high concentrations of glycerin and hyaluronic acid to soothe and hydrate skin while its Niacinamide helps reduce dark spots, blotchiness and yellowing for reduced appearance of dark spots, blotchiness, or yellowing.
This formula draws its inspiration from the NAOS approach to ecobiology, which recognizes skin as a dynamic ecosystem that naturally contains all its resources to stay healthy. This product uses Aquagenium patent to intensively moisturize skin. Low and high molecular weight hyaluronic acid penetrate deep within skin layers for natural rehydration while self-rehydrating sugar forms a barrier on its surface to combat transepidermal water loss.
5. Skinceuticals Retinol + Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Hyaluronic acid in this serum attracts and binds water to skin surfaces, increasing surface hydration for a more comfortable complexion while helping diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Ideal for normal and dry skin types since it does not contain glycolic or salicylic acid (BHA), which could irritate sensitive complexions.
SkinCeuticals formulated this serum to be multi-beneficial and boost your natural levels of hyaluronic acid for unmatched hydration. It includes high concentrations of hyaluronic acid, proxylane(tm), as well as botanical extracts of purple rice and licorice root to provide visible skin plumpness.
Twice daily, apply four to six drops to your face, neck and decolletage area extending down into your chest and decolletage for best results. Apply in the morning before using SkinCeuticals vitamin C antioxidant serums as well as at night after taking retinols.
