Final Up to date on November 12, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
You lastly dedicated to retinol since you had been sick of your pores and texture, however now you’ve received lifeless pores and skin cells simply tenting out in your face and your basis appears to be like like rubbish. So clearly you’re questioning – can I exfoliate whereas utilizing retinol or am I gonna wreck my face? Yeah you may, however mess it up and also you’re gonna be pink and indignant for weeks. On this article I’m gonna let you know precisely the best way to mix chemical exfoliation (I don’t suggest scrubs ever) with retinol with out destroying your pores and skin barrier – when to do it, what sort of exfoliation gained’t kill you, and the best way to know whenever you’ve gone too far.
Retinol Advantages For Pores and skin
Retinol is a spinoff of vitamin A and it hurries up pores and skin cell turnover (your pores and skin’s pure exfoliating course of) like loopy. All these lifeless pores and skin cells hanging round? Retinol’s like nope, out, we’re making new pores and skin cells proper now. Because of this it really works for all the things. Advantageous strains, texture, darkish spots, all of it. More collagen production, faster cellular turnover, the whole deal. It’s genuinely a powerhouse ingredient which is why each board-certified dermatologist gained’t cease speaking about it.
However right here’s the annoying half. Retinol converts to retinoic acid (that’s the lively type) and your pores and skin can utterly freak out. Flaky pores and skin, redness, dryness, typically your face simply feels tight and pissed off. There are several types of retinoids – drugstore stuff, prescription topical retinoids – they usually all pace issues up on the floor of the pores and skin. Your pores and skin’s mainly doing a full renovation. Which sounds nice till you understand renovations are messy as hell and also you seem like crap earlier than you look higher. Welcome to the retinoid journey, everybody acts prefer it’s no huge deal however it form of sucks at first.
Greatest retinol picks:
- The Bizarre Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion ($12.10): This easy system accommodates each retinol and granactive retinoid, a brand new type of retinoid that’s nice at treating zits. Obtainable at Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, The Ordinary, and Ulta
- Paula’s Alternative Resist 1% Retinol Booster ($52.00): A excessive dose retinol serum infused with antioxidants that can assist you struggle untimely getting old. You should use it by itself for max impact. If that’s too irritating in your pores and skin, combine a few drops together with your moisturiser. Obtainable at Cult Beauty, Dermstore, and Paula’s Choice, and SpaceNK
- Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM ($65.00): This child accommodates 1.5% retinol. It’s a really excessive focus, however it’s encapsulated to be gentler on the pores and skin. Nonetheless, construct your method as much as it. This could NOT be your first retinol serum. Obtainable at Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, Face The Future, Look Fantastic, Peter Thomas Roth, Sephora, and Ulta
Associated: The Complete Guide To Retinol In Skincare
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Retinol Facet Results
You begin retinol and immediately you’re shedding like a snake. What provides? When retinol cranks up that mobile turnover you’re making far more lifeless pores and skin cells than regular. Your pores and skin’s working time beyond regulation pushing out the outdated stuff however it’s producing it sooner than it will probably shed naturally. So that you get this buildup on the pores and skin’s floor that makes you look uninteresting and really feel tough as hell.
Further annoying if in case you have dry pores and skin or delicate pores and skin already. The lifeless cells pile up, your retinol product can’t even get by means of all that mess correctly, and also you’re caught wanting crusty.
Everybody sees this taking place and thinks time to clean it off! Which is precisely how folks destroy all the things. Your wholesome pores and skin barrier is already coping with rather a lot. It’s adjusting to this potent lively, attempting to keep up its pH, defending you from UV rays and free radicals and all of the environmental crap. If you happen to go loopy with exfoliation on high of this you’re gonna take away too many lifeless cells and push it into full meltdown.
Associated: How To Deal With Retinol Side Effects
Can You Exfoliate And Use Retinol At The Similar Time?
Actual discuss – you should use each however not on the identical time. Like by no means on the identical night time. Right here’s the factor everybody will get fallacious. Retinol is already exfoliating your pores and skin from the within, prefer it’s rushing up how briskly your pores and skin sheds cells so that you’re technically already exfoliating. However that doesn’t imply you may’t use different exfoliants too.
Like perhaps you need glycolic acid since you’ve received darkish spots and the retinol alone isn’t chopping it. Otherwise you want salicylic acid as a result of your pores are clogged and also you’re breaking out. Otherwise you simply actually like what lactic acid does in your texture. All good causes to make use of chemical exfoliants – it’s not nearly coping with flaky pores and skin from the retinol.
You simply gotta determine what your pores and skin really wants as an alternative of doing no matter TikTok informed you. If you happen to simply began retinol and your face is already freaking out? Don’t add exfoliation on high of that, are you loopy? However if you happen to’ve been utilizing retinol for months and your pores and skin’s superb with it and also you wish to add an exfoliant for a particular factor like zits or pigmentation? Yeah go for it however use them on completely different nights. Your pores and skin wants time to relax out between utilizing these robust actives and if you happen to don’t give it that point you’re gonna wreck your pores and skin barrier and find yourself with a pink irritated mess.
What’s The Greatest Exfoliation Technique To Use With Retinol?
Chemical exfoliants are normally your greatest guess with retinol. Alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid and lactic acid, or beta hydroxy acids like salicylic acid. These chemical exfoliators dissolve the glue holding lifeless pores and skin cells collectively to allow them to go away naturally. Manner gentler than scrubbing your face such as you’re attempting to take away paint from a wall. A lactic acid serum is fairly strong as a result of it’s gentler than different AHAs and doesn’t utterly dry you out. Glycolic acid hits tougher – is perhaps an excessive amount of if you happen to’re already irritated. If you happen to’re acne-prone or have oily pores and skin, a salicylic acid cleanser works as a result of BHAs get into your pores and really clear them out.
Bodily exfoliants – scrubs, brushes, something the place you’re manually scrubbing stuff off – are method riskier. Utilizing bodily exfoliation with retinol can create tiny tears in your already indignant pores and skin, particularly if you happen to’re going onerous with these round motions everybody demonstrates in movies. If you happen to completely should do bodily exfoliation, go tremendous mild and don’t do it usually. Chemical peels whereas on retinol? Hell no until a dermatologist is supervising and is aware of precisely what’s taking place. The mixture of retinol and robust peels is the way you utterly destroy your pores and skin barrier and hate your life for weeks.
Greatest picks:
- Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night time Serum ($90.00): Don’t let the identify idiot you. This exfoliant has each salicylic acid to unclog pores and glycolic acid to fade away the darkish spots pimples typically go away behind. Obtainable at Cult Beauty, Sephora and SpaceNK.
- Paula’s Alternative Pores and skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ($29.00): The cult exfoliant from the model, it unlclogs pores and treats blackheads and zits. The feel’s just a little sticky, however if you happen to can take that, this is without doubt one of the greatest salicylic acid exfoliants on the market. Obtainable at Cult Beauty, Paula’s Choice, Sephora, and SpaceNK.
- The Bizarre Glycolic Acid 7% Firming Resolution: A easy, no-frills Glycolic Acid exfoliant that brightens the complexion and fades away darkish spots. Obtainable at Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, Sephora, SpaceNK, The Ordinary, and Ulta.
- The Bizarre Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% ($8.90): A easy Lactic Acid exfoliant enriched with Hyaluronic Acid to exfoliate and hydrate pores and skin on the identical time. Obtainable at Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, Sephora, SpaceNK, The Ordinary, and Ulta.
When To Exfoliate If You’re Utilizing Retinol?
Timing issues far more than folks suppose. That is the place pores and skin biking turns into really helpful as an alternative of simply being a pattern. Use your retinol and exfoliant on completely different days. Not completely different instances of the identical day – completely different days utterly. Your pores and skin wants restoration time between these potent actives or it’s gonna lose its thoughts.
Right here’s what really works. Retinol at night time as a result of UV rays destroy retinol anyway plus you want solar safety throughout daytime use. On retinol nights, zero chemical exfoliants. In your nights off from retinol, perhaps use a mild chemical exfoliant in case your pores and skin can deal with it. Some folks can exfoliate a couple of times every week on non-retinol nights. Others must do it as soon as each two weeks most. You would possibly begin with as soon as each two weeks and see what occurs to your face.
By no means – and I actually imply by no means – use robust acids the identical night time as retinol. That mixture is how you find yourself with irritated pores and skin, redness all over the place, and a barrier so tousled it takes weeks to repair. Simply don’t do it. If you happen to’re new to retinol, overlook about exfoliation for at the very least a month or two. Let your pores and skin alter to the retinol first. After that preliminary adjustment interval which normally takes like 8-12 weeks, then you may take into consideration including mild exfoliation if you happen to really want it.
What About Mixing In Different Lively Elements?
Since we’re speaking about combining skincare elements, let’s discuss concerning the different stuff folks attempt to pile on their face.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and retinol can each be in your routine, simply not on the identical time. Vitamin C is healthier for morning anyway because it helps shield towards free radicals and environmental injury. Use your vitamin C serum within the morning, retinol at night time. Fairly simple.
- Benzoyl peroxide with retinol is hard if in case you have acne-prone pores and skin. Benzoyl peroxide can really deactivate retinol if you happen to use them collectively, so that you gotta separate them. Benzoyl peroxide within the morning, retinol at night time, or alternate nights utterly.
- Hyaluronic acid is completely superb with retinol. Truly it’s a good suggestion as a result of retinol dries you out and hyaluronic acid helps with hydration with out messing with how the retinol works.
- Similar with vitamin E – these are supportive elements, not competing ones that struggle one another.
The true drawback is combining the principle forms of exfoliation with retinol. Throwing too many lively elements at your face without delay is how you find yourself with indignant compromised pores and skin that may’t deal with any of the great things you’re attempting to make use of.
Associated: Mix And Match: The Skincare Ingredients You Should Never Use Together
How To Inform You’ve Utterly Overdone It
Your pores and skin will completely let you know whenever you’ve screwed up. You simply gotta listen. Indicators you’re gone too far:
- In case your face is consistently pink, burning, or feels uncooked, you’ve overdone it. Some gentle flaking or momentary redness proper after making use of retinol is regular, however fixed irritation means you want to again off proper now.
- Every little thing stings now even your mild cleanser.
- Breakouts that aren’t regular purging.
- Dry patches that gained’t go away irrespective of how a lot moisturizer you slap on.
- That tight uncomfortable feeling that lasts all day lengthy.
- When you’ve got a darker pores and skin tone, over-exfoliation may cause darkish spots or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation which might be the precise reverse of what you’re attempting to attain right here.
- In case your pores and skin texture is getting worse as an alternative of higher otherwise you’re getting new darkish spots, cease exfoliating instantly.
Your wholesome pores and skin barrier ought to really feel snug. Not tight, not burning, not always indignant at you. If it doesn’t really feel snug anymore, you’ve crossed the road and wish to drag again.
Greatest Practices For A Skincare Routine With Exfoliation And Retinol
Let me offer you a routine that gained’t destroy all the things you’re working in direction of.
- Begin sluggish. New to retinol? Use it like two or 3 times every week with a decrease focus round 0.25% or 0.5%. No exfoliation but in any respect. Give your self at the very least six to eight weeks minimal to regulate.
- Use a mild cleanser. Not a salicylic acid cleanser, not a scrub, simply fundamental cleaning that cleans your face with out stripping all the things off. Your face doesn’t have to be below fixed assault from each single product.
- While you lastly add exfoliation, begin with as soon as each one to 2 weeks on a non-retinol night time. See what occurs to your pores and skin. In case your pores and skin’s completely superb, perhaps improve to as soon as every week, however by no means ever on retinol nights.
- Put on broad-spectrum sunscreen each single day. This isn’t non-compulsory or negotiable. Retinol makes you far more delicate to solar injury and also you’re attempting to enhance your pores and skin, not utterly fry it with UV injury. SPF 30 minimal, day by day, no excuses or exceptions.
- Add additional hydration. After your retinol, use a great moisturizer. Possibly add a hyaluronic acid serum earlier than your moisturizer to spice up hydration much more. Your pores and skin wants help whereas it’s doing all this mobile turnover work.
- Know your pores and skin kind and respect it. Received delicate pores and skin? You would possibly by no means have the ability to deal with frequent exfoliation whereas on retinol and that’s utterly superb. Have oily pores and skin? You would possibly tolerate extra however don’t get cocky about it. Everybody’s pores and skin is completely different and responds otherwise.
The Backside Line
Are you able to exfoliate whereas utilizing retinol? Yeah you may, however you may’t simply go wild with it and anticipate all the things to be superb. Retinol’s already doing severe heavy lifting in your mobile turnover, so you want to be actually strategic about including another kind of exfoliation into the combination. Chemical exfoliants used on utterly separate nights from retinol normally work greatest, however solely after your pores and skin’s totally adjusted to retinol first. The perfect outcomes come from being affected person and really listening to what your pores and skin’s telling you, not throwing each highly effective ingredient at your face and hoping all of it works out someway.
