Treatments and supplements · Retinol and retinoids

Is retinol worth it?

What we can tell you today: how thoroughly this has been studied.

Thoroughly studied

11 studies, of which 3 bring together the results of several trials in people. This is as strong as evidence gets.

5 Repeated evidence 3 studies

4 Large controlled trial 5 studies

3 Small study in people 3 studies

This says how thoroughly something has been studied — not whether it works for you. What each study actually found is in the study itself, and in the plain-language write-ups we are adding.

Appears under: Skin aging · Hair and nails

The studies

5 Repeated evidence Comparing Tretinoin to Other Topical Therapies in the Treatment of Skin Photoaging: A Systematic Review.
2024 · American journal of clinical dermatology
5 Repeated evidence [From the Cochrane Library: Improvement of photodamaged skin with retinoid creams and not with other local treatments].
2006 · Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
5 Repeated evidence Effect of tretinoin emollient cream on photodamaged skin: relationship between clinical improvement and skin irritation.
1996 · The British journal of dermatology
4 Large controlled trial A double-blind randomized study comparing the association of Retinol and LR2412 with tretinoin 0.025% in photoaged skin.
2015 · Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 120 participants
4 Large controlled trial A randomized, controlled comparative study of the wrinkle reduction benefits of a cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate product regimen vs. a prescription 0.02% tretinoin product regimen.
2010 · The British journal of dermatology · 196 participants
4 Large controlled trial Tolerance profile of retinol, retinaldehyde and retinoic acid under maximized and long-term clinical conditions.
1999 · Dermatology (Basel, Switzerland) · 355 participants
4 Large controlled trial Isotretinoin improves the appearance of photodamaged skin: results of a 36-week, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
2000 · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 800 participants
4 Large controlled trial Clinical panel assessment of photodamaged skin treated with isotretinoin using photographs.
1992 · Archives of dermatology · 326 participants
3 Small study in people Prospective, randomized, double-blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing.
2020 · The British journal of dermatology · 44 participants
3 Small study in people Biomarkers of Tretinoin Precursors and Tretinoin Efficacy in Patients With Moderate to Severe Facial Photodamage: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
2022 · JAMA dermatology · 24 participants · manufacturer helped fund this
3 Small study in people Evaluating the combined efficacy of oral isotretinoin and topical tacrolimus versus oral finasteride and topical tacrolimus in frontal fibrosing alopecia-A randomized controlled trial.
2023 · Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 16 participants