Retinol
Vitamin A, shown to soften fine wrinkles in aged skin.
How common
32 of 14,784 products with a full ingredient list in Open Beauty Facts; No. 818 of all the names found on their labels.
What it is
Vitamin A: a fat-soluble vitamin, in pure form yellow crystals that hardly dissolve in water.
2 sourcesHide
Vitamin a appears as yellow crystals or orange solid. Practically water insoluble.
[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open sourceRetinol is the fat soluble vitamin retinol.
[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open source
Why it is in products
Mainly for ageing skin: vitamin A plays a part in how skin cells grow and mature.
2 sourcesHide
the growth of and differentiation of epithelial tissue
[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open sourceTo evaluate the effectiveness of topical retinol (vitamin A) in improving the clinical signs of naturally aged skin.
[2] Study · 2007 · open source
What it does
In a 24-week double-blind trial on the arms of 36 elderly people, a 0.4% retinol lotion improved fine wrinkles compared with the same lotion without it, and raised collagen production.
Good evidenceskin4 sourcesHide
The study population comprised 36 elderly subjects (mean age, 87 years)
[2] Study · 2007 · open sourceTopical 0.4% retinol lotion or its vehicle
[2] Study · 2007 · open sourceTopical retinol improves fine wrinkles associated with natural aging.
[2] Study · 2007 · open sourceincreased collagen production
[2] Study · 2007 · open source
Downsides and safety
Retinoids can irritate (burning, scaling, dermatitis), which puts people off; retinol is considerably less irritating than the prescription retinoids tretinoin and tazarotene.
Good evidence2 sourcesHide
irritant reactions such as burning, scaling or dermatitis associated with retinoid therapy limit their acceptance by patients
[3] Review · 2006 · open sourceThis problem is more prominent with tretinoin and tazarotene whereas other retinoids mainly represented by retinaldehyde and retinol are considerably less irritating.
[3] Review · 2006 · open source
Where it works
In the deeper skin (the dermis), where it raised collagen production in the trial.
Some evidenceSourceHide
increased collagen production are most likely responsible for wrinkle effacement[2] Study · 2007 · open source
Rules
European Union
Up to 0.3% (as retinol equivalent) in most products and 0.05% in body lotions, and labels must warn: “Contains Vitamin A. Consider your daily intake before use”.
2 sourcesHide
(a) Body lotion (b) other leave-on and rinse-off products (a) 0,05 % Retinol Equivalent (RE) (b) 0,3 % RE
[4] EU law · 2026 · open sourcelabelling is obligatory: ‘ Contains Vitamin A. Consider your daily intake before use’
[4] EU law · 2026 · open source
United States
Not on the FDA’s list of prohibited or restricted cosmetic ingredients. In the US, cosmetics and their ingredients (other than colour additives) don’t need FDA approval before sale.
SourceHide
Under U.S. law, cosmetic products and ingredients, other than color additives, do not need FDA approval before they go on the market
[5] US Food and Drug Administration · open sourceWe searched the FDA’s list of prohibited and restricted cosmetic ingredients: no entry.open the list
Sources
- PubChem: Retinol (CID 445354), record description PubChem (US National Library of Medicine)PubChem (US National Library of Medicine)
- Improvement of naturally aged skin with vitamin A (retinol) Kafi R et al., Archives of dermatology, 2007Study
- Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety Mukherjee S et al., Clinical interventions in aging, 2006Review
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, consolidated text of 18 May 2026 Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex/Cellar), 2026EU law
- Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients in Cosmetics | FDA US Food and Drug Administration
Checked against these sources on 4 November 2026. Spot a mistake? Tell us.