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Retinol for Beginners: Gentle Ulta & Sephora Night Routine with Serums, SPF & Barrier Creams
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items Your first retinol should not leave your face red, flaky and furious, and the fix is a short, gentle routine instead of a stronger tube. This beginner retinol night routine from Ulta and Sephora pairs low-strength retinol serums and creams with ceram...
If you have never touched retinol, this is where I would begin. It pairs a gentle retinoid with a tiny bit of retinal and a soothing ingredient, and the label says two or three evenings a week to start. At about $15 it is a low-risk way to find out h...
The INKEY List Starter Retinol Serum
Retinol makes your skin more sun-sensitive, so a sunscreen you will really wear every morning matters more than the serum. This one is clear, weightless and has no scent, and it sits nicely under makeup as a primer. It is the SPF that stopped me skip...
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50
A drugstore-priced cream is the easiest way to ease into retinol, because the retinol is already built into your moisturizer. This one is fragrance free and cushiony, so I use it as a single step on nights when a separate serum feels like too much. S...
Olay Regenerist Retinol24 MAX Night Hydrating Moisturizer
Made for skin that gets angry easily, this 0.3% retinol complex blends two forms of vitamin A with peptides so it is gentler than it sounds. I use a pea-sized amount on clean, dry skin, then layer a ceramide cream on top. It feels light, absorbs fast...
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Retinol Serum
People forget that retinol can dry out the skin around your mouth and lips, and I definitely noticed it in my first two weeks. A thick balm like this one is the last step of my night so my lips are soft by morning. It is rich, with lanolin and cerami...
Lanolips 12 Hour Overnight Lip Mask
The skin under your eyes is thinner than anywhere else on your face, so I do not put my regular face retinol there. This one uses a gentle retinol blend made specifically for the eye area and feels cooling and silky going on. I dab it on with my ring...
Summer Fridays Jet Lag Overnight Eye Serum with Gentle Retinol Blend
A foaming scrub cleanser plus retinol is a shortcut to a red, tight face, so I switched to this soft milky formula on retinol nights. It has only nine ingredients, cleans off makeup and leaves no film or squeaky feeling. You can rinse it or wipe it o...
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Moisturizing Milky Cleanser
When your skin feels raw after retinol, this is the cream I reach for. Five skin-identical ceramides rebuild the barrier and it layers well over a serum without feeling heavy. I use it on the nights I am not using retinol, to give my skin a recovery ...
Paula's Choice RESIST Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer with Ceramides
Kiehl's built this around very small doses of 0.1% pure retinol with ceramides and peptides, which is why first-timers tend to tolerate it. It is a splurge at about $65, but the formula is lightweight and the pump gives you the same amount every time...
Kiehl's Micro-Dose Anti-Aging Retinol Serum
This is my budget pick for daily sunscreen on a retinol routine, at around $15. It is a mineral formula with ceramides and niacinamide that does not leave a white cast on me, and it is fragrance free. Apply it as the very last step of your morning, b...
CeraVe Invisible Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Face
Adapalene is the one retinoid you can buy over the counter that is actually prescription strength, so treat it like the strong option. Use a thin layer on clean, dry skin and expect some dryness for the first few weeks. I mention it for friends who h...
Differin Adapalene 0.1% Gel
The encapsulated retinol releases slowly, and the squalane keeps the under-eye area from feeling tight. I like that it is formulated for sensitive skin because my eyes react to everything. Dab a rice-grain amount around the orbital bone, not right up...
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Retinol Eye Cream
If your skin reacts to practically everything, Vanicream is the safe bet. It has no fragrance or dyes, five ceramides and hyaluronic acid, and a 12-ounce pump is cheap enough that I use it generously on neck and chest too. This is the one I lean on w...
VANICREAM Enhanced Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid & Ceramides
Hydration before retinol cushions it, and this serum plumps up the skin so a retinol night does not feel as drying. It has five weights of hyaluronic acid and a bouncy, light gel feel. I smooth it on damp skin first, let it settle, then follow with m...
Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Think of this as the gentlest kind of night cream upgrade: peptides for fine lines, plus ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to protect the barrier. It does not contain retinol, which is exactly why I use it on my off nights. It is fragrance f...
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
Once your skin is comfortable with a starter serum, this is a fun, polished step up. The texture is smooth, the packaging feels like a treat, and the blend is meant to be easy on skin that is not used to retinol. I keep it for the nights I want my sk...
Summer Fridays Midnight Ritual Retinol Renewal Serum
You shake the little ball inside the bottle, and the zinc mixes into a thin, milky lotion that does not streak or look chalky. It works under makeup without pilling, which matters when your skin is a little flaky from retinol. It costs more than drug...
Vacation Shake Shake SPF 50 Mineral Milk Face Sunscreen
If you prefer a cleanser with a little lather, this one starts as a cream and foams softly without drying you out. It has ceramides and hyaluronic acid and is fragrance free, so it will not set off a retinol-sensitive face. I use it in the morning, a...
CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser
This is the budget eye option, usually under $20, and it uses pure retinol with an encapsulation system. The brand suggests starting every other night if you notice any sensitivity, which is how I used it for the first two weeks. It is also fragrance...
No7 Pure Retinol Fragrance Free Eye Cream
At $12, this is the cheap fix for chapped lips during a retinol adjustment. It has peptides, shea butter and squalane, and it comes in flavors like watermelon and pistachio. I keep one by my bed and one in my purse.
ULTA Beauty Collection Night Shift Overnight Lip Mask
Plant-derived ceramides, squalane and shea butter make this a rich, comforting cream for the dry patches retinol can cause around the nose and chin. It is fragrance free and costs under $25, so it is easy to recommend. I apply it in upward strokes ov...
Naturium Plant Ceramide Rich Moisture Cream
This is the pricier hydration option, and the glow is genuinely noticeable. I use it as a retinol buffer: apply it first, then your retinol, then moisturizer. It makes the whole routine feel more comfortable for skin that tends to go dry in the coole...
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Glow Serum
When my skin looks dull after a week of retinol, these glowy mineral drops give me the lift without foundation. It has SPF 40, hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5, and I mix a couple of drops into my moisturizer on weekends. Treat it as your pretty weeken...
Supergoop! Glowscreen Soft-Radiance Drops Mineral SPF 40
A cozy night cream with ceramide 3, camellia, jojoba and shea butter for the nights you skip retinol altogether. It is clean, vegan and has thousands of reviews at nearly five stars, which gave me confidence to try it. I put it on after my serum and ...
DIME Restorative Night Cream with Ceramide + Camellia