For your skin
A gentler-but-effective next-generation retinoid popular in Korean anti-aging serums. In trials it smoothed fine lines and crow's-feet better than plain retinol, with less stinging — a good step up if regular retinol is too harsh. Use at night and always wear SPF.
Want the science? Keep reading ↓Mechanism of action
A hybrid ester of retinol and retinoic acid that is markedly more photostable than retinol; it delivers retinoid activity such as collagen synthesis and increased epidermal turnover with less of the instability and irritation associated with traditional retinol.
Why we tier this moderate
2 cited papers across 1 country. The mechanism is well-described and there's at least one controlled trial in the literature, but we tier this Moderate rather than Strong to stay honest about how many specific papers we cite directly.
Cited research
Kim H, Kim M, Quan Y, Moon T, et al., Novel anti-wrinkle effect of cosmeceutical product with new retinyl retinoate microsphere using biodegradable polymer, Skin Res Technol 2012;18(1):70-78 — PLA retinyl retinoate microsphere cream produced significant facial wrinkle improvement by 4 weeks (n=20)
Kim H, Kim N, Jung S, Mun J, et al., Improvement in skin wrinkles from the use of photostable retinyl retinoate: a randomized controlled trial, Br J Dermatol 2010;162(3):497-502 — 0.06% retinyl retinoate twice daily significantly outperformed placebo and 0.075% retinol for periorbital wrinkles
Sources: PubMed · KCI · J-Stage · CNKI · Wanfang · SFD · MFDS · Cochrane · SCCS · CIR. Every entry points to a specific document. See methodology for what each outcome label means.