The retinol sandwich method is moisturizer, then retinol, then more moisturizer, with the retinol tucked in the middle while your skin gets used to it. No study we cite has tested it, so we can't tell you whether that bottom layer makes retinol gentler or weaker. With our Collagen and Retinol Serum, we'd skip the bottom slice and follow its directions as written: serum on a dry face after cleansing, moisturizer on top, two evenings a week to start.
We make every product named in this guide, and we don't disclose how much retinol Collagen and Retinol Serum contains.
The retinol sandwich method, minus the bottom layer
If tonight is night one, go in this order.
- Cleanse and dry. Work Hydrating Facial Cleanser into damp skin, steering clear of the eye area, then rinse with lukewarm water and pat completely dry.
- Serum. Smooth Collagen and Retinol Serum across your face, keeping it away from the eye area and the creases beside the nose. There's no set amount; our rule of thumb is about the size of a pea for the whole face, spread thin.
- Eye cream, if you use it. Rinse and dry your fingertips, then tap Active Eye Cream along the orbital bone (the bony rim around your eye). Our guide to eye cream before or after retinol covers that step in detail.
- Moisturizer on top. Pick Oil-Free Daily Moisturizer if a light, oil-free fluid suits you, or Hyaluronic Moisturizer for a rich cream. Hyaluronic Moisturizer has a fragrant oil in it, so if scent tends to bother your skin, skip it on retinol evenings and reach for a moisturizer your skin already tolerates.
Give the serum two evenings a week at first, say Monday and Thursday, so there are a few nights between them. Then increase gradually. Our yardstick is two weeks of comfortable skin before adding a third evening, and comfortable means the next morning brings no stinging, tightness or flaking.
On the other five evenings, cleanse and moisturize. If you use Hyaluronic Acid Serum on those nights, press a few drops onto damp skin right after cleansing, then moisturize right away.
What the American Academy of Dermatology advises
The retinoid advice from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) is mostly about pace. Start with the least intense retinoid formula and use it every other night at first, building up slowly. Apply it at night only, and always use sun protection in the daytime. A slow start and moisturizer help with irritation, it adds, and the routine above has both.
We don't publish our serum's retinol percentage, so we can't say it's the least intense formula. Its two-evening start is slower than every other night, though.
If your retinol isn't ours
Start with its label. If it says to apply moisturizer before retinol, the full version goes like this: a thin layer of moisturizer, a moment for it to stop feeling wet, then the retinol, then moisturizer on top as that label allows. If it's silent on order, we'd start with the half version above, retinol on clean, dry skin and moisturizer on top, if only because it's one fewer step to fumble at 11 p.m.
When the label gives no starting pace either, the AAD's is every other night, building up slowly. Twice a week is slower still, and it's our pick for any retinol you're new to. Whichever order you choose, stick with it for a few weeks. Switch order and pace in the same week and you won't know which change your skin was reacting to.
Mornings on retinol
Our retinol serum is for evenings only, so mornings are short. Cleanse, add Hyaluronic Acid Serum on damp skin if you use it, then moisturizer, then sunscreen. Sunscreen goes on every morning for as long as you're using the serum, including mornings after a night without it.
We don't sell sunscreen, and none of our moisturizers makes an SPF claim, so bring your own. Pick one that's broad-spectrum, water resistant and SPF 30 or higher, per the AAD. Reapply it about every two hours, or after swimming or sweating. Shade and clothing are on the AAD's sun protection list too, so a hat on a long walk is part of the routine.
Leave these out while you start retinol
- Scrubs and exfoliating acids. The AAD warns that exfoliating while you use retinol may worsen dry skin or even cause acne breakouts.
- Night Renewal Creme. Its directions put it last at night, over your serum, so it can look like a ready-made top layer. The third ingredient is glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), and according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), AHA products cause exfoliation, or shedding of the surface skin. It also contains retinyl palmitate, which a 2006 review by Mukherjee and colleagues counts among the retinoids (the vitamin A family), so it would put a second vitamin A ingredient on top of your serum. There's fragrance in it too.
If your skin stays comfortable and you want an acid later, we'd wait a few weeks, then give it evenings without Collagen and Retinol Serum. The AAD's exfoliation caution still applies while you use retinol. An evening with Night Renewal Creme counts as a retinoid evening as well as an acid one, because of its retinyl palmitate. For a week-by-week plan, see glycolic acid and retinol on the same night.
Plan your days around the acid as well. The FDA's recommended sunburn alert says an AHA "may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn." For as long as an AHA is in your routine, and for a week after you drop it, the FDA's advice is sunscreen, protective clothing and cutting back on sun exposure.
Retinol evenings themselves stay simple for as long as you use the serum. Several anti-aging products at the same time can irritate your skin, the AAD notes, and irritation makes the signs of aging stand out more. A peptide serum gets its own slot in peptides and retinol together.
If it stings or peels
Stop the serum for now. Pausing when your skin feels overworked is part of its directions, and stinging or peeling counts. Until your skin feels normal again, use only Hydrating Facial Cleanser or another gentle cleanser, plus a moisturizer you know your skin tolerates, ideally unscented, and sunscreen in the morning. Take the full break rather than adding a layer underneath and soldiering on.
We'd wait until your skin has felt normal for a full week, then restart at two evenings a week, or one if you'd rather ease back in. See a board-certified dermatologist if irritation persists, or returns each time you restart, and ask one before starting if you have rosacea or eczema or use a prescription retinoid. If you're pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, ask your doctor before you start retinol or retinyl palmitate.
Retinol sandwich questions
Does the retinol sandwich make retinol less effective?
That's unknown; the research we cite never compared retinol over moisturizer with retinol on bare skin. LYTA's Collagen and Retinol Serum goes on first, with moisturizer only on top, so there's no bottom layer to wonder about. Either way, be patient. The American Academy of Dermatology says most anti-aging products need at least six weeks to work, and that it can sometimes take up to three months.
Is the retinol sandwich good for sensitive skin?
None of the research we cite tested it on sensitive skin. For irritation from retinoids (the vitamin A family), the American Academy of Dermatology backs a slow start, moisturizer and the least intense formula. LYTA doesn't publish the retinol strength of its Collagen and Retinol Serum, so start it at two evenings a week with moisturizer on top, and if irritation persists, stop and see a board-certified dermatologist.
How long should I wait between layers?
LYTA's Collagen and Retinol Serum doesn't come with a waiting time between layers, but it does need a dry face, so the pause that matters comes before the serum. Pat dry after cleansing, and if your skin still feels damp, give it a minute or two while you brush your teeth. Then smooth on the serum and follow with moisturizer once it's spread. With another brand, follow any wait its label gives.
Can I use hyaluronic acid serum in a retinol sandwich?
In our suggested routine, Hyaluronic Acid Serum gets its own slot rather than a place in the sandwich. Its directions call for a few drops on damp skin, while LYTA's Collagen and Retinol Serum starts on a dry face after cleansing. Use it in the morning and on retinol-free evenings, with moisturizer right away, never bare on dry skin in a dry room. Our guide to hyaluronic acid serum on damp or dry skin has the rest.
Sources
- Mukherjee S, Date A, Patravale V, et al. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2006.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Retinoid or retinol?
- American Academy of Dermatology. Sunscreen FAQs.
- American Academy of Dermatology. How to safely exfoliate at home.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Alpha Hydroxy Acids.
- American Academy of Dermatology. How to maximize results from anti-aging skin care products.
