Retinol is vitamin A itself. Retinyl palmitate is a retinyl ester, a retinol derivative developed because retinol breaks down so easily. In a 1997 study on human skin, Duell, Kang and Voorhees found that retinol got in more effectively than retinyl palmitate when both were left uncovered after application.
Retinol also has a wrinkle trial behind it. In 2007, Kafi and colleagues had a retinol lotion applied to one arm of volunteers averaging 87, and fine wrinkles on that arm improved compared with the other arm, which got the same lotion without retinol. Neither study tested retinyl palmitate on wrinkles.
We make every product linked in this guide, including Collagen and Retinol Serum, which contains retinol, and Night Renewal Creme, which contains retinyl palmitate. No study below tested them, and we don't publish how much of either ingredient they contain.
What retinyl palmitate is
Retinoid is the family name for vitamin A and its natural derivatives. A 2006 review by Mukherjee and colleagues puts retinol, retinaldehyde, retinoic acid (tretinoin) and the retinyl esters in that family, so retinyl palmitate is a retinoid too.
The same review calls retinol extremely unstable, easily broken down into inactive forms by light and air. Derivatives such as retinyl palmitate were developed to make it more stable, and they've been widely used in cosmetics instead of retinol.
Retinyl palmitate vs retinol on human skin
Duell, Kang and Voorhees published their comparison in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 1997. They applied retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl palmitate and retinoic acid to human skin, each dissolved in a lab mix of ethanol and propylene glycol, and measured the effect on an enzyme called retinoic acid 4-hydroxylase. It's a lab marker, not something you'd see in a mirror. The paper also notes that retinol is converted to retinaldehyde and then to retinoic acid.
The team tested retinol, retinyl palmitate and retinoic acid both covered after application and left uncovered. On covered skin, a significant, measurable effect on the enzyme took 0.6% retinyl palmitate, against 0.025% retinol. The paper gives no formula for turning a retinyl palmitate percentage into a retinol one, so don't use these two numbers to compare labels.
Left uncovered, retinyl palmitate did less than it had under cover. Retinol's effect held.
What retinol has shown for fine wrinkles
In Kafi and colleagues' 2007 trial, study staff applied a 0.4% retinol lotion to one arm of each of 36 volunteers, whose average age was 87, up to three times a week for 24 weeks. The other arm got the same lotion without retinol, and chance decided which arm got which. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew.
After 24 weeks, fine wrinkles on the retinol-treated arms had improved compared with the other arms. University of Michigan authors published the trial in the Archives of Dermatology, with the US National Institutes of Health among its funders. So it's evidence about very old arms. The trial didn't look at faces, or at retinyl palmitate.
Which one to choose
If you're new to both, we'd pick the serum. Its directions say how often to start, which the creme's don't, and it keeps an exfoliating acid out of your first month. The rest comes down to what else is in each formula.
| At a glance | Collagen and Retinol Serum | Night Renewal Creme |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A ingredient | Retinol | Retinyl palmitate, a retinyl ester |
| Exfoliating acid | Not on its ingredient list | Glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), third on its ingredient list |
| Fragrance | Not on its ingredient list | Contains fragrance |
| How often | Evenings only, starting at two a week | Last step at night; no number of nights given |
| Sun | Sunscreen every morning; the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) adds shade and clothing for anyone on a retinoid | The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises sunscreen, protective clothing and limited sun exposure while you use an AHA and for a week after |
The creme is for someone who wants a retinoid and an AHA in one step, and it replaces the serum. Using both would stack exactly what the AAD warns about. It says using several anti-aging products at the same time can irritate your skin, and that exfoliating while using retinol may worsen dry skin or even cause acne breakouts. With the creme, wear sunscreen and protective clothing and limit sun exposure while you use it and for a week after you stop.
Already using an exfoliating acid? If you pick the creme, drop the acid, so you aren't layering two.
On the serum, pause your acid for the first four weeks, then follow our separate-nights plan for glycolic acid and retinol: serum on Monday and Thursday, acid on Wednesday and Saturday, never both on one evening. Drop the acid first if dryness or breakouts show up. If it's an AHA, wear sunscreen and protective clothing and limit sun exposure while you use it and for a week after you stop.
A beach trip or a summer of outdoor weekends changes the timing. The FDA's sun advice runs until a week after you stop an AHA. So hold off on the creme, or any other AHA in your routine, until the trip is over. If you're already using one, stop at least a week before your first long day outside, and wear sunscreen that day anyway.
Before you start
Anyone pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding should ask a doctor before using retinol or retinyl palmitate. If you have rosacea or eczema, or already use a prescription retinoid, ask a board-certified dermatologist before starting either product.
Most anti-aging products take at least six weeks to work, and sometimes up to three months, according to the AAD. Give either one that long before judging it.
How to start Collagen and Retinol Serum
Collagen and Retinol Serum is for evenings only. Start with two a week, such as Monday and Thursday. On the other evenings, just cleanser and moisturizer.
Wash with a gentle cleanser like Hydrating Facial Cleanser, rinse with lukewarm water and pat your face completely dry. Smooth a thin layer of serum over it, away from the eye area and the creases beside your nose. Moisturizer goes on top, a fragrance-free one your skin already tolerates.
The retinol sandwich method adds moisturizer underneath as well. We skip that layer with this serum because its directions call for a dry face.
Our plan adds a third evening, Saturday, after two calm weeks: no stinging when the serum goes on, no tight feeling after you wash and no flakes by morning. Tuesday follows after another two calm weeks, and the plan stops at those four evenings. If you also use an exfoliating acid, the serum stays at Monday and Thursday. Pause whenever your skin feels overworked.
Sunscreen goes on every morning, and the AAD advises daily sun protection for anyone on a retinoid, with shade and clothing as well. It recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, reapplied about every two hours or after swimming or sweating. We don't sell sunscreen, so pick one you'll happily wear every morning.
For another brand's retinol or retinyl palmitate product, follow its label. When it doesn't say how often, start at two evenings a week, slower than the AAD's every other night, and build up slowly. An AHA such as glycolic or lactic acid in its ingredients brings in the FDA's sun advice: sunscreen, protective clothing and limited sun exposure while you use it and for a week after you stop.
How to start Night Renewal Creme
Night Renewal Creme is the last step at night, swept up over the neck and jaw to the cheekbones. Keep it away from the eye area. There's no set number of nights, so we'd start at two a week, say Tuesday and Saturday, and stay there. The nights in between stay plain, cleanser and moisturizer only.
If you like a serum underneath, make it Hyaluronic Acid Serum or another one without retinol or an exfoliating acid. Press a few drops onto damp skin right after cleansing, as our guide to hyaluronic acid serum on damp or dry skin explains, then put the creme on right away.
Glycolic acid is an AHA, and the sunburn alert the FDA recommends for AHA products says they may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun, and particularly the possibility of sunburn. From the morning after your first night, wear sunscreen and protective clothing and limit sun exposure while you use the creme and for a week after you stop.
If either one stings
If it stings as it goes on, rinse it off with lukewarm water. Stinging, or skin left feeling raw, means you stop using it for now. Until your face feels normal again, stick to a gentle cleanser and an unscented moisturizer you already use without trouble, and skip exfoliating acids and scrubs too.
After a full week of calm skin, restart the serum at two evenings a week, or one if you'd rather ease back in. Using an acid as well? Leave it out until the serum has had four more calm weeks.
After the same full week of calm skin, restart the creme on Saturday alone and add Tuesday two weeks later, with sunscreen, protective clothing and limited sun exposure while you use it and for a week after you stop. Don't treat the creme as a gentler fallback. We can't say it is, and it adds fragrance and an exfoliating acid to its retinyl palmitate.
See a board-certified dermatologist if stinging or peeling hangs on, or comes back every time you restart. Swelling, or a rash that spreads past where you applied the product, is more urgent. Wash the product off and get medical care promptly.
Questions about retinyl palmitate and retinol
Is retinyl palmitate the same as retinol?
No. Retinol is vitamin A itself, and retinyl palmitate is a retinyl ester, one of the retinol derivatives developed to make retinol more stable in cosmetics. A 2006 review by Mukherjee and colleagues counts both among the retinoids, the family of vitamin A and its natural derivatives. They have separate names on an ingredient list, so if you want retinol itself, look for the word retinol.
Is retinyl palmitate weaker than retinol?
On one lab measure, yes. Duell, Kang and Voorhees reported in 1997 that human skin kept covered after application needed 0.6% retinyl palmitate for a significant, measurable effect on an enzyme marker, against 0.025% retinol and 0.01% retinaldehyde, another retinoid. All three were in lab solutions. Wrinkles weren't measured, and the study gives no way to compare finished products.
Is retinyl palmitate gentler than retinol?
We can't say it is. In a 1997 comparison on human skin, Duell, Kang and Voorhees saw no redness from retinyl palmitate or retinol, but they used lab solutions, which say little about a finished cream. LYTA's Night Renewal Creme also adds fragrance and glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), to its retinyl palmitate. If any retinoid irritates your skin, stop using it, and see a board-certified dermatologist if the irritation persists.
Can you use retinyl palmitate and retinol together?
We'd pick one. The American Academy of Dermatology says using several anti-aging products at the same time can irritate your skin. If you choose LYTA's Night Renewal Creme, which already pairs retinyl palmitate with glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), it replaces Collagen and Retinol Serum. New to both? We'd start with the serum. With the creme, the FDA advises sunscreen, protective clothing and limited sun exposure while you use it and for a week after you stop.
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.
- Duell EA, Kang S, Voorhees JJ. Unoccluded retinol penetrates human skin in vivo more effectively than unoccluded retinyl palmitate or retinoic acid. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1997.
- Kafi R, Kwak HS, Schumacher WE, et al. Improvement of naturally aged skin with vitamin A (retinol). Archives of Dermatology, 2007.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Retinoid or retinol?
- American Academy of Dermatology. Sunscreen FAQs.
- American Academy of Dermatology. How to maximize results from anti-aging skin care products.
- American Academy of Dermatology. How to safely exfoliate at home.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Alpha Hydroxy Acids.
