First of all, what is retinal and retinoids?

No, I didn't mess with retinol. Retinal is also part of the retinoid family, and is more powerful than retinol.

For those who don't know, retinoids are actually different derivatives of vitamin A. When applied to the skin, they help accelerate the rate of skin turnover and thus help improve the appearance of wrinkles, pigmentation and acne. However, they can have side effects of irritation and peeling, and are not always ideal for sensitive skin. Retinoids include, for example, tretinoin (Retavit), retinol, adaplin, and of course - Retinal!

Tretinoin = retinoid acid - the most researched and proven ingredient in the world of care. The only ingredient that is defined as "antiaging" by the FDA. It is only sold by prescription because its side effects are not simple, it can be very drying and cause irritation and peeling at first. In Israel, the drug is called "Ratavit".

Retinol = pure vitamin A. Retinol needs to go through 2 conversions in contact with the skin to become tretinoin.

Retinal = exactly the layer in the middle, between retinol and retinal. Retinal undergoes one conversion to become tretinoin so it is more potent than retinol but less than tretinoin.

In summary:

retinol ‑‑ > retinal ‑‑> retinoic acid

⚠️Please note that retinoids are prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding!🤰

So let's talk about this product specifically:

It is defined as an eye serum, but if you already know how I feel about eye creams, I totally think you can use it all over your face if you want.

According to what Beauty of Joseon says, they wanted to adapt the product to the thin and delicate area of the eyes, so they used the technology of encapsulating the ingredient. That is, you put the retinal in small capsules that penetrate more slowly and also better. The result - less irritation and more efficiency!

The serum contains 2% retinal of this type. Besides retinal, it also contains:

10% ginseng extract - a plant that is common in Korean culture and is used as an excellent antioxidant.
Niacinamide - a star ingredient with many benefits such as lightening, strengthening the skin barrier, moisturizing, balancing the secretion of fat, and more.
A peptide that encourages collagen formation.
Ceramide 3 to strengthen skin barrier and moisture.
hyaluronic acid - to moisturize.
fragrance-free, alcohol, or essential oils.

The brand is cruelty-free 🐰❤️

My experience:

I use it for about 3.5 months, every day, in the evening. Before that I used retinol for about 9 months. I use both only around the eyes because on the rest of the face I use a more powerful retinoid and the eye area is more delicate.

My main goal in using retinoids around the eyes is delaying early wrinkles and not treating them because I don't have any at the moment. Therefore, I cannot vouch for results in this matter.

My secondary goal is to reduce dark circles around the eyes - my dark circles are due to thin skin. Retinoids can thicken the skin so sometimes it blurs the circles a bit. When I used retinol I saw a minimal change, and since switching to retinal there is a significant improvement in the dark circles (but it takes time and a lot of patience for this! So keep that in mind).

In terms of stimulation, I experienced almost no stimulation at all. It could very well be because I used retinol before and the skin was already normal, so I definitely recommend starting with retinol.

The only time I had this irritation was when the epinephrine and retinal accidentally mixed in the area of the eye, so you have to be really careful with that.

All in all, I really like it and think it will suit those who want to progress to something more effective than retinol.

Retinoids

בואו לעקוב אחרי :)