THE ORDINARY | GRANACTIVE RETINOID 2% IN SQUALANE

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, A Complete $100 Skincare Routine with The Inkey List, The Ordinary, Benton & More! You can catch the full piece here.

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Okay, so who doesn’t have a love-hate relationship with Retinol, aka Vitamin A? It’s a rather complicated ingredient with multiple forms in varying strengths.

If you’ve tried prescription strength Tretinoin or Retin-A, you know the affects are immediate —with signs of drying, sensitivity and redness. No pain, no gain, right? The experience isn’t for everyone. And a prescription-strength retinoid is not possible in a hundred-dollar routine. But skin can really benefit from Vitamin A, and from its multitude of benefits.

What is Retinol? Well, according to the experts on the Paula Choice Research team,

Retinol (also known as vitamin A) is one of the most effective anti-aging ingredients for softening the appearance of wrinkles, refining skin texture, and improving uneven skin tone.
Research has also clearly shown retinol helps minimize enlarged pores and reignites firmer-feeling skin, which is why we utilize this multitasking ingredient in so many of our Paula’s Choice Skincare formulas. What follows is our guide to your ideal skin care routine.

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So, Retinol is a must. The trick was finding one that was both well-formulated and inexpensive. We looked at options from all over the map and decided that one I’d had a great experience with just happened to be democratically priced, too.

It’s the Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane from The Ordinary. The brand actually offers six options — three conventional Retinol serums and three more potent Retinoids. I’ve used The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion and both of the brand’s Granactive Retinoids in Squalane, in strengths of 2% and 5%.

What Is Retinol and What Does Retinol Do for the Skin?

It’s commonly accepted that Retinol and retinoids, more specifically, are the gold standard in anti-aging. Like Vitamin C and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), the Vitamin A derivative has multiple pro-skin health, anti-aging benefits. Among them are the smoothing of lines and wrinkles, potent antioxidant defense and visible skin firming. As with Niacinamide, topical retinoids — as all derivatives of Vitamin A are referred to — can even minimize the appearance of pores and defend skin against aging environmental damage.

There’s a superb piece on retinoids by the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled, The Complete Guide To Retinol: The Anti-Aging (And Anti-Acne) Hero — which you can catch here. Here is what I found most salient:

Retinol is classified as a Cell-Communicating Ingredient, which means that it can tell a skin cell how to behave. Retinol ‘tells’ developing skin cell in the lower layers of the skin – called the dermis, to develop normally, instead of a sun-damaged or genetically malformed skin cell. This is how, over time, Retinol can address multiple skin concerns.
Another way Retinol works is also by telling the older cells in the upper layer of skin to die quicker which in turn allows the newer, healthier skin to surface faster. This quicker skin cell turnover rate, paired with cell communicating abilities is what makes Retinol such a superstar!
There are many derivatives and strengths of retinoids available in both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription products today. The term “Retinol” is the name of the purest form of Vitamin A, and used most often to refer to the non-prescription version of Retinoids.
However, Retinol itself is not active. It has to go through a conversion process in the skin to get to the active form which is then usable by the skin.
Retinyl Palmitate –> Retinol — > Retinaldehyde –> All-Trans-Retinoic Acid (Tretinoin)

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There are many forms of retinoids used in skincare today and it can get confusing. Brands and their formulators have multiple format options in seemingly infinite concentrations, depending on the formulation and the product’s claims positioning.

Following is a breakdown of the most common forms of retinoids with a brief description of its unique benefits and qualities.

Retinyl Palmitate

This form of Vitamin A is created by combining Retinol, or pure Vitamin A, and palmitic acid – a saturated fatty acid derived from palm oil. Retinyl Palmitate is actually naturally occurring in the skin. Because of the lengthy conversion process required within the skin, it’s the least effective of the retinoids. As the weakest form, it’s also generally the most well tolerated.

Retinyl Palmitate gets a bad rap and is on the clean beauty ingredient hit lists of both Sephora and Credo, meaning a formula that contains it cannot be classified as “clean”. According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, the claims that it’s unsafe are “based on a study from nearly 20 years ago that has never been reproduced or tested under real-life conditions such as how people use sunscreens that contain this ingredient.”

Retinol

The term “retinol” has become the catch-all for all forms of retinoids in skincare marketing. To be exact, Retinol is the name for the entire vitamin A molecule and the purest form of the antioxidant vitamin. While its anti-aging benefits are proven, it also has legitimate downsides; notably, Retinol can cause extreme sensitization, irritation, redness, dryness and unsightly flaking of the skin.

What causes Retinol irritation? Well, in order to achieve the unparalleled results of Retinol, the molecule must go through a lengthy molecular transformation in the skin as it converts to retinoic acid. It is this conversion process that causes the significant downsides associated with Retinol.

Ironically, while it’s known for causing skin sensitivity, Retinol is also quite sensitive itself. It needs to be packaged in an opaque, air-tight pump as it easily degrades in the presence of light and air. Just like its BFF Vitamin C!

Retinaldehyde (Retinal)

Retinal is even more potent and effective on the retinoid scale than Retinol itself. Interestingly, “Retinaldehyde has promise in being an anti-acne treatment, without the same harsh side effects of its prescription cousins.”

Because it is perhaps the most expensive of the retinoid class, it’s seldom used in topical skincare products — and is reserved for the savvy marketers who want their Retinol treatment to sound unique and to boast the highest efficacy without a prescription. The default is most often to formulate with the less expensive Retinol. Because of its higher potency, Retinaldehyde is used in lower concentrations, which can give the impression that the formula is weaker from a marketing perspective.

Retinyl Retinoate

This synthetic form of Vitamin A is part of a new generation of retinoids. Because of its slower conversion in the skin into Retinoic Acid, studies have shown it to be less problematic for skin than Retinol and pure form of topical Retinoic Acid — more commonly known as Tretinoin or Retin-A.

Because of the serious downsides of using Retinol, Retinyl Retinoate may become increasingly popular in the years ahead.

I have experienced little, if any, irritation at the 2% level and only moderate dryness around my mouth at the 5% strength. Of course, I love the fact that the formulas are in a Squalane base (it’s the #1 ingredient) which gives skin extra nourishment and moisture.

I also love the high level of Bisabolol in the two Granactive Retinoids. Bisabolol is the active component of chamomile that helps to soothe skin and ameliorate any potential irritation.

At just under ten bucks, you can’t go wrong with either option.

What I like about it: For just $12, The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane is one of the better Retinol options, and ideal as a starting point – or even an ongoing treatment for those looking for an effective Retinol face serum or face cream with Retinol without irritation. Only you know your skin. With six different options, The Ordinary makes it easy to find the best Retinol cream for you.

What I don’t like about it: Honestly, I like everything about it.

Who it’s for: All skin types.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane for $12 here.

Purchase The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane for $16.10 here.

Purchase The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion for $13.90 here.

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