Retinol is the chemical name of the essential micronutrient vitamin A which can be harmful to your health when it’s added to cosmetic products in certain forms. Two derivatives – retinoic acid and retinyl palmitate – should be avoided in cosmetics and personal care products while retinol itself should not be used at high doses.
These vitamin A derivatives have been proven to boost collagen production (reducing wrinkles and preventing fine lines), speed cell turnover (evening out discoloration and brightening skin tone) and unclog pores (making them look smaller and reducing acne).
Retinol is a weaker, over the counter version of tretinoin, a prescription vitamin A derivative that is highly effective in reversing sun damage and signs of aging. Tretinoin decreases fine lines, evens skin color, improves texture, tightens pores, and stimulates blood flow and collagen production.
HEALTH CONCERNS: Cancer (Possible), Developmental and reproductive toxicity.
The Campaign for safe cosmetics article
Another disturbing drawback of many conventional prescription and non-prescription retinoids: They’re stabilized with preservatives including parabens and BHT. A 2002 International Journal of Toxicology report linked short-term repeated exposure of BHT to toxic effects in the liver; when applied to skin, BHT has been associated with toxicity in lung tissue.
Clean retinols, by contrast, insist on transparency—and on no BHT. I’m Fabulous Cosmetics extracts retinol from rosehips, which are rich in vitamin A. Achieving the skincare benefits of retinol by using plants with high retinol content in our formulas.
Rosehip is an incredible ingredient because the high vitamin-A and retinoic-acid content provides skin with retinol benefits—the retinoic acid slow-releases as the retinol in the formula is being converted into retinoic acid within the skin—without some of their unpleasant effects such as severe drying.
I’m Fabulous Cosmetics retinol cream is plants based
Great article. Thank you. Loving your skin care products!