Retinol vs Retinal vs Retinoid: what your skin actually needs

Vitamin A is one of the most researched and proven ingredients in skincare. It boosts collagen, accelerates cell turnover, refines texture, fades dark spots, and gradually smooths fine lines. Most people know it works.

What most people don't know is what they're actually buying when they pick up a product that says retinol, or retinal, or retinoid on the label. The terms are often used interchangeably. They shouldn't be. Each one behaves differently on skin, and understanding the difference will help you choose the right formula for where your skin is right now.

What does vitamin A actually do?

Vitamin A works by converting into retinoic acid inside the skin. Retinoic acid is the active form your skin can actually use. It connects with receptors on skin cells and signals them to behave like healthier, younger cells. It stimulates collagen production, speeds up cell renewal, and interrupts the damage process that leads to fine lines and uneven tone.

The challenge is getting there. Different forms of vitamin A take different routes, and the route determines how effective, and how irritating, the ingredient will be.

Retinol

Retinol is pure vitamin A. It's the most widely used form in over-the-counter skincare and the ingredient most people have heard of.

When retinol is applied to skin, it goes through several conversion steps before it becomes retinoic acid. Because retinol loses potency through each conversion step, many products use higher concentrations to compensate. And the higher the concentration, the greater the risk of irritation.

Redness, flaking, purging, sensitivity to touch: these are the experiences that make people give up on vitamin A entirely. It's worth knowing that some of this is normal. A short adjustment period, particularly in the first few weeks, is your skin adapting to accelerated cell turnover. It doesn't mean the product is wrong for you. Most of the time, the problem isn't vitamin A itself — it's the form, the concentration, or the formulation around it.

Retinal

Retinal (retinaldehyde) is one step closer to retinoic acid than retinol. It requires just a single conversion, which means it acts faster and at lower concentrations. It tends to be more effective than standard retinol at equivalent strengths, but it can also be more reactive on skin.

Retinoids

Retinoid is an umbrella term for the whole vitamin A family — retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and newer ester forms like retinyl palmitate all fall under it. When brands use the word retinoid without specifying the ingredient, it's worth reading the label.

HPR: the gentle retinoid

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) is a retinoid ester that works differently from the rest of the family.

Rather than converting into retinoic acid through multiple steps, HPR binds directly to retinoid receptors on skin cells. That means it delivers results without the conversion process that causes most retinoid-related irritation. Which means your skin gets the renewal signal without the inflammation that often comes with it.

HPR does not behave like retinol. At equivalent concentrations, it delivers a gentler experience with results that are comparable — or in some formulations, more consistent — than traditional retinol.

The skincare industry has been moving steadily away from high-strength traditional retinol for good reason, and regulatory changes in Europe are beginning to reflect what formulation science has known for some time: more is not always better when it comes to vitamin A. Well-formulated products don't need to rely on high retinol concentrations to deliver results.

When should you start using vitamin A?

There's no universal answer, but mid-20s is often cited as a sensible starting point — collagen production begins to slow in your mid-to-late 20s, and vitamin A supports the renewal processes that naturally start to dip. That said, the right time depends far more on your skin than your age. If you're dealing with uneven texture, early fine lines, or post-breakout marks in your 20s, vitamin A is worth considering.

What this means for your retinol routine

If you've tried retinol and found it harsh, the issue almost certainly wasn't vitamin A — it was the form or the concentration. HPR allows you to get the benefits of vitamin A without the barrier disruption that makes people give up.

If you're new to vitamin A, starting with HPR means effective results, a gentler feel, and a formula your skin can tolerate consistently.

Superstar retinoid night oil contains 0.2% HPR — the starting point for everyone beginning their vitamin A journey. Superstar+ contains 1% HPR, for when your skin has built tolerance and is ready for deeper renewal. Both are formulated with tamanu, black cumin seed, and pomegranate oils to support barrier repair and lock in moisture — and sit at the heart of our Ageing Skin Routine.

Start where your skin is and build from there. How to unlock your best skin with vitamin A.

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Superstar and Superstar+ are both powered by HPR — a next-generation retinoid that delivers visible vitamin A results without the irritation most people associate with retinol. The difference between them is concentration: Superstar contains 0.2% HPR, formulated for beginners and sensitive skin; Superstar+ contains 1% HPR, for skin that has already adapted to vitamin A and is ready for a deeper renewal step. Both combine HPR with a blend of barrier-supporting botanical oils — tamanu, black cumin seed, and pomegranate — to improve skin texture, tone, and clarity without disrupting the skin barrier.

How to start a retinoid routine without irritation

Vitamin A is one of the most effective ingredients in skincare. It's also one of the most abandoned. Most people who give up on retinoids do so in the first few weeks — before the results have had a chance to show — because the introduction was too fast, the concentration too high, or the formula too harsh on the skin barrier. Starting correctly makes the difference between a routine that works and one that gets written off. Here's how to do it.

The secret to long-term retinol results (and how to stay on track)

Vitamin A delivers some of the most significant long-term results available in skincare. Smoother texture, refined pores, softer lines, improved elasticity and more even tone. Used consistently over months and years, vitamin A works at a cellular level to keep skin renewing, collagen synthesising, and the processes that maintain healthy, vital skin functioning well for longer. The secret to getting there is understanding what your skin is doing at each stage, and staying consistent long enough to let it happen.