This product is the absolute star of my evenings. The ingredients are top tier and the retinol percentage is perfection.
Typical of Paula’s Choice products, it is quite pricey, especially in comparison to the other skincare products I use but it is worth spending more on actives and treatment products. Also, if you love a good deal, you can keep an eye out for discounts on the Paula’s Choice website and the emails you receive when you sign up to their email list. I have purchased this product at 20% discount + 7% discount on TopCashback more times than not.
Retinol works by accelerating cell turnover and stimulating collagen production. This helps reduce fine lines, smooth texture, fade hyperpigmentation and prevent clogged pores. However, because it speeds up skin renewal, it can initially cause dryness, flaking and increased sun sensitivity which is why gradual introduction and protective layering are essential.
Key Ingredients
One of the reasons why I love this treatment are the trio of powerhouse ingredients:
- Retinol: helps accelerate skin turnover, smooths fine lines, improves skin texture and tone and stimulates collagen production.
- Peptides: boost skin collagen, firmness and elasticity which can further help with minimising fine lines
- Vitamin C: brightens skin, helps fade dark sports and defends against free radicals
There is no need to worry about whether using multiple actives at once is less effective or will lead to irritation as the research and testing has already been done for you.
The other ingredients are geared towards mitigating the side effects of using retinol which are dryness and irritation.
To combat dryness there are:
- Glycerin
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Ceramides
- Lecithin
- Allantoin
To minimise irritation there are:
- Licorice Root Extract
- Oat Kernel Extract
- Burdock Root Extract
- Willow Bark Extract
- Vitamin E / Tocopheryl
The complete ingredient list: Water (Neutral), Dimethicone (Good), Glycerin (Good), Butylene Glycol (Good), Isononyl Isononanoate (Neutral), Castor Isostearate Succinate (Good), Glyceryl Stearate (Neutral), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (Neutral), Dimethicone Crosspolymer (Good), PEG-33 (Good), Polysorbate 20 (Neutral), Behenyl Alcohol (Good), PEG-100 Stearate (Neutral), Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate (Neutral), Polymethylsilsesquioxane (Neutral), Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Good), Retinol (Good), Ceramide NG (Good), Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (Good), Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12 (Good), Sodium Hyaluronate (Good), Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Good), Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract (Good), Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract (Good), Arctium Lappa (Good), Salix Alba Extract (Good), Glycine Soja Sterols (Good), Lecithin (Good), Allantoin (Good), Tocopheryl Acetate (Good), Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (Good), Sorbitan Laurate (Neutral), Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester (Good), Disodium EDTA (Neutral), Hydroxyethylcellulose (Neutral), Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (Good), Sodium Hydroxide (Bad), Tribehnin (Good), Caprylyl Glycol (Good), Ethylhexylglycerin (Good), Pentylene Glycol (Good), PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides (Good), PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer (Neutral), PEG-10 Phytosterol (Neutral), PEG-8 Dimethicone (Neutral), PEG-14 (Neutral), Magnesium Aluminium Silicate (Neutral), Arachidyl Glucoside (Neutral), Arachidyl Alcohol (Neutral), Sclerotium Gum (Neutral), Carbomer (Neutral), Phenoxyethanol (Neutral), Benzoic Acid (Neutral).
Fragrance free and non-comedogenic.
Application
The product comes in an air tight dispenser that is very easy to use, although I have my doubts on whether it is in fact air tight. I noticed that when I’m almost done with the bottle the product is a dark yellow whereas when I just started using a new bottle it comes out as pale yellow and I believe this is because the vitamin C in the formula has oxidised over time.
The instructions says to initially use it only 3 times per week and then gradually increase to daily with 1-2 pumps. This is great advice for everyone even if you have used retinol before and 1-2 pumps is around a pea-sized amount.
Results
90% of the time, when I wake up my skin is glowing and I do believe it is because of the Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Treatment as it is the only treatment product I use in my night time skin care routine. The other 10% of the time was probably because I stayed up doom scrolling.
When I first started using this product the intention was to get rid of my acne and several years later I can confirm my acne has significantly improved. I now only get one pimple every few months. Retinols are also known for their anti-aging effects so I’ll let you know how that goes in 30 years! So stay tuned….
How I use it
Always patch test retinol before first use especially if you have sensitive skin. Start slowly and observe how your skin reacts to avoid irritation. I started off very very slow using 2 pumps once a week for the first week, two times a week for the next two weeks, then three times a week for the next three weeks and so on. Eventually, I got to the point where I was using it every night.
After around 1 year of using the Retinol I decided to reduce to only 1 pump because I still had some facial redness and I felt like it was because of the irritation from the retinol. Reducing to 1 pump definitely helped with the redness and I still rarely got acne which I was worried about. So I recommend not only starting off slow but using only 1 pump. Then only increase to 2 pumps if you are still getting acne.
Another reason why it took me 1 year to finally decide to reduce to 1 pump was because it would be harder to evenly spread the product all over my face. However, this wasn’t an issue because I was using the Retinol Sandwich method so I would layer on watery moisturising serums first before applying the retinol which just glided over the skin.
Suitability
When to use: At night because Retinols make your skin more sensitive and it can increase the risk of irritation if you spend alot of time in the sun.
What ingredients to use it with: Apply it alongside moisturising and soothing products such as beta-glucan, snail mucin, ceramides and niacinamide.
What ingredients not to use it with: Harsh exfoliating products such as AHAs and BHAs and strong actives such as Vitamin C.
Suitable for people with the following skin conditions:
- Acne Prone
- Redness
- Oily skin
- Fine lines
Other comments
Summary of the 1 star reviews from popular online retailers:
- caused breakouts
- caused skin dryness and irritation
- not effective
This blog is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional dermatological advice. Individual skin responses may vary.