Retinal vs Retinol: What Is Retinal and Is It Better?

On this page

1. Retinol vs retinal vs tretinoin at a glance
2. What is retinal?
3. What’s the difference between retinal and retinol?
4. Is retinal really 11 times faster than retinol?
5. Is retinal better than retinol?
6. Is retinal more irritating than retinol?
7. Does retinal help with acne?
8. Retinal vs tretinoin: which is stronger?
9. How do you start using retinal or retinol?
10. Can you use retinal or retinol while pregnant?
11. Your next step

Quick answer: Retinal vs retinol comes down to one conversion step. Both are forms of vitamin A you can buy without a prescription. Your skin turns retinol into retinal, then retinal into retinoic acid, the active form, so retinal is generally stronger. Small studies suggest it’s about as gentle as retinol, but no trial has compared the two head to head on wrinkles.

We read 22 studies and sources, from a 1990 lab paper on skin cells to a 2025 acne pilot study, so every claim below links to where it came from. (My phone’s autocorrect changed “retinal” to “retinol” twice while I typed that sentence. It has picked a side. I have not.)

Retinol vs retinal vs tretinoin at a glance

	Retinol	Retinal (retinaldehyde)	Tretinoin
What it is	A form of vitamin A	A form of vitamin A, one step further along	Retinoic acid, the active form
Steps to the active form	Two	One	None
Prescription needed in the US?	No	No	Yes
Strengths used in the studies below	0.4% to 1.6%	0.05% to 1%	0.025% to 0.05%
Irritation in studies	Low, similar to retinal	Low, similar to retinol	Higher
Killed acne bacteria in lab tests?	No	Yes	No
During pregnancy	Avoid	Avoid	Avoid

Sources: Siegenthaler 1990, Fluhr 1999, Kang 1995, Kafi 2007, Saurat 1994, Creidi 1998, Pechère 2002, American Academy of Dermatology.

What is retinal?

Retinal, short for retinaldehyde, is a form of vitamin A used in skincare you can buy without a prescription. It sits between retinol and retinoic acid, the active form your skin cells respond to, so it needs one conversion step instead of retinol’s two. DermNet lists it alongside retinol as a common cosmetic retinoid.

“Topical retinoids such as retinol and retinaldehyde are commonly added to cosmetics.”

DermNet, the New Zealand dermatology reference

The two names are one letter apart, which feels like a prank on anyone who shops on a phone. Autocorrect has now “fixed” retinal to retinol four times in this section alone. I’m starting to think it’s on commission.

“Retinoid” is the family name. The American Academy of Dermatology calls it “a catch-all for an array of vitamin A-based products used on skin” (AAD), covering retinol, retinal, prescription tretinoin and adapalene. Picture a family reunion where everyone has nearly the same name, and I’m the relative calling everyone the wrong one. [Waves at retinol. It’s retinal. Sits down quietly.]

What’s the difference between retinal and retinol?

The difference is one conversion step. Your skin turns retinol into retinal, then turns retinal into retinoic acid, the form that switches on the skin’s retinoid receptors. Retinal skips the first step, so at the same strength it’s generally considered more potent. Both are cosmetic ingredients and both are weaker than prescription tretinoin.

The ladder comes from lab work on human skin cells. A 1990 study concluded that “retinal is an intermediate metabolite in the conversion of retinol into retinoic acid” (Siegenthaler 1990). Translation: retinal is the middle rung. I had to read it three times, and on the third read I drew the ladder on a napkin (the napkin is now framed in my head, next to my other achievements).

The same study found a plot twist. Skin cells also turned some retinal back into retinol, at about 8 units an hour. So retinal is one step from the finish line and occasionally wanders back to the start, which is exactly how I do my morning routine.

Retinol still works despite the extra step. A 2016 study found it produced similar skin changes to retinoic acid, “although the magnitude tends to be smaller” (Kong 2016). Smaller, slower, still showing up. Honestly, same.

Is retinal really 11 times faster than retinol?

Not in any way you’d see in the mirror. The “11 times faster” line traces back to a 1990 lab study that measured how fast retinoic acid formed in extracts of skin cells grown in a dish. Retinal made it about 11.5 times faster than retinol did. Nobody measured wrinkles, real faces, or how soon results show.

“This next-generation rare form of vitamin A acts up to 11 times faster than classic retinol.”

Medik8, a brand that sells retinal serums

Medik8 footnotes that line to G. Siegenthaler and colleagues, Biochemical Journal, 1990. So I read it. (Nobody asked me to. That’s the problem with me.)

Here’s what the study actually measured. In fluid taken from lab-grown skin cells, retinoic acid formed from retinal at 51.6 units an hour, and from retinol at 4.49 (Siegenthaler 1990). Divide one by the other and you get about 11.5, so the math is honest. [Puts calculator down. Picks it back up. Still 11.5.]

The catch is everything around the number. In the skin cells that weren’t yet maturing, retinol made no retinoic acid at all, while retinal made 14.4 units. By that dish, retinal is infinitely faster, and I respect the marketing team for deciding “infinity times faster” was too much, even for them.

None of it happened on a face. It was an enzyme rate in a test tube, not a trial of how fast lines soften. To its credit, Medik8’s own page admits “Retinal hasn’t been studied to the same extent as retinol and, as such, it isn’t as well understood” (Medik8). My autocorrect read that whole paragraph and still changed retinal to retinol, which is the most loyal thing any software has ever done.

Timelines get fuzzy too. Farmacy says retinal works in “2-4 weeks vs. 8-12 weeks for retinol”, with no source (Farmacy), while Paula’s Choice says most people need 8 to 12 weeks of retinal (Paula’s Choice). That’s a two-month disagreement, roughly how long I argue with myself about which serum to open first.

Is retinal better than retinol?

Retinal is probably a little stronger than retinol, but “better” isn’t proven. We found no published trial that put retinal and retinol head to head on wrinkles. Each has worked in its own studies, and retinal matched prescription tretinoin in one 125-person trial. If retinol already works for you, no evidence says you have to switch.

The best retinol trial we found: 36 people with an average age of 87 used 0.4% retinol lotion on one arm and a plain lotion on the other for 24 weeks. Fine wrinkling scores improved by 1.64 points on the retinol arm and 0.08 on the other (Kafi 2007). An average age of 87 makes these the most patient volunteers in science. I can’t wait 87 seconds for a kettle.

The best retinal trial we found: 125 people with sun-damaged skin used 0.05% retinal, 0.05% tretinoin or a plain cream for 44 weeks.

“Retinaldehyde was well tolerated during the entire study. In contrast, retinoic acid caused more local irritation, and affected compliance of the patients.”

Creidi et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1998

Both active creams reduced wrinkle and roughness measures at week 18, and the effect was “less pronounced” by week 44 (Creidi 1998). It’s one trial, so read it as encouraging, not final. I read it twice, which is the closest thing I have to a personality.

So retinal has one good trial against tretinoin, retinol has good trials against a plain cream, and nobody has booked the rematch. [Stares at the empty space where the head-to-head trial should be.] Until someone does, “better” is a brand opinion, not a finding.

Is retinal more irritating than retinol?

In the few studies that compared them, no. A 1999 study found retinol and retinal had an equally low irritation potential under patch testing, while prescription retinoic acid irritated more. Strength still matters: in early tolerance studies, 1% retinal was tolerated by up to 70% of people, and 0.05% to 0.1% was well tolerated on the face.

The 1999 study concluded that “The natural retinoids ROL and RAL do have a good tolerance profile, in contrast with the irritating potential of RA” (Fluhr 1999). ROL is retinol, RAL is retinal, and RA is retinoic acid, because scientists name things like they’re paying by the letter. The patch-test part had only 6 people, so it’s a small study with a big conclusion.

The tolerance numbers come from 229 patients, some of whom used low-strength retinal on the face for up to three years (Saurat 1994). Three years with one serum. My longest relationship is with a lip balm, and I lost it in a coat.

Tretinoin is the one that stings. Retinol up to 1.6% caused only trace redness, while 0.025% retinoic acid caused a 3.7-fold rise in redness scores (Kang 1995). A 2006 review agreed that retinaldehyde and retinol “are considerably less irritating” (Mukherjee 2006).

Any retinoid can still dry you out when you start. Dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, warns that “With skin of color, irritation can trigger dark marks, known as hyperpigmentation” (AAD). If your face already stings, feels tight or flakes, our guide to repairing your skin barrier comes first, and the retinoid waits its turn like everyone else in my queue of good intentions.

Does retinal help with acne?

Possibly a little more than retinol does. In lab tests, retinal was the only one of three retinoids that killed acne bacteria, and two weeks of 0.05% retinal on volunteers’ foreheads cut those bacteria sharply. But those were healthy volunteers, not acne trials. For clogged pores, adapalene has far stronger evidence.

The lab result is real. The researchers found “Of the three retinoids tested, only RAL showed a significant in vitro antibacterial activity” (Pechère 2002). Retinal stopped acne bacteria at 4 to 8 mg per liter, while retinoic acid needed more than 128 (Pechère 1999). They think the trick comes from the aldehyde group on the molecule, which is also the “-al” at the end of the name. Finally, a suffix that does something. Mine just says “-ish”.

On skin, 22 volunteers put 0.05% retinal on their foreheads daily for two weeks, and acne bacteria counts dropped by roughly a hundredfold, with no resistant bacteria found (Pechère 2002). Fewer bacteria isn’t the same as fewer breakouts, though, and nobody in that study had acne. (Twenty-two perfectly clear foreheads, volunteered for science. The only thing I’ve ever volunteered my forehead for was a questionable haircut.) A 2021 pilot gave 23 people with mild acne a 0.05% retinal cream, and they had fewer blackheads and whiteheads at two and four weeks, but there was no comparison group (Kim 2021). Without one, you can’t tell the cream apart from time simply passing, and time has an excellent publicist.

For whiteheads and clogged pores, adapalene 0.1% gel is the better-tested choice, and it’s been sold without a prescription in the US since 2016 (Galderma). Our closed comedones guide compares adapalene and tretinoin trial by trial, so I’ll skip the numbers and pretend that’s efficiency. Flat gray dots on your nose are a different story: those may be sebaceous filaments, which are normal pore linings.

Retinal vs tretinoin: which is stronger?

Tretinoin is stronger. It’s retinoic acid itself, sold by prescription, so it needs no conversion. Retinal is an over-the-counter step below it. In one 44-week study, 0.05% retinal reduced crow’s feet about as much as 0.05% tretinoin at week 18 with less irritation, but tretinoin has decades more research behind it.

“retinal is a good option though for those who cannot tolerate the prescription tretinoin, but want to see more benefits than with just plain retinol”

Gloria Lin, MD, board-certified dermatologist, in NBC Select

Dr. Lin also describes a path some people take: “Some people may want to work their way up from retinol to retinal and then to a prescription tretinoin depending on their skin type” (NBC Select). A staircase, basically. I prefer a ramp, and by ramp I mean skipping the gym.

DermNet ranks the prescription options too: “Adapalene is the least irritating topical retinoid, and tretinoin the most” (DermNet). Tretinoin is also the best-studied cream for early, red stretch marks, which makes it the overachiever of the family. Retinal matching it in one trial doesn’t make them twins, and a dermatologist can tell you whether a prescription suits your goals better. [Hands the question to a professional. Backs away politely.]

How do you start using retinal or retinol?

Start low and slow. Use the lowest strength you can find every other night, at night only, and build up over a few weeks. Wear sunscreen every day, use one retinoid instead of stacking two, and give it 8 to 12 weeks before you judge it. Retinal strengths look tiny on labels, but they aren’t weaker.

“Many patients want to start right off with tretinoin, but I advise them to use the least-intense retinoid formula they can find, and use it every other night to start, slowly building up”

Tina Alster, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist, American Academy of Dermatology

“Every other night” is doing a lot of work in that sentence, and I’ve ignored it before. (The result was a very flaky week and a new respect for instructions.) Dr. Alster also says to use retinoids only at night and to wear sunscreen daily.

Finding the lowest strength is harder than it sounds. Anne Chapas, MD, notes “there’s no standard requirement that the percentage of retinol be disclosed on the label or packaging” (AAD). So some bottles simply don’t tell you, which is rude, and also how I feel about recipes that say “season to taste”.

The numbers themselves are sneaky. The retinal products we looked at ran from 0.01% to 0.2%, and Farmacy says “A 0.1% retinal serum might deliver similar results to a 1% retinol serum” (Farmacy). That ratio is a brand rule of thumb, not a tested conversion, so give a small retinal number the same respect as a big retinol one. And don’t layer the two: they do the same job (Paula’s Choice), which is practitioner consensus and also common sense I occasionally misplace.

Final autocorrect update: I added “retinal” to my phone’s dictionary. It now changes retinol to retinal instead. We’ve swapped problems, which is also what happens when you switch retinoids too fast, so switch slowly.

Can you use retinal or retinol while pregnant?

No. The American Academy of Dermatology says retinoids should not be used during pregnancy, and that includes over-the-counter retinol and retinal. Most experts also recommend stopping adapalene. If you’re pregnant or trying to be, ask your obstetrician or dermatologist which skincare options are safe for you.

The AAD’s retinoid guide says it plainly: “Retinoids should not be used during pregnancy” (AAD). Its pregnancy guide lists tazarotene among medicines never to use, says most experts recommend stopping adapalene, and says azelaic acid “is thought to be safe to use during pregnancy” (AAD).

If you used a retinoid before you knew you were pregnant, one study of 106 women exposed to topical tretinoin in the first trimester found no increased risk in any of the birth outcomes it measured (Loureiro 2005). That is reassurance about an accident, not permission to keep using it. Stop, and tell your doctor. No jokes in this section. It’s the one place I behave.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Siegenthaler et al. 1990, Retinol and retinal metabolism in human keratinocytes (Biochemical Journal)
• Saurat et al. 1994, Topical retinaldehyde on human skin: biologic effects and tolerance (Journal of Investigative Dermatology)
• Creidi et al. 1998, Retinaldehyde vs retinoic acid on photodamage (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology)
• Fluhr et al. 1999, Tolerance profile of retinol, retinaldehyde and retinoic acid (Dermatology)
• Kang et al. 1995, Retinol applied to human skin in vivo (Journal of Investigative Dermatology)
• Kafi et al. 2007, Improvement of naturally aged skin with retinol (Archives of Dermatology)
• Pechère et al. 2002, The antibacterial activity of topical retinaldehyde (Dermatology)
• Mukherjee et al. 2006, Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging (Clinical Interventions in Aging)
• American Academy of Dermatology: Retinoid or retinol?
• American Academy of Dermatology: Acne treatment during pregnancy
• DermNet: Topical retinoids
• Loureiro et al. 2005, Topical tretinoin in early pregnancy (American Journal of Medical Genetics)