When to use glycolic acid and retinol

Retinol and Glycolic Acid are rivals in the beauty world touting similarly impressive antiaging benefits such as evening skin tone, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles and even targeting acne-prone skin. But what is the difference between each and how do you know which one is best for your skin?

Read on to learn about these potent ingredients and how to use either Glycolic Acid or Retinol (or possibly both!) in your skincare regimen.

Glycolic Acid vs. Retinol – What’s The Difference?

Deciding whether you should use Glycolic Acid or Retinol in your skincare routine starts with knowing how each ingredient works separately.

Glycolic Acid works on the surface level of skin to help exfoliate, removing dull skin and revealing newer, healthier-looking skin. Glycolic Acid is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid derived from sugar cane that works by loosening the glue-like substance that holds dull and dead skin cells on the topmost layer of your skin. Glycolic Acid is a good option for all but sensitive skin types. You can read more about Glycolic Acid at What Is Glycolic Acid and What Are The Benefits article.

Retinol works on a deeper level of skin to help speed up skin turnover. Retinol is a powerful form of Vitamin A. It is one of dermatologists go-to ingredients for various skin concerns including acne-prone skin, sun damage, enlarged pores and more. It acts as an exfoliator that increases skin turnover, sloughing off dull skin to reveal healthier-looking for radiant skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Retinol is an idea option for dry, normal and oily skin.

Can You Use Glycolic Acid Products With Retinol?

Glycolic Acid and Retinol are two very powerful antiaging ingredients that shouldn’t be used together in the same application as there is a high risk of irritation, dryness, itchiness, peeling, flaking and sensitivity to the sun. If you are noticing this, you should cut back on your applications. But if your skin is very tolerant to both ingredients, you can try alternating the nights you use these two formulas.

To safely incorporate Glycolic Acid and Retinol in your skincare routine, try the following:

Start Low and Slow:

Introduce Retinol slowly into your regimen. Aim to start with once weekly application to ensure your skin can tolerate it and gradually increase use to every other day.

Try: Comprehensive Retinol 0.3% Night Serum

This award-winning nighttime serum helps diminish uneven tone, smooth the look of coarse wrinkles and promote visible firming with Retinol, Hyaluronic Acid and NeoGlucosamine.

Incorporate Glycolic Acid:

Use Glycolic Acid on an evening you aren’t using Retinol, and gradually increase use of Glycolic Acid to every other day, if needed.

Try: Glycolic Renewal Smoothing Lotion

We recommend Glycolic Renewal Smoothing Lotion as a great starter AHA face and body lotion for normal or oily skin types. Begin with this before moving up to higher strength AHA formulas in our Resurface Collection.

If You Have Dry or Sensitive Skin:

You should see a dermatologist before adding any new products to your routine and checkout our article on How To Treat Dry Skin.

In conclusion, Glycolic Acid and Retinol are both excellent options for an antiaging skincare routine. They both aim to help create a more even, smoother complexion with less fine lines and wrinkles but do so in different ways. Glycolic Acid works by exfoliating away the top layer of dead skin, while Retinol works from within to help speed up skin turnover sloughing off dull skin to reveal radiant skin. As both are powerful ingredients, it is best to not use them in the same application to avoid irritation. However, you can slowly start to incorporate them into your routine on alternate evenings but be sure to seek advice from your Dermatologist if you have dry or sensitive skin.

As the years go by, it often feels that skincare routines are becoming more complicated. With multiple products containing a vast amount of active ingredients, some you may be familiar with, others you may have trouble pronouncing, let alone heard of before.

The good news is, once you have a better understanding of how these ingredients work together, the more confident you’ll be when applying them. So, don’t panic, as by the end of today’s blog post you’ll have a better understanding of how you can use glycolic acid in AM and retinol PM. You ready? Let’s get stuck in and find out more.

Can I use glycolic acid in the morning and retinol at night?

Absolutely, using glycolic acid in the morning and retinol at night is considered the most effective way of using these potent actives in your daily skincare regime.

You’ll find that the most common product formulas you’ll find glycolic acid in are face cleansers, exfoliating toners, and serums. With this variety you’ll no doubt find a product that fits into your routine and delivers results. You’ll also find that you are able to use glycolic acid twice a day, especially if your skin is prone to be oily and experience frequent breakouts. However, apply with caution if you are using retinol during your evening skincare routine as this mixture can be too drying for the skin.

The reason retinol should only be used at night is due to the ingredient being photosensitive and any exposure to UV rays will make it loose its potency and prevent it from performing to the best of its ability. You will also find that retinol is blended into formulas such as moisturisers and serums which remain on the skin for longer amount of time, compared to face cleansers that are rinsed off. Applying retinol in the evening to work uninterrupted by exposure to daily free radical damage whilst you sleep will result in a glowing, brighter, more youthful complexion.

Can you use glycolic acid and retinol on the same night?

Yes and no, the reason for this is because you must remember to leave enough time in between applications to allow the pH levels of the skin to rebalance. If you are wanting to use glycolic acid and retinol on the same night, the best way to benefit from this whilst avoiding irritation is to use the most suitable products. Here is an example of a nighttime routine that uses both glycolic acid and retinol. 

1. Remove makeup with remover or micellar water
2. Cleanse the skin to remove any remaining traces of makeup and impurities
3. Soak a cotton disc with exfoliating toner enriched in glycolic acid
4. Whilst the skin is still damp apply a serum containing hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture
5. Follow this serum with another that includes retinol in its formulation
6. Finally, apply a moisturiser enriched in nourishing ingredients, such as vitamin E, to keep the skin barrier supple and hydrated.

By following this routine, or one similar ensures you have enough time for the glycolic acid to slough away dead skin cells and allows the pH levels of the skin to rebalance before your retinol product.

Should I use glycolic acid in the morning or night?

You can use glycolic acid in the morning and at night, just ensure you have performed a patch test for 24 hours to ensure your skin is happy with the formulation. If glycolic acid is a new ingredient in your routine, I would suggest introducing by using a product that doesn’t remain on the skin, such as cleanser or exfoliating toners. This will give the AHA an opportunity to benefit the skin surface without causing too much irritation.

Do and don’ts with retinol?

Retinol is one of the most complex and misunderstood skincare ingredients. It often has a cloud of mystery surrounding it which leads to many using it incorrectly, or just avoiding all together. Here are some of the do and don’ts when it comes to using retinol in your everyday skincare routine.  

The Dos

• Do use it only in the evenings
• Do start slowly by only applying it once a week
• Do take your time to build your skin’s tolerance
• Do increase to applying it 2-3 times a week
• Do go up in strength once your skin is accustomed to the potency

The Don’ts

• Don’t use a high percentage before building the skin’s tolerance
• Don’t layer on top of other potent ingredients such as salicylic acid or glycolic acid
• Don’t forget to apply a SPF in the morning
• Don’t continue to use if you are suffering from severe dryness, itching, and redness

There you have a brief rundown of how to use retinol, but if you are wanting to know more about this potent powerhouse, check out our blog post about retinol and its skincare benefits.

Can I use retinol in the morning?

No, it is a huge no-no to use retinol in your morning regime. This is because exposure to UV rays makes retinol completely useless and the potency and effectiveness of the ingredient are jeopardised. You’ll find that using retinol in the morning will only be wasted effort, but overtime will weaken the skin’s protective barrier making it more susceptible to damage caused by free radicals, such as pollution, central heating, and other environmental aggressors.

Can you mix BHA with retinol?

Nope, absolutely not, it’s considered best to completely avoid mixing BHA with retinol. Salicylic acid is the most used BHA in various skincare formulas and is often favoured by those with an oily and acne-prone skin type. One of the main benefits of salicylic acid is the fact it’s oil soluble meaning it can penetrate far down into the lower layers of the skin and unclog the pores of excess sebum, dirt, bacteria, and other impurities. Because of this, you should not follow a product enriched with salicylic acid with a retinol as this will result in dryness, increased sensitivity, redness, and rashes.

I hope that is clears up a few questions you have about glycolic acid and retinol. Don’t forget if you have any questions come and follow us on Instagram, you’ll find me in the direct messages!

Can you use retinol and glycolic acid together?

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