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Best Retinoid Serums | Dr. Danny Guo — Transcript

by Dr. Danny Guo · 3,928 words · 602 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Retinoids are one of those skin care
0:01categories that I talk about all the
0:03time because after sunscreen and
0:05moisturizer, these are probably one of
0:07the most useful ingredients that you can
0:09add to your routine. They can help with
0:10collagen support, fine lines, skin
0:12texture, pigmentation, acne, clogged
0:15pores, and overall skin quality. And
0:17unlike a lot of trendy ingredients
0:19online, retinoids actually have decades
0:22of evidence behind them. So, in this
0:23video, I want to walk through five of my
0:26favorite retinoid products on the market
0:27right now. I'm going to explain what
0:30each product is, why I like them, what
0:32makes the ingredient lists unique, who I
0:34think these are best for, the packaging,
0:36the price point, and when you should
0:38actually consider using it. By the way,
0:40if you're new here, my name is Dr. Danny
0:41Go. I'm a cosmetic and surgical
0:43dermatologist, and on this channel, I
0:45talk about skin care, skin health, and
0:47dermatologic treatments without the
0:48hype. So, let's start with one that has
0:50gone TikTok viral, but for all the wrong
0:53reasons. And despite that, yes, it is
0:55still one of my favorite retinoids on
0:56the market. This is the Cellimax Retinal
0:59Shot Tightening Booster. I'm sure you
1:01have seen a lot of videos of people
1:03using an absurd amount of this all over
1:05their face on TikTok. And let's be
1:07clear, if you are a veteran retinoid
1:10user [music] and you slowly work your
1:12way to that, then maybe your skin can
1:14tolerate it. But for most people, using
1:16it like that is a waste of money in the
1:18best case scenario and a great way to
1:20irritate your skin in the worst case
1:22scenario. So, the way this product has
1:25went [music] viral is not exactly how I
1:27would recommend using it. But putting
1:28that aside, I actually really like the
1:30formula. The main active ingredient in
1:32this product is retinal, also called
1:34retinaldehyde. For those of you who are
1:36new to retinoids, the simplified pathway
1:38goes like this. Retinyl palmitate is one
1:40of the mildest forms. It gets converted
1:42into retinol with an O, which is
1:45probably the most common
1:46over-the-counter form. Retinal then gets
1:48converted into retinal or retinaldehyde,
1:51and retinal eventually gets converted
1:53into the active form, which is retinoic
1:55acid or tretinoin. In general, the
1:58farther along you are in that conversion
2:00pathway, the stronger the retinoid
2:02effect can be, but the higher the risk
2:04of irritation. So, retinal is actually a
2:07fairly strong molecule in the
2:08over-the-counter world, but this
2:10particular product is formulated in a
2:12way that is actually pretty gentle. I've
2:14even tried this product around my lower
2:16eyelid area, and my skin tolerated just
2:18fine. Obviously, that does not mean that
2:20everyone should put this on their
2:21eyelids, but as someone with pretty
2:23sensitive skin, I was kind of impressed
2:25by how tolerable it felt. The formula
2:27also has Matrixyl 3000, which is a
2:30peptide blend. It includes peptides like
2:32palmitoyl tripeptide 1 and palmitoyl
2:34tetrapeptide 7, and is one of the
2:36better-known peptide combinations in
2:38skin care for supporting the look of
2:40wrinkles, texture, and overall skin
2:42quality. It also has panthenol [music]
2:44for skin soothing and barrier support,
2:46and vitamin C for antioxidant. But, one
2:49of the things that make this particular
2:51product stand out [music] is actually
2:53the micro spicule technology. Micro
2:55spicules are basically tiny needle-like
2:57structures derived from sea sponges.
2:59[music] They're not needles in the same
3:00way that microneedling is needles, but
3:03they can help improve penetration
3:04[music]
3:05of active ingredients. This category was
3:07made popular by brands like BT Cosmetics
3:10and their Retinol Shot products. So,
3:12with Cellimax, [music]
3:13you're getting the retinal, the
3:14peptides, vitamin C, panthenol, and
3:17micro spicules all in one product. That
3:20is a lot for one small tube. I think
3:22this is a great product for someone who
3:23already has a basic [music] skin care
3:25routine, has used some type of retinoid
3:27before, and now wants something that's a
3:29little bit more interesting and has a
3:31bit more of a punch. This is not a
3:32product I would usually choose as the
3:34very first retinoid for someone who is
3:36completely new and scared of irritation.
3:38But, if you're already using a basic
3:40retinol, and you want to level up your
3:42routine, this is a really good option. I
3:44also like it for people who want a
3:46combination of products, right? Instead
3:48of buying a separate retinoid, peptide
3:50serum, antioxidant serum, and something
3:52for your skin texture, [music] you have
3:54multiple active categories all in one
3:56product for skin quality, fine lines,
3:58texture, and even mild pigmentation
4:00support. I think, honestly, that makes a
4:02ton of sense. Okay, so now let's talk
4:04about the packaging. This comes in a
4:06small squeeze tube with a very fine
4:08nozzle tip. I like that because it gives
4:10you good control over exactly how much
4:12you're using. You can use it as a spot
4:14application if you want to apply it to
4:15specific areas, but you can also squeeze
4:18it out in a pea-size amount onto your
4:19hand and apply it more generally. For
4:22products that require more precise
4:23application like this, I really like
4:25this type of packaging. Price-wise, this
4:27is usually around $21 USD depending on
4:29where you get it from for a 15 cc tube.
4:32Of the five products I'm talking about
4:34today, that actually puts it right in
4:36the middle in terms of price per unit.
4:38Considering the ingredient list, I think
4:40the price point is pretty darn good. The
4:42biggest downside, I would say, is not
4:44really the product itself. The downside
4:46is that if you search on social media, a
4:48lot of the usage videos are completely
4:51unhinged. So, yes, I like the product
4:53and no, I do not like the way people are
4:55using it online. Like all other
4:57retinoids, start slowly, use a small
5:00amount, moisturize, and don't copy
5:02someone online who's using half a tube
5:04in one sitting. The next product is the
5:06dermatologist classic. This is the
5:09CeraVe skin renewing cream serum. I like
5:11this product for a lot of reasons, but
5:13the main reason is that it is a very
5:16classic of CeraVe. No nonsense, no crazy
5:19marketing, no overcomplicated ingredient
5:21story. It uses encapsulated retinol, and
5:24this is a retinol with an O, not a
5:26retinal with an A. Retinol is generally
5:28milder than retinaldehyde already, and
5:30in this product, it is also
5:32encapsulated, meaning that it is
5:33designed for slower release. [music] For
5:36many people, that can make it much more
5:37tolerable. It also has ingredients that
5:39are very typical of CeraVe. It has
5:41niacinamide, which can help with barrier
5:43support, oil control, redness, and
5:45pigmentation. It also has ceramides,
5:47right? CeraVe, [music] which are
5:49important for skin barrier. It also has
5:51hyaluronic acid, which is a humectant
5:53that can help hold water in the skin and
5:55improve hydration. Nothing crazy, but
5:57that is a solid list of ingredients for
5:59a very barrier-forward product. [music]
6:01It is also fragrance-free, which I
6:02appreciate, especially when we're
6:04talking about retinoids. This is a very
6:06basic formulation, but basic does not
6:08mean bad. In fact, if you are just
6:10starting retinoids, basic is often
6:12exactly what you want. Of all the
6:14products I'm talking about today, this
6:16is probably the one that I would
6:17recommend the most to people as a first
6:20[music] retinoid. It is straightforward,
6:22affordable, barrier supportive, and
6:24generally very well tolerated. I have
6:27talked to people who have tried this
6:28product, and they were able to use it
6:30without any major issues. The packaging
6:32is also very good. It comes in this
6:34airless pump, which helps reduce
6:35oxidation and keep the product
6:37protected. For retinoids, that is huge,
6:39because retinoids can get easily
6:41oxidized when exposed to air.
6:43Price-wise, this is also the most
6:45affordable product on the list today.
6:47You can usually get a 30 cc container
6:49like this for about 20 USD. For a serum,
6:52especially a retinoid serum, bringing
6:54the unit cost under $1 per cc is a very
6:58strong price point. If I had to name one
7:00downside, it's that this product is
7:02basic, but that is also its strength. If
7:05you are a skin-care beginner, basic is
7:07good. If you're already deep into the
7:08skin care, and you want something with
7:10multiple active categories like
7:12peptides, antioxidants, and pigment
7:14actives, and all of that, then this may
7:17feel a little bit too simple for you.
7:18Personally, I really like the
7:19combination of products because they can
7:21save time and money. [music] You don't
7:23need to buy five different serums to get
7:25five different categories of
7:26ingredients, but for someone that's just
7:28starting out, I think CeraVe is one of
7:30the safest and most practical places to
7:32begin. The third product I want to talk
7:33about is also making the rounds online,
7:36and that is the Numbuzin No. 9 NAD+
7:39Retinol Volume Talks Eye Cream. This
7:41product actually has a very interesting
7:43formulation. There are parts of it I
7:45like and parts of it that I think are a
7:47bit of a hype-driven process, but
7:49obviously it made my list. So, let me
7:51explain. Right in the box and in the
7:53name, you can see the three big
7:55marketing points: NAD+ retinol and 50
7:59peptides. Let's start with NAD+. NAD+
8:02stands for nicotinamide adenine
8:04dinucleotide. [music] It is a molecule
8:06involved in cellular energy metabolism,
8:08DNA repair pathways and other cellular
8:11processes. It's become popular because
8:13of the whole longevity and anti-aging
8:15conversation online right now. And to be
8:17clear, NAD biology is real. This is not
8:20a fake molecule. It does real things
8:22inside the body, but just because
8:24something is interesting for cell
8:26biology does not automatically mean that
8:29putting it on top of the skin is going
8:31to give you the same kind of benefit.
8:32The skin has a barrier that is literally
8:35one of its main jobs. And [music] NAD+
8:37is a relatively large and hydrophilic
8:40molecule, which means that penetrating
8:42through the skin barrier is not
8:44necessarily straightforward. And the
8:45funny thing is we actually already have
8:47an ingredient in skin care that is
8:49related to this pathway and has a much
8:51better topical application history.
8:53>> [music]
8:54>> That ingredient is niacinamide.
8:56Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that
8:58can support NAD+ production in cells.
9:01So, from a skin care perspective, I
9:03think NAD+ is a bit of a trendy
9:05ingredient right now. I don't think the
9:07topical evidence is strong enough to say
9:09that you need NAD+ in your skin care
9:11over something like niacinamide. Now,
9:13let's talk about the 50+ peptides. 50
9:16peptides sounds insane, right? Most skin
9:19care products that include peptides have
9:21maybe three to five different peptides.
9:24So, when you see the number 50, the
9:26natural reaction is to think that, "Oh
9:28my god, it must be 10 times better than
9:31all those other products." But, that's
9:33not how peptides work. Peptide is a very
9:35broad term. It basically just means a
9:38chain of amino acids or a fragment of a
9:40protein. Some peptides have decent
9:42evidence in skin care. A lot of peptides
9:44don't. So, just because a product
9:46contains 50 different peptides, does not
9:48mean that all 50 are doing something
9:51useful for your skin. Within this
9:53formula though, there are some peptides
9:55that I do like. It contains Matrixyl
9:57peptides, Matrixyl 3000 type peptides,
10:00copper peptides, also called GHK-Cu, and
10:03Argireline. Those are some of the more
10:05recognizable peptides in skin care that
10:08have actually some decent [music]
10:09evidence behind them. Matrixyl and
10:11Matrixyl 3000 are more in the collagen
10:13support and skin quality category.
10:15GHK-Cu, as you probably heard all over
10:17social media by now, has interesting
10:19data around wound healing and skin
10:21remodeling. Argireline is often marketed
10:24as Botox in a bottle, which I kind of
10:26think is a little bit of an
10:27overstatement, but it can have some
10:29benefits for fine lines on the skin by
10:32mimicking botulinum toxin and
10:34inactivating some of the superficial
10:35muscles. So, I would not say that the 50
10:38peptide claim itself is the strongest
10:39[music] part of the product, but the
10:41fact that it contains some of these
10:43better known peptides help justify why I
10:45like it. It also contains niacinamide
10:48and ceramides, [music]
10:49which I like for barrier support. So,
10:51overall, the formula is a mix of hype
10:53and genuinely useful ingredients. And
10:55that same idea shows up in the packaging
10:58as well. It comes in this syringe-shaped
11:01applicator. When you first get it, you
11:02got to unlock it,
11:04and then you can take the cap off,
11:07and then you can dispense the product
11:09almost like you're injecting something.
11:11Look, it's actually the shape of a
11:12syringe. Now, obviously, this is not
11:15sharp. It does not actually inject
11:17anything, and it doesn't even go through
11:18the skin. The syringe design is
11:21definitely [music] there to make it feel
11:22more clinical, right? That's the hype
11:25part. But functionally, the applicator
11:27is actually pretty nice to use. It gives
11:29you a very fine application, and because
11:31it is marketed as a eye product, this
11:34kind of precision is very useful when
11:36you're trying to apply directly to the
11:37eyelid. Or maybe that's me. I inject
11:39people all the time, so this motion
11:41actually feels really natural. I don't
11:42know. You can tell me what you think.
11:44So, who should use this? I think if
11:46you're looking for an eye retinol and
11:47you struggle with fine lines, crepey
11:49texture, or dehydration around the eyes,
11:51this is a great option. It's well
11:53tolerated and it has a lot of the right
11:55supporting ingredients [music] for that
11:56area. You can also use it, of course,
11:58for the rest of your face if you want.
11:59There's nothing about it that makes it
12:01only for the eye area. Price-wise, you
12:03can usually get a 10 [music] cc
12:05container, which is how much this
12:07contains, for around 15 USD. That makes
12:11it slightly more expensive per cc than
12:14the Sellimax product, but they are in a
12:16similar range. So, do I think any D plus
12:19is the reason to buy this?
12:21Not really. Do I think the 50 peptides
12:23automatically means it's better? No.
12:26But, do I think the overall product is
12:28actually well formulated, interesting,
12:29[music] tolerable, and good for the eye
12:31area? Yeah. The fourth product is one
12:34that I have talked about many times
12:36before, and it is the one that I
12:37personally use every single night. This
12:39is Alpha Ret from SkinBetter Science.
12:41[music]
12:41The ingredient list for this product is
12:43massive, and it's not massive for no
12:45reason. It's actually full of
12:47ingredients that make a ton of sense.
12:49But, the most important part, of course,
12:51is the retinoid. The hero active in
12:53Alpha Ret is a unique retinoid complex
12:56called ethyl lactyl retinoid. It
12:58combines a retinoid with lactic acid.
13:01There's a study that compared this
13:03product to tretinoin or retinol in a
13:05split-face analysis, meaning one side of
13:08the face used [music] Alpha Ret, and the
13:10other side used either tretinoin or
13:12retinol. After 12 weeks, the Alpha Ret
13:15side showed benefits that were similar
13:17to the retinoid [music] side, but the
13:19tolerability was much better. And that
13:22is the main thing that actually makes
13:24this product stand out. As you would
13:26expect, Tretinoin had more irritation
13:28and retinoid dermatitis. Alpha-H had
13:31much better tolerability, and in the
13:33study, it also performed so well on the
13:35skin that it increased skin hydration
13:38measurements after 12 weeks. And the
13:41craziest [music]
13:41part was that this product was actually
13:43used every single night from the
13:46beginning. For most retinoids, that is
13:49just not how I recommend starting it.
13:51Usually, I tell people to start two to
13:54three nights per week, and then slowly
13:56increase it to five to seven nights per
13:58week as tolerated. That is because
13:59retinoids can cause dryness, peeling,
14:01[music] burning, and all that good
14:03stuff, especially when you rush. I
14:05actually have very sensitive skin. With
14:07most retinoids, I cannot get past three
14:09nights a week without some degree of
14:11irritation. So, when this product
14:13launched and they challenged me to use
14:15it every single night from the
14:16beginning, I was ready to try it and
14:19then call them out as it wrecked my
14:20skin. That was more than two years ago.
14:23I have been using it consistently
14:24[music] almost every night since, unless
14:26I'm testing a different retinoid for
14:28academic reasons. And I have not gotten
14:30a rash from this [music] at all. So, for
14:32me personally, the tolerability is real.
14:35But the formula goes way beyond just the
14:37retinoid. It also has glycolic acid and
14:40lactic acid for exfoliation. It's got
14:43Matrixyl 3000, which we have already
14:45talked about. For skin brightening, it
14:47has niacinamide and vitamin C. For
14:49hydration and barrier support, it has
14:51hyaluronic acid, ceramides, [music]
14:53squalane, cholesterol, linoleic acid,
14:55and panthenol. For soothing, it has
14:57ingredients like allantoin, bisabolol,
15:00and it also has other antioxidants like
15:02vitamin E, [music] CoQ10, and green tea
15:04extract. That is a massive list of
15:07useful ingredients in one product. This
15:09is clearly a very well-thought-out
15:11formula. This is not just a retinoid.
15:14It's basically a retinoid, exfoliant,
15:16peptide, barrier cream, [music]
15:18antioxidant, and soothing product all in
15:21one. It also comes in this airless pump
15:23that's similar to the CeraVe product
15:25with a little twist cap. I actually
15:27really like this type of packaging and I
15:29also really like the design. If I were
15:31to say there's one weakness about this
15:32product, well, it's going to obviously
15:34have to be the price. At 30 cc's, this
15:37product is around 140 to 145 USD
15:41depending on where you're buying it
15:42from. That is more than three times more
15:44expensive per cc than the next most
15:47expensive product on this list. So, yes,
15:49I think this is an amazing product, but
15:52it's expensive. So, who would I
15:53recommend this to? Well, first, someone
15:55with very sensitive skin who has tried
15:57other retinoids properly and still
16:00cannot tolerate them. Second, someone
16:02who does not want to deal with the whole
16:03process of starting two to three nights
16:05per week and then slowly increasing and
16:07then backing off if you get some degree
16:09of irritation and then restarting again
16:11and just constantly playing that
16:13tapering game. And unfortunately, that's
16:15kind of the reality with a lot of
16:17retinoids. You do have to play it by ear
16:19and for some people, that amount of
16:21effort is exactly why they stop using
16:23the retinoids altogether. Third, someone
16:25who wants a very complete all-in-one
16:28night treatment and the price does not
16:30bother them. If budget is a concern,
16:32this is not a product that I would
16:33recommend that you buy. But if
16:35tolerability is your biggest issue and
16:37if you want a very elegant combination
16:39formula, this [music] is one of the best
16:42retinoids that I have ever tried. The
16:44final product I want to talk about is
16:45designed more specifically for
16:47pigmentation. This is the Dr. Gross
16:50Advanced Retinol Ferulic Serum. Like
16:52Alpha Ret, this also uses a more unique
16:55retinol. The retinol here is
16:56hydroxypinacolone retinoate, also known
16:59as HPR. HPR is a gentler retinol option
17:03and there is some evidence suggesting
17:04that it can be effective with lower
17:06irritation potential. I would not say
17:08the evidence is as robust as we have
17:10seen for tretinoin and I would not even
17:12say that it is as strong as the one that
17:14we saw in the Alpha Ret split face
17:16study. But having tried this product
17:18myself, I do think that it does feel
17:20gentler than many of the traditional
17:21retinols that I have used. The best part
17:23about this formula, though, is not just
17:25the retinoid. It is actually the
17:27ingredients around it. The other four
17:29products I talked about today all have
17:31supporting ingredients for hydration,
17:32barrier, skin quality, or peptides, but
17:35none of them actually focused heavily on
17:37pigmentation, or at least not as much as
17:39this one. This product contains
17:41tranexamic acid, which is one of my
17:43all-time favorite pigment actives if
17:45you've seen [music] me on social media.
17:46I have covered tranexamic acid before,
17:49but in simple terms, it is a very useful
17:51ingredient for pigment conditions like
17:53melasma. It is not a classic tyrosinase
17:56inhibitor in the way that hydroquinone,
17:57kojic acid, azelaic acid, or alpha
17:59arbutin are. It works more upstream by
18:02reducing the inflammatory and vascular
18:04signals that can stimulate melanocytes.
18:06>> [music]
18:06>> So, what stands out to me is that you
18:08have a retinoid, which can already help
18:10with pigmentation, texture, and collagen
18:12support, combined with tranexamic acid,
18:15which is much more specifically pigment
18:17oriented. [music] If pigmentation is one
18:19of your main concerns, this becomes a
18:21very logical two-in-one product. It also
18:24has niacinamide, of course, which also
18:26helps with pigmentation, barrier
18:27support, and skin tone, and it also has
18:30bisabolol, which is great for soothing.
18:33Once again, I love products like this
18:34because they can save you time and
18:36money. Instead of using a retinoid and a
18:38separate pigment serum, you may be able
18:40to get both categories [music] in just
18:42this one product. Like Alpha Ret and
18:44Ceram B, it also comes in this airless
18:46pump, which I like. Price-wise, it's
18:48also very reasonable. For a 30 cc
18:50bottle, this is around $36 USD, which
18:54makes it one of the more affordable
18:55products in the lineup today. I've been
18:57trying to keep this video a little bit
18:58more balanced by naming at least one
19:00drawback for every single product, but
19:02for this one, I honestly don't have a
19:05major complaint. It's affordable, it's
19:07gentle, it combines a retinoid with
19:09pigmentation-focused ingredients, and
19:11the packaging makes sense. So, I like
19:13it. I would recommend this product for
19:15someone who wants a retinoid, but also
19:17struggles with pigmentation, melasma,
19:19uneven skin tone, or post-inflammatory
19:21hyperpigmentation. So, to summarize, if
19:23you are brand new to retinoids and want
19:25something simple, affordable, and
19:27well-tolerated, I would look at the
19:29CeraVe renewing cream serum. If you want
19:31something more active, trendy,
19:33multifunctional with retinol, peptides,
19:35vitamin C, and microspicules, I like the
19:37Cellimax retinol shot. If you're looking
19:39specifically for an eye retinol with
19:42peptides and good tolerability, the
19:44number and number nine NMN retinol eye
19:46cream is a solid option. Even if I think
19:49some of the marketing is a bit
19:50overhyped. And if you have very
19:51sensitive skin and want a premium
19:53all-in-one formula and the price does
19:55not bother you, Alpha Ret is still one
19:57of my personal favorites. And if
19:59pigmentation is your main concern, the
20:01Dr. Different Advanced Retinol Melasma
20:04Serum is probably the most targeted
20:06option on this list. Just keep in mind
20:07that there is no single product that is
20:10for everyone. The best product depends
20:12on your skin type, your tolerance, your
20:14goals, your budget, and how complicated
20:17you want your routine to be. No matter
20:19which one you choose, start slowly, use
20:21a pea-size amount, moisturize, use
20:24sunscreen daily every single morning,
20:26and do not judge the product after just
20:28three days because retinoids take time.
20:30So, thank you guys for watching, and if
20:32you found this video [music] useful and
20:33helpful, please make sure to like,
20:35subscribe, and leave a comment below
20:36telling me which retinoid you are using
20:38right now or which one you want me to
20:40review next. [music] Thanks, guys.
20:47>> [music]

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