Look, tretinoin and other prescription-grade retinol products can be extremely beneficial for some people, especially those struggling with persistent or inflammatory acne. But that doesn’t mean that over-the-counter (OTC) retinol is useless.
To understand the difference between OTC and prescription-strength retinol products, you’ll have to be familiar with the retinol hierarchy. From “weakest” to “strongest,” the order goes like this: retinyl esters, retinol, retinaldehyde, and then retinoic acid.
Those “weaker” forms of retinol simply take more conversions to reach retinoic acid, which is why they’re gentler on the skin—as the list grows closer to retinoic acid, they take less conversions. For example, retinaldehyde1 is only one step away from retinoic acid, whereas prescription-strength options have a higher concentration or retinoic acid.
Some people may see this as a downside (namely, those simply looking for the strongest formula out there) but it’s actually beneficial to start at the bottom and work your way up, especially if you’re prone to sensitivity.
So yes, it’s true that retinoic acid is a superstar form that does most of the heavy lifting, but the other retinol forms do convert to it eventually. Both options are great, but again, prescription-grade products aren’t universally fit.
