Retinal (retinaldehyde) has been everywhere in skincare lately, and the pitch is appealing. It’s one step closer to retinoic acid in the skin’s conversion process, so it tends to work faster than retinol, while often being gentler than prescription-strength options. That’s the theory.
I’ve tried prescription-strength retinol in the past, and it left my skin very dry and irritated enough that I had to stop. Since then, I’ve been looking for gentler actives that still help renew my skin, and Korean retinal is one of the ones I’ve been most curious about.
