Retinoids are a class of compounds that derive from vitamin A. They have many uses in cosmetics to help strengthen the skin barrier, reduce wrinkles and pigmentation while speeding up skin cell turn over.
Retinoids are: Retinoic Acid, Retinaldehyde, Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate and then a few other substances like Adapalene or Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate.
Retinoic Acid is the "queen“ of all retinoids, the active form and the one that has the most research behind it.
Many companies use the term "Retinol“ to refer to retinoids when they name their products, so to be sure you need to read the ingredient list (I teach you how to do it here).
How does Retinol work?
It binds to three specific receptors (receptors are tiny structures outside the cell membrane) and initiates different processes that stimulate cell turnover and increase collagen production, which means that it increases the speed at which new cells are built
