Yup, You Can Use Retinol on Your Precious Lil Sensitive BB Skin (2024)

I legit thought this serum would ruin my skin during testing, but I'm happy to report I experienced zero (!) irritation. Seriously. The retinol serum uses three MVP anti-agers to smooth your skin: (1) microencapsulated retinol to slow down the absorption so it’s less intense on your skin; (2) bakuchiol, which is a natural, gentler alternative to retinol; and (3) arophira, which is sea fennel extract that mimics retinol. Sounds overwhelming, but the combo is surprisingly gentle, even for retinol newbies.

• Key ingredients: Encapsulated retinol, bakuchiol, sea fennel extract, chlorophyll
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "My skin feels so nice, I really love this. It’s a great brand I can get from Amazon and it’s vegan. Finally! I’ve tried so many."

I'm picky as hell about retinol serums, but I've been using this almost exclusively for the last month—and it's so dreamy. It uses just enough retinol for beginners to tolerate, but still effective if you're a retinol vet. Plus, it combines a whole host of skin-soothers like aloe extract, allantoin, and centella asiatica to help calm down any potential irritation. (FWIW, I've had zero irritation the entire time I've used this.) I also love how lightweight the gel texture is, but it's shockingly kind of moisturizing (ty, squalane), so I don't feel like I need to load heavy moisturizers onto my oily skin to avoid peeling or dryness.

• Key ingredients: Granactive retinoid, aloe extract, squalane, centella asiatica, allantoin
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "I’ve been using it for about two weeks. I started by using it every other day and was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t experience dryness (also using ceramide barrier serum and polypeptide moisturizer) or break out like I have with other retinol products. I’m now using it daily with no issues. my skin feels brighter, more firm and clearer!'

Good news: Retinol speeds up cell turnover, which makes your skin cells less "sticky" to reduce the likelihood of them getting stuck in your pores, getting inflamed, and leading to zits. That can also help smooth texture and fade dark spots. Bad news: Over-the-counter retinols rarely improve my persistent cystic acne (only Rx-strength retinoid typically works to clear up that type of breakout), but this oil-free pick from RoC is a great, lightweight option for your acne-prone skin. It combines retinol with a hoard of lightweight hydrators—including glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E—to help counteract the sensitizing effect of retinol without feeling too heavy.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1.7 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "I have used multiple retinol moisturizers and treatments and this is the only product I’ve used where I have experienced a tangible improvement in elasticity, moisture, and reduction of fine lines. It smells great and is totally non-irritating. My skin is so sensitive that at one point I was legitimately concerned that ceramides were irritating it (false), but this has been great."

Even though this night cream wasn't specifically made for sensitive skin, it's surprisingly gentle (so gentle that it's the only thing my boyfriend's baby face will tolerate). The fragrance-free formula uses retinol and retinyl propionate—one of the weakest, mildest forms of all retinoids—to smooth, plump, and brighten over time. And remember: If you're still worried about irritation, try alternating with your regular night cream every other night to see how your skin reacts.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, niacinamide, peptides
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1.7 oz

Glowing customer review: "I love this product! The night cream feels great on my face and I can see a difference in my skin. I have very sensitive skin and I have no problems."

This silky-smooth serum contains 0.25 percent retinol, which is on the gentler side of the retinol spectrum (.5 and 1 percent tend to be more common). And if 0.25 percent still sounds scary, I get it, but I promise you that the rest of the formula is a big ol' hug for your sensitive skin. It includes colloidal oatmeal, allantoin, and aloe vera to soothe irritation, along with hyaluronic acid and ceramides to keep your skin barrier from getting dry or irritated.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, colloidal oatmeal, allantoin, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, ceramides
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "I used this as a starter retinol since most products make my sensitive skin break out into a rash. I had no negative reaction to this."

Dermatologist Jessie Cheung, MD, loves this over-the-counter retinol from CeraVe. Why? It uses encapsulated retinol, which "allows for deeper penetration and sustained release, making it a great formulation for sensitive skin," says Dr. Cheung. "You are able to deliver the active ingredient where you want it to work deep in the skin, and this lessens any potential irritation at the surface." Plus, the serum contains a whole slew of moisturizers, like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E, to keep your skin barrier healthy and strong.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Glowing customer review: "I have tried other retinol products in the past and would get a rash on my face. I've had zero irritation with this product. My skin feels so smooth, and my dermatologist even complimented the texture and appearance of my skin at my last visit! That felt great, considering I'm almost 50!"

My BFF has majorly sensitive skin, which is a bummer for me because I constantly need people in my life to test products for me (your girl only has one face!). So when this landed on my desk, I knew she'd be the perfect test subject. The gel serum uses pure retinol, but in a small dose that's ideal for sensitive skin, along with soothing niacinamide, which, Dr. Cheung says "is a powerhouse active ingredient that helps boost hydration, calm irritation, and brighten skin."

Plus, it's also got moisturizing ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and sunflower seed oil. And I was right: Now, a year later, she's bought her very own second and third tube. She swears by how gentle and lightweight it is while majorly smoothing and plumping up her skin over time.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, sunflower seed oil
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1.7 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "Been using this product for six months now.. very lightweight and perfect for beginners who are looking to start using retinol in night routine. Love love love this product!"

I personally have a love affair with The Inkey List—all of their products are super affordable, and their formulas are simple and effective, without any of the junky irritants (hi, my pet peeve). And this gentle moisturizer is no exception: It's filled with bakuchiol to smooth lines, squalane to moisturize, and sacha inchi oil to lock in hydration. Oh, and it's only $13. Yes, pls.

• Key ingredients: Bakuchiol, squalane, sacha inchi oil
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "I am on my fourth tube of this stuff, and it is great. I have noticed the deep lines on my forehead and neck reduced using it once a day before bed and before applying moisturizer."

If a retinol cream feels too intense or heavy for your sensitive skin, I highly recommend these face serum drops that use bakuchiol to help smooth and tighten skin over time. FYI: "Bakuchiol is a plant-based retinol alternative that also boosts collagen with less irritation and can be combined with retinol to enhance efficacy while decreasing side effects," says Dr. Cheung.

Massage a few drops over your clean, dry skin before following with the rest of your skincare routine, or mix a few drops in with your regular face moisturizer to dilute the bakuchiol even more (if you're a first-time scaredy cat like I was).

• Key ingredients: Bakuchiol, lactic acid, squalane, carrot root extract
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 0.98 oz

Glowing customer review: "Makes my skin feel amazing. Have noticed [a] decreased look of lines in my face, especially [the] jaw area."

I've gone through an entire tube of this magical retinoid, which uses a type of vitamin A called retinal. Little science lesson first: Retinal only needs one step to convert in your skin to retinoic acid, which is what helps boost your cell turnover, making it the strongest retinal available over-the-counter (only second to prescription tretinoin). But that can tend to make it much more likely to potentially cause irritation... unless you combine it with ectoin, like this formula does.

Ectoin is a compound that basically hits the pause button on the inflammation receptors in your skin. This allows your skin to handle retinol without the usual burning, itching, or peeling. Cool, right? I started by smoothing it all over my face one to two nights a week, but now, I'm able to use it about five nights a week with legit no sensitivity.

• Key ingredients: Retinal, ectoin, ceramides, bisabolol, phytosphingosine (antimicrobial type of ceramide)
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1.01 oz

Glowing customer review: "Love this retinal… so much so I subscribed! I've had zero sensitivity and been lucky enough to avoid a purge. Seems impossible, but I could swear I noticed a difference in my skin's texture from night one! My aesthetician asked me about it, the quality is just THAT GOOD."

Moisturizing... retinol? Those are basically opposites, right? Wrong! Because this retinol cream proves it can coexist. Shea butter gives it a rich consistency that glides over my skin like butter (hehe), while squalane helps seriously hydrate my skin to counteract the potential dryness that comes with retinol. I smooth a pump onto my skin as the last step of my nighttime skincare routine two to three nights a week, and I noticed brighter, smoother skin in about a month. The cream contains encapsulated retinol (which nixes some of the irritation without compromising on potency) and PHA to help exfoliate dead skin that causes acne, smooth texture, and lighten dark spots.

• Key ingredients: Encapsulated retinol, squalane, PHA, shea butter, resveratrol, allantoin
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Glowing customer review: "Most skincare products aggravate my sensitive acne-prone skin, causing severe swelling, dry and itchy spots, and breakouts… Hero's Rescue Retinol was not only gentle on my skin, but it also gave it a glow and improved the overall appearance of my hyperpigmentation spots! I'm almost finished with my second tube and will order a third after I finish this review!"

I'll be honest with you: This fragrance-free cream barely counts as a retinol—and that makes it the perfect pick for anyone who wants a super-gentle night cream with some anti-aging benefits. The only retinoid in the formula is retinyl palmitate (the weakest of retinoids), so all of the softening, smoothing, and brightening effects are really coming from the cream's hefty dose of firming peptides and plumping hyaluronic acid. And yes, the combo really does work (the power of peptides is real, folks).

• Key ingredients: Retinyl palmitate, peptides, hyaluronic acid, shea butter
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1 fl oz

Glowing customer review: "I immediately noticed my skin looked brighter and healthier. I love the way this product feels on my skin. It doesn't leave a greasy or oily film."

The MVP of this formula is "hydroxypinacolone retinoate, or HPR, a retinoid acid ester that binds to the retinoid x receptors only, which don’t cause any irritation when activated," says dermatologist Dendy Engleman, MD, who partnered with Elizabeth Arden on the launch. "You get all the potency and efficacy with less likelihood of the harsh side effects, like dryness and flaking." What I (and Dr. Engleman) love so much about this product is that it combines HPR with pure retinol to increase potency without increasing sensitivity, making it ideal for those who want to bump up their retinol but can't tolerate high-strength products.

I have been loving this for my oily skin, because the water-based cream is majorly lightweight. I press down one or two pumps from the airtight container, then massage it over my skin at night after serums. It's moisturizing enough for my skin on its own (shout-out hyaluronic acid and ceramides), but I can easily add an occlusive barrier cream or face oil on top if I need it.

• Key ingredients: Retinol, HPR, phytosphingosine (antimicrobial ceramide), ceramides, bisabolol, hyaluronic acid
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 1.7 oz

Glowing customer review: "This water cream is definitely the fastest-absorbing cream I've used while leaving no greasy residue or tacky feeling. Besides the scent, I'd say it does a fantastic job at keeping the skin moist while reducing wrinkles."

All retinoids (i.e., the umbrella term for all vitamin-A derivatives, including retinol) are created differently, with different potencies and efficacies. “Retinoids sink into your skin to speed up cell turnover, causing your body to churn out fresher, smoother, less wrinkled skin over time,” dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, previously told Cosmo. Weaker retinoids take longer (but are more tolerable), while stronger retinoids work faster (but with way more irritation). Here’s the general breakdown:

Retinoid strengths (weakest to strongest)

• Retinyl palmitate (super weak and not very effective as a retinoid on its own)
• Retinol (typically ranges from 0.01 percent to 3.0 percent. Sensitive skin types should stick to percentages under 0.5)
• Retinaldehyde, aka retinal (even stronger, but still has lower, tolerable doses for sensitive skin)
• Adapalene (the strongest drugstore retinoid, like Differin, that’s formulated to treat acne)
• Prescription retinoids (like tretinoin or tazarotene; effective, but can be highly irritating)

There’s only one caveat here: bakuchiol. Which brings us to...

The most important thing to remember when you start incorporating retinol into your skincare routine? Start slow. A good rule of thumb is massaging a pea-sized dot across your entire face one night for the first week, then two nights the second week, then three nights a week indefinitely. It'll give your skin a chance to get acclimated without potential irritation or inflammation. If your skin starts to burn, flake, peel, or itch, take a beat for a few days and focus on moisturizing and soothing.

We're big fans of the skin cycling approach, where the first night you'll exfoliate (usually with a chemical exfoliant, like lactic acid or mandelic acid, both of which are great for sensitive skin), the second night you'll apply retinol, and the third and fourth nights you'll moisturize. “Many people struggle with irritation when using retinol, so introducing the ingredient in this controlled way is a game-changer—especially for anyone with sensitive or reactive skin," dermatologist Whitney Bowe, MD, who coined "skin cycling" on TikTok, previously explained to Cosmo.

Want even more hydration to help offset dryness? Try the retinol sandwich method. "Start by applying a moisturizer, then retinol, and then another layer of moisturizer on top," says Dr. Cheung. Essentially, this can help decrease some irritation, as it creates a barrier between your skin and the retinol, limiting its absorption a little bit, she explains. But don't worry, this doesn't majorly cut down on efficacy, so long as you're using it consistently.

Bakuchiol (also called natural retinol or retinol alternative) is “considered a 'phytoretinol,' or a plant-based ingredient with similar functions and benefits of retinol, but is still gentle enough for very sensitive skin,” dermatologist Anar Mikailov, MD, has previously told Cosmo. Just like classic retinol, bakuchiol also triggers collagen production and increases your skin's cellular turnover, leading to smoother, softer, and brighter skin over time.

So if you’re looking for the gentlest retinol for sensitive skin, look for formulas that contain low-dose retinol, low-dose retinaldehyde, or bakuchiol. Again, there’s not an exact percentage or formula that is “the best” overall, because everyone’s skin has different needs, so you need to play a lil trial-and-error—and also apply it correctly.

First, make sure you’re applying retinol correctly.

Even the gentlest retinoid on this list can still give your skin problems if you’re not applying it correctly. If you have sensitive skin, make sure to start slow to mitigate the initial adjustment period of flakes and sensitivity: “Apply a pea-size drop to your entire face one night a week for one week, then two nights a week for two weeks, then three nights a week for three weeks, and then every other night indefinitely,” Dr. Gohara has said.

Re-read that again, because I truly cannot stress the importance of this advice enough: Only apply your retinol once or twice a week for three weeks to see how your skin reacts. The side effects from retinoids are cumulative and may not show up until your third or fourth use—so if you apply too much too quickly, your face may suddenly rebel, leaving you with inflamed, red skin that takes weeks to heal. My pro tip? Set calendar reminders on your phone for the next 12 weeks, so you know exactly when to apply your retinol next.

Think of the formulation.

Do you have super-dry skin? Try a retinol night cream, which can be layered underneath (or on top of) your regular moisturizer for double hydration to offset any irritation. Or, if you’re working with oily skin or acne-prone skin, try playing around with a retinol serum or retinol drops, which won’t feel heavy or greasy under your normal moisturizer.

• Dendy Engleman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY where she practices at the Shafer Clinic. She's well-versed in products and ingredients, especially over-the-counter options.
• Jessie Cheung, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist with practices in Chicago, IL, and New York, NY. She focuses on the intersection of dermatology and overall wellness, taking a holistic approach to acne and skin.
• Anar Mikailov, MD, is not only a board-certified dermatologist at Barrington-Park Dermatology Associates in Rochester, NY, but also the founder of KP Away, a skincare line devoted to treating keratosis pilaris. Dr. Mikailov has previously spoken to Cosmo about bakuchiol skincare products.
• Mona Gohara, MD, is an associate clinical professor of dermatologist at Yale School of Medicine, and a board-certified dermatologist at the Dermatology Physicians of Connecticut in multiple locations in CT. Dr. Gohara has previously spoken to Cosmo about how to apply retinoids in your skincare routine.
• Whitney Bowe, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY and the founder of Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty. Dr. Bowe treats a wide variety of skin concerns and is the creator of the viral skin cycling trend, which is why she was previously interviewed by Cosmo.

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from slugging with Aquaphor to cleansing balms to neck creams. She’s an authority in all skincare categories, but is an expert when it comes to the best retinol for sensitive skin after testing dozens on her own face and consulting dermatologists.

Chloe Metzger was the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan with nearly 10 years of experience writing about skincare, with stories like She's tested hundreds of products for sensitive skin, including retinols, over her career that helped her write this story.