Before trying it out, I met a board-certified dermatologist Marisa GarshickMD, for exactly what retinal does compared to traditional retinol formulations.
“Retinal, which refers to retinaldehyde, is a type of retinoid — or vitamin A derivative — that is converted to retinoic acid to help regulate the skin cell cycle and boost collagen production, improving texture and texture,” she says. overall tone,” she said. “Retinaldehyde is considered more potent than retinol, because there are fewer conversion steps to retinoic acid than retinol. In general, all retinol derivatives need to be converted to retinoic acid to be effective — and the more steps involved, the less potent and gentler it is. ”
That said, as a retinal serum, Moonlight falls somewhere between retinol and prescription retinoic acid in terms of strength, making it one of the more potent products you can buy over-the-counter. “It can be used by anyone looking to start using a retinoid, but it can be especially good for people who are already on a retinol and tolerate it but haven’t noticed a significant improvement,” Garshick adds. . “Also, if someone isn’t ready or can’t tolerate a prescription retinoid, this is a great option.”
