Which Retinol?

[Girlintheframe]

Which retional would you recommend for a mid 40s women?
Skin has quite a bit of hyperpigmentation, combination but errs on the dry side.
I've tried the ordinary but didn't really get any results . Heard good things about Paulas Choice but never tried it.
Looking for something mid range price.

The Ordinary granactive retinoid 5 % ... ticks all the boxes

And it's not at all expensive

I use the beauty pie ones (as is their vitamin c cream and Hyaluronic acid serum) and think they are very good. I didn't get on with The Ordinary.

Have recently started using The Ordinary 1% (first go with retinol) but have not yet seen any miracles!!

The ordinary is retinol emulsion. Have a look at Alumier MD products, my skin has been amazing since using

Search for Trinny Woodall and Caroline Hirons blogs which have links to relevant YouTube videos, they have reviews of various retinoids.
I use tretinoin and wish I started when I turned 30 but better late than never. Mid 40s (even or especially if you have great skin) you should aim to gradually use as strong a product as you can tolerate without upsetting your skin. Dermatica programme might suit you as they tailor the product to help with specific hyperpigmentation.
I personally found suncream and regular gentle exfoliation with acids worked better for me when I started getting hyperpigmentation. I use a sunscreen from Bioderma specific to this issue but can’t remember the exact name, it’s on their website. Retinol didn’t appear to do anything on my hyperpigmentation but it is great at smoothing out fine lines and generally making skin look clear and smooth, I rely on it as a preventative measure.
Skinceuticals do a Discolouration serum with tranexamic acid, start with that then gradually add a retinol.