Does retinol go on before or after night cream?

[TigerMog]

I've decided to start using a very low percentage retinol but I've heard conflicting info about whether or not the retinol goes on before of after a night moisturiser. What do you do?

If it's a thick night cream then after. If you have sensitive skin some people put a water based serum e.g. squalane before the retinol as can help with the irritation

No, a water based serum would allow for easier penetration of the retinol, it would be more irritating and terrible for sensitive skin.

Op, ideally you use it on clean dry skin and then follow with whatever else you put on your face (just avoid other actives). But if your skin doesn't tolerate that people will tend to buffer it, either by mixing it in with a bland moisturiser or layering it over a layer of moisturiser (if you use anything, just layer under moisturiser as usual).

Some will even wait 30mins before applying a retinoid but that's for the really sensitive. Some will buffer when introducing a retinoid to avoid as much irritation as possible and then slowly build up to using it directly on the face.

It's up to you to determine what would work best for your skin and none of it is necessarily better than the other, efficacy of retinoids are not determined by strength but by consistency of use.

*if you use anything else, (e.g. toner, hydrating serum, etc.)

I’m no expert but I always thought you wanted the actives close to the skin and layered from thinnest to thickest product

Either or both. You can buffer with moisturiser first then add the retinol, or add the retinol and then moisturise. And some nights, during this really cold weather, and as I’m on 0.1 tretinoin, I moisturise before and after.

I'm kind of glad there's no clear consensus as it justifies my confusion!

When I worked for luxury skincare brands (Clinique and then Chanel) we were always taught to put serums and treatment products on to the skin first and then moisturisers etc on last.

You should layer serums thinnest to thickest and follow up with moisturiser. Although in saying that, I do retinal - hyaluronic acid - moisturiser as I feel it works better!

I don’t follow the logic of applying retinol after moisturiser!? Surely the moisturiser will stop your skin absorbing it.

Not at all, it just buffers it so it's easier on sensitive skin

Retinol and serums should always go before moisturiser.

See attached

Moisturiser acts as a barrier so it's pointless putting anything other than oil over the top of moisturiser.