In today’s episode, I’m diving into one of my most requested topics: retinol, Retin-A, retinaldehyde, retinol esters, the whole retinoid family, and how these different forms of vitamin A actually work in the skin.

This episode is the first in a three-part Vitamin A series.
Today we’re focusing on retinoids, the synthetic and preformed versions of vitamin A that bind directly to retinoic acid receptors in your skin. Next week we’ll explore retinol alternatives like carotenoids and plant-based ingredients, and in two weeks we’ll talk about internal vitamin A and skin health.

I’m breaking down:

• The conventional view of retinoids

• The difference between retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters, retinoic acid & Accutane

• What vitamin A actually does in the skin (differentiation, turnover, collagen)

• Side effects, irritation, contraindications & when not to use retinoids

• Why oxidized retinol can cause inflammation

• How the formula around vitamin A matters just as much as the vitamin A itself

• Why retinoids thin the barrier and disrupt the microbiome

• The wild history: the dermatologist who helped bring Retin-A to dermatology is the same doctor who later coined the term corneotherapy

• How the medical model shapes the way dermatology thinks about skin

• Why the “skin as machine” paradigm creates a very narrow way of treating skin

• And the corneotherapeutic + herbalist lens: what happens when we force cell turnover instead of supporting the skin’s natural intelligence

If you want the full picture of retinoids this episode will help you understand exactly what these ingredients do, who they’re right for, and how they affect the skin’s ecology.

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