As beneficial as all this is, a lot of people find potent retinol serums or prescriptions a bit too harsh to handle, so instead they opt for a gentler retinol cream. These formulas are typically less strong and filled with hydrating ingredients to provide a bit of a buffer for those active properties. Oh, and if you want all your retinol questions answered—don’t forget to check out our retinol Q&A guide. Advanced Retinol and Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream, Dr. Dennis Gross ($75) Bio Retinoid Youth Cream, Ren Skincare ($72) Retinol 0.5, Obagi ($73) Wake Up Call Overnight Facial Treatment, Goldfaden M.D. ($85) Goodnight Glow Bakuchiol Sleeping Crème, OleHenriksen ($58) Gentle Retinol Cream, Good Molecules ($8) PlantGenius Line-Filling Eye Balm with Bakuchiol, Alpyn Beauty ($62) FAB Skin Lab Retinol Eye Cream with Triple Hyaluronic Acid, First Aid Beauty ($44) +Retinol Firming Eye Cream, Kate Somerville ($98) Retinol Skin-Smoothing Body Treatment, Paula’s Choice ($29) Firm Ground Retinol Body Lotion, Versed ($17.99) Our high standards also come from testing products—many, many products. Our editors and writers rigorously test and research the products featured in our roundups to offer you the best, most informed recommendations. When we write reviews, you can trust we spend quality time with the formulas: We don’t simply rave about products we’ve slathered on the back of our hand. We endorse products we’ve tried and loved. Learn more about our testing process and clean beauty standards here.
