As many mothers do, mine was fond of telling me what was appropriate — and what was not — growing up. “There is a time and a place for that, but this isn’t it,” she would say as I would try to carry a baby doll to church, cha-cha around a formal dinner, or play hide-and-seek in clothing racks at a department store.
Retinol is the gold standard of anti-aging amongst dermatologists, but many believe it is also a product that has a time and a place. Due to the fact that retinol increases cellular turnover, many believe that retinol should only be used at night, and during the winter months. To some extent, this is true — anything that increases exfoliation or cellular turnover within the skin may also increase sun susceptibility. However, our new FutureDerm Limited Edition Summer Retinol 0.5 ($65.00, FutureDerm.com/Shop) is the first retinol exclusively designed for nighttime use in the summer months!
How FutureDerm Limited Edition Summer Retinol 0.5 Works
I formulated our FutureDerm Limited Edition Summer Retinol 0.5 with an exclusive form of vitamin E that makes it perfect for summer use.
Vitamin E is naturally produced in the sebum of the skin. In fact, vitamin E has been identified as the “predominant lipid-soluble antioxidant” in murine (mouse) and human skin. When produced, vitamin E comes from deep within the pores (Packer and Valacchi). Under normal conditions, vitamin E shows a characteristic gradient in the skin, with lower levels being found towards the outer stratum corneum layers.
As your skin is subjected to increasing amounts of UV exposure, natural vitamin E levels at the surface of the skin are depleted (Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2001). As you might imagine, this means the vitamin E levels found in the uppermost layer of the skin are substantially lower in the summer months than the winter months.
Yet, you can combat this by adding extra vitamin E into your skin care routine. According to the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, topically-applied vitamin E is one of the few antioxidant substances that can protect against skin’s exposure to UV and environmental exposures to ozone.
Why Retinol and Vitamin E?
According to a 2001 study, both retinol and vitamin E both benefit the skin, but in distinct, complimentary ways (Skin Pharmacology and Physiology). According to the study, in the mouse skin model, “topical [retinol] has been shown to prevent the UV-induced epidermal hypovitaminosis A [low levels of vitamin A in the skin],” and “topical vitamin E prevents oxidative stress and cutaneous and systemic immunosuppression elicited by UV.”
Vitamins A and E also together “absorb ultraviolet (UV) light in the region of solar spectrum that is responsible for most of the deleterious biological effects of the sun.”
Lastly, vitamin E is able to work within the skin at a wider spectrum of pH levels than vitamin C as L-ascorbic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and other acidic ingredients. The slightly more basic pH required for retinol activation within the skin is therefore compatible with vitamin E in a formulation.
It’s Yellow! Does It Dry Clear?
Of course! FutureDerm Limited Edition Summer Retinol 0.5 will dry completely clear on your skin. We recommend applying it at night — you will wake up with a sunny (non-yellow) glow in the morning!
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a superior retinol treatment that is compatible with your skin for the summer months, try FutureDerm Limited Edition Summer Retinol 0.5, with an extra special form of vitamin E that will help to boost your skin’s natural UV protection.
Got questions? Let me know in Comments!