The skin care world has its star players, and it seems as if every new launch is Rated R—retinol, that is. Talk to any dermatologist or scroll through your #BeautyTok feed, and you’d be hard-pressed not to come across the illustrious skin care ingredient touted for its anti-aging benefits. “A derivative of vitamin A, retinol is one of the best skincare ingredients for improving the appearance of texture and pigmentation,” explains dermatologist Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali. “It exfoliates and promotes collagen synthesis to firm, brighten, smooth, and thicken the epidermis.”
