Retinol does terrific things for our skin. Softening, brightening, reducing signs of aging…the list goes on. But to get the best effects from your retinol, you’ve got to incorporate it into a routine, whereby you get some hydration, protection, and strengthening action to counteract the acids within retinol. While retinol is incredible, it can cause irritation and dryness, so your moisturizer is seriously important. It helps to accelerate the skin healing process and restores any moisture lost by using retinol. Below you’ll read about the best moisturizers to use with retinol.
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
- SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore Moisturizer
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel-Cream
- PCA Skin ReBalance
- SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
- Glow Recipe Banana Souffle Moisture Cream
- Kate Somerville DeliKate Recovery Cream
- Sunday Riley Ice Ceramide Moisturizing Cream
What kinds of moisturizers are best to use with retinol?
There are a few things that work wonders for your skin after you’ve used retinol. That said, the best moisturizer to use with retinol should include skin-replenishing and reparative ingredients such as ceramides, fatty acids, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. These are not only restorative, working to build and strengthen the protective barrier, but they’re also skin-identical, meaning that they’re already found within our complexions. Other ingredients that can help speed up the skin’s recovery process after retinol include peptides, cholesterol, and emollients like vitamin E.
You should avoid these if using retinol
It’s best to avoid other exfoliants, benzoyl peroxide, and alcohol while you’re using retinol. Some of these elements can have a place within your routine, but just not on the days you’re applying retinol. If you were to combine these, you could end up with an irritated face.
The best moisturizers to use with retinol
It turns out that these are the best moisturizers to use after retinol to hinder irritations and reduce dryness.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
This moisturizer is exactly what your skin needs after retinol. It provides major hydration and helps restore the barrier, which you need after exfoliation. With both ceramide and niacinamide, your skin can retain more moisture and gets some soothing treatment. It’s also a great choice for those of you with sensitive skin. And since it’s made with La Roche Posay prebiotic thermal water as a base, you can be sure it’ll soothe and strengthen your skin in the blink of an eye. It’s not too heavy on the purse strings either!
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore Moisturizer
Here’s a creamy moisturizer that’s really focused on some essential skin-identical ingredients: ceramides, cholesterol, and other fatty acids. This leaves you with something super nourishing and helpful in self-repairing and moisturizing after using retinol, as well as being ideal for reducing signs of aging. In plus, SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore doesn’t feel greasy, layering nicely and smoothly, leaving you with instant soft skin, being one of the best moisturizers to pair with retinol cream.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel-Cream
If you want to focus on something that’ll hydrate and help get that moisture back into your skin after using retinol, Neutrogena has you sorted. This gel cream is formulated with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which creates the ideal environment for prolonged hydration and moisture retention. Besides, the gel texture and oil-free formula make this one the best moisturizer to use with retinol for oily skin folks.
PCA Skin ReBalance
This moisturizer focuses on niacinamide to renew and restore the skin’s surface to avoid moisture loss. The skin’s barrier is the first line of defense from the environment and daily grime, and this moisturizer works to reinforce it. Vitamin E is added to help strengthen and protect against free radicals while bisabolol soothes. On top of everything, PCA Skin ReBalance lacks any potential drying ingredients, such as alcohol, and fragrances, which you’d want to avoid when using retinol.
SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair
After your retinol’s worked its exfoliating magic, you want something soothing, strengthening, and reparative, and this water-based lotion fits the bill. SkinCeuticals Epidermal Repair is enriched with Centella asiatica (cica) to soothe and addresses skin recovery, plus beta glycan to support cell renewal. It’s professionally formulated to relieve sensitized skin and is great to use after retinol to counteract any redness or irritation.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer
If you want some instant hydration from your moisturizer after using retinol, First Aid has you covered. This moisturizer contains that all-important ceramide to strengthen the protective barrier and lock moisture in, helping to prevent any irritation caused by retinol. There’s colloidal oatmeal in there, too, to help ease dryness while avocado and meadowfoam seed oils soften skin — now you know why it’s considered one of the best moisturizers to use with retinol.
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream
CeraVe decided to go all out with this night cream, putting not one but three ceramides in the formula to seriously help restore and strengthen your barrier and provide some serious moisturizing. Moreover, it features shea butter on top of the ingredients list, meaning it forms a protective layer that prevents transepidermal water loss. When applied after using retinol, this moisturizer is going to really lock in essential moisture and help reduce signs of aging, too, due to a peptide complex.
Glow Recipe Banana Souffle Moisture Cream
This moisturizer honestly sounds good enough to eat for breakfast. But you can settle for using it after your retinol. Glow Recipe went with banana because it’s skin soothing and hydrating, but also because it’s healing, which is perfect for counteracting any irritation or redness caused by retinol. For additional calming and healing, Glow Recipe Banana Souffle Moisture Cream packs Centella asiatica and turmeric.
Kate Somerville DeliKate Recovery Cream
Kate Somerville products are a go-to whenever your skin needs a pick-me-up, and this calming cream created to soothe and reduce redness is definitely one of the best moisturizers to use with retinol. As a matter of fact, the aim of this moisturizer is to help stressed skin, which goes hand in hand with retinol’s tendency to dry out the skin, counteracting any side effects. Kate Somerville DeliKate Recovery Cream works hard to build that protective skin barrier (thanks, ceramides!) and keep skin calm. Also, the formula boasts a peptide complex and ginger root, which are great for neutralizing redness.
Sunday Riley Ice Ceramide Moisturizing Cream
This is another moisturizer you can apply after retinol to counteract redness and dryness. It’s a rich but lightweight moisturizer packed with plenty of hydrators and skin-soothers such as squalane, vitamin F, hyaluronic acid, and coconut extract. The formula is also enriched with three types of ceramides working to fortify the moisture barrier and give it that boost to resist retinol.
The bottom line
If you’re going to incorporate retinol into your routine and make it a regular thing, adding in a protective and restorative moisturizer is essential. Check out your ingredients and give ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid the big green light! They’re definitely superhero-like ingredients that create the best moisturizers to use with retinol.
