Retinol is far and away the gold standard in skin health, providing benefits no other compound can. When you give the skin real, encapsulated retinol, you give it a way to delay the aging process and prevent inflammation by improving skin function at the cellular level. Translation? It makes the skin look younger, bottom line.
However, in recent years, many people have been scared off by preservative systems commonly used in over-the-counter and prescription retinoids, or have had bad experiences with retinization. In short, this was an ingredient that had gotten a bad reputation despite the many wonderful things it does for the skin.
With the overall goal of creating a more effective retinol for comprehensive age delay, Marie Veronique, a pioneer in clean, highly-effective skin health topicals, took the opportunity to rethink how to deliver retinol effectively and safely so that more people could benefit from its superpowers without experiencing its drawbacks. The brand also took into account the common misconception that the stronger the percentage of retinol in a product, the better for addressing signs of aging and skin concerns.
Factoring in the latest research about how various retinoids impact skin function and what they’ve seen in ongoing work with clients, Marie Veronique was able to create a breakthrough product that supports skin that is both aging and sensitive.
Introducing Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion
We’re pleased to introduce Marie Veronique’s Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion, a highly effective, microbiome-friendly alternative to prescription retinoids. Designed to provide a smart, strategic way to address and heal the declining function characteristic of aging skin, this breakthrough topical delivers comprehensive age delay benefits gradually and effectively, without causing the redness, discomfort, or irritation that is often associated with retinoids. It is also fragrance and essential oil-free.
Encapsulated retinol — A highly stabilized form that works at the dermis level of the skin to improve the cell messaging system, signaling the fibroblasts to replace old, unhealthy cells with new, properly functioning ones. Inhibits the inflammation that causes skin to show signs of aging.
Bakuchiol — Performs many tasks at the dermis level, including maintenance and repair of the extracellular matrix and the dermal-epidermal junction, which helps support the integrity and the structure of the skin. Also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Because it performs a lot of the same age delay functions as retinol, bakuchiol is often considered a replacement for retinol. (It’s not!) However, it performs these age delay tasks in different ways, and actually helps to stabilize and augment retinol function. So rather than regarding bakuchiol as the alternative retinol, we think of it as the retinol optimizer.
Retinyl sunflowerseedate — Works at the epidermis level to hydrate and maintain moisture balance, which helps keep the skin looking and feeling good. Reduces the irritation often associated with retinoid use.
It’s worth noting that Marie Veronique was also deliberate about the retinoids they did NOT choose to include. There is a common misconception that the stronger the percentage of retinol in a product, the better. The reality is that your body can only absorb and metabolize so much retinoic acid at once. Giving your body more retinol than it needs carries a higher risk of unwanted side effects like redness, irritation, and more. Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion delivers a strategic mix of retinoid actives that the body can use effectively.
Prescription retinoids can be hard on the skin, disruptive to the microbiome, and contain ingredients that are on many organizations’ unsafe ingredients lists. Prescription and over-the-counter retinoids are typically stabilized with BHA or BHT, which are synthetic preservatives and antioxidants with controversial skin and health risks. BHA, BHT, and many other preservatives commonly used in topicals are microcidal, which means they kill both the good and the bad microbes that reside on the skin. The more we apply products that do this, the more we are at risk for unwanted inflammatory skin symptoms such as rosacea, dermatitis, and breakouts.
Marie Veronique formulated Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion with microstatic preservatives that support a healthy skin microbiome, which is essential for optimal skin health.
Choosing Between Marie Veronique’s Two Retinol Topicals
Marie Veronique also makes another retinol, Gentle Retinol Night Serum, which combines an encapsulated retinol with stabilized Vitamin C. This much-loved PM regimen staple will happily support normal skin through its 20s, 30s, and early 40s. It remains the brand’s go-to for normal/stable aging skin and hyperpigmentation concerns. If you fall into these categories, this is still the best serum for you.
However, as skin matures in the mid-40s, the skin often needs more intervention. Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion is the retinol for people who are looking for a topical that offers more intensive corrective action in a rich, creamy texture that feels wonderful on the skin. It is best for those who’ve already been on a prescription retinoid or over-the-counter retinol and are looking to replace it with something that is both more effective and formulated without the harsh preservatives typically found in those products.
Free of fragrance and essential oils, Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion is also suitable for those of any age with compromised skin function and symptomatic inflammatory skin conditions.
The best strategy for creating a skincare regimen to address aging? Start with the basics. The products below are absolute essentials and will give you the most mileage for delaying signs of aging in the skin. Though there is always room for products that complement the ones listed below, you can think of these as your glass of water in the morning, teeth brushing before bed, or daily multivitamin — non-negotiable.
Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion — Comprehensive age delay that leverages the latest science via a synergistic combination of three retinoid actives. Use daily as the last step in your PM regimen, after serums and oils
If you want to arm yourself with a product that leverages the latest science of age delay, this is it.
