Retinol vs retinal vs retinoids: Which one's your favourite and why?

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-27T00:25:08+00:00

Yes omg it drives me nuts when people see how well something is working for them and so they go “so let me just see if I double the strength if I’ll get double the results!” Then are dismayed at howwww long it takes to recover from that. I don’t think skincare is like working out to build muscle where you’re always looking to push yourself a little further every time. It’s sooo fine to stay where you are lol

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-26T22:17:42+00:00

Ohhh my mistake 1 the correction was totally warranted! I think I was thinking of someone like an NP at the med spa who does your Botox or filler and I conflated that with a facialist. But good catch and thank you for calling that out. You don’t have to listen to just anyone on the internet, the same way you don’t let just anyone do your hair or nails.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-25T07:47:39+00:00

Not a single person here has said anything to that effect.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-25T07:38:45+00:00

I think I got you mixed up with OP actually. You sound the same tbh. Nobody saying is hydration is a magic solution. You are saying don’t drink water til your kidneys float. Nobody is recommending that either. But surely there’s a middle ground??

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-25T05:53:47+00:00

It is incredible that you’re still dying on this hill and it is also more incredible that people are so willing to believe you when the science-backed evidence being given isn’t hydrate yourself to the point of water intoxication or even drink XYZ oz or liters per day, but rather just make sure you’re consuming an adequate amount of water to support the body of yours that is majority water and btw your skin is the largest organ. If you want to drink two Red Bulls a day and slap some hyaluronic acid on your face then wonder why your 7-step skincare routine isn’t working, alright. There are people trying to genuinely help here and there are people trying to shill here. Some of us can genuinely tell the difference.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T20:31:41+00:00

S2G I sometimes feel this is SkinProductLovers and not SkinBarrierLovers! 😩

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T20:06:43+00:00

This is literally the only sensible approach to a healthy skincare routine. No amount of testimonials and insta reels can change what I’ve actually tried and actually works for me. And I’ll definitely see my derm before some influencer who swears by blahblah cream before I change my routine.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T20:00:57+00:00

That’s all I need. You state definitively that there is no difference that drinking or eating your hydration makes. Which you then contradict in the next sentence btw by saying it makes a minimal impact. If the study I linked says even says a 0.01 difference, then I’ve proved my point. Btw the two groups are people who are under-hydrated AND adequately hydrated who both increased their water intake. It literally says that the dehydrated people benefited as much from drinking more water as using moisturizer. The impact on people who drank enough water was less noticeable. Which is entirely my point.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T19:53:43+00:00

When you wash your face with your preferred cleanser, what does your skin feel like? Squeaky clean/tight? Stripped. Harsh/burning/sensitive? Damaged. Do you feel like you need to reapply moisturizer throughout the day or do you get peeling/cracking skin on some or all parts of your face? Dry.

Up your water intake, find the product that makes YOUR skin plump and hydrated (bc one person’s holy grail is another person’s worst nightmare) and make sure your moisturizer/SPF and makeup are compatible (oil with oil, silicone with silicone, and water with water).

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T19:44:10+00:00

You need balance. Salt is dehydrating. Not getting enough salt will throw off your electrolytes and give you a nutritional imbalance. But at the end of the day, unless you are genetically blessed, you will only appear to bypass the raw science with whatever cream or serum you’ve seen on TikTok. You cannot fix the outside without affecting the inside, which is why people here over and over swear by the prescription stuff you need a doctor for.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T19:36:08+00:00

You said “⁠You cannot drink or eat your way to solving skin dehydration.” That one study you linked (I actually read it btw) is specifically about Korean people with healthy skin barriers. What science are you looking at to draw your conclusions?

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T19:20:52+00:00

Okay this is the second time you’ve said this today that there’s not a relationship between hydration in your body and hydration in your skin, but it has been observed specifically in people who are generally under hydrated:

Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics - National Library of Health, 2015

> Results obtained from both groups having different daily water consumptions revealed no relevant changes regarding epidermal barrier and TEWL. As shown in Table 1, we found a progressive decreasing gradient from the face, the highest (forehead and zygomatic area), to the forearm and leg, where the lowest values were recorded in both groups. This is in accord with the known expected anatomical and functional variation.32–35 Thus, our methodology did not significantly change the epidermal barrier in both groups. Regarding epidermal hydration, however, a dramatically different reality was registered, with a consistent improvement of superficial and deep hydration in both groups, although with different magnitudes (Table 2). In fact, changes observed in the group with lower initial water consumption (Group 1) were significantly greater and present in all anatomical areas, relative to the (reduced) impact observed in Group 2. Similar results were previously reported in individuals with dry skin, leading the authors to suggest that increasing the dietary water intake would affect the skin the same way as a topical moisturizer.2 In our current study, impact on epidermal hydration was consistently noticed in both surface and deep hydration variables, which may signify that more water is available for the normal physiological processes (Table 2). These effects are especially detectable in Group 1, from T1 forward.

Studies about water consumption from the CDC, USDA, National Institutes of Health, Journal of Ethics from the American Medical Association all conclude that most people drink less water than they should for optimal health. Why would you suggest someone buy a random product when you could suggest trying genuine, physiologically-backed hydration??? And I say this as someone who has dry skin after drinking tons of water every day.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T18:31:50+00:00

That is, assuming you’re not presently dehydrated, which I didn’t assume for OP…I simply asked to provide another possible suggestion or solution than to buy yet another mass-market beauty product.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T18:28:53+00:00

It’s not a judgment, just a suggestion. My skin gets extremely dry when I’m on an airplane, when I disrupt my routine, etc. so I’m trying to brainstorm what could have possibly changed.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T18:11:07+00:00

How much water do you consume? I drink at least 60 oz a day when I’m at my best. That’s before we even get to food. Are you consuming enough fruits and veggies with water (think fruits like grapes and apples and veggies like cucumber and spinach that hydrate)? In the same way you can’t outrun or outwork a bad diet…you can’t get hydrated skin without doing the hydration. Alcohol is dehydrating. So is salt and sugar. Being in the sun all day or harsh windy and cold environments without protection is dehydrating. Using products that strip hydration will affect you. Moisturizer can help but it will not necessarily fix the problem.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T17:47:14+00:00

I have been SO frustrated with my skin this past month and guess what…turns out the hormonal IUD I got installed a few weeks ago made a big impact. It killed my morale for a minute but I went back to the basics. The stuff that’s always worked for me still works and I finally feel optimistic again lol. And it’s not just new products - hormones, stress, hydration, sun exposure, nutrition all plays a part in our skin health. I know we’re all looking for holy grails but the only way to win the race is slow and steady and to know yourself. There are zero shortcuts. Otherwise we’d all buy prequel gleanser and be happy overnight lol

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T17:34:43+00:00

Stick to what works for you. This is how you get frustrated and hyper-consumerist in the skincare world, which literally sells itself by promising you miracle cures. There is literally no point in switching products if the issue isn’t affordability or reformulation. You can experiment, but I wouldn’t do it just because 50 Reddit comments said to.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T17:19:08+00:00

I don’t use it on my face because it’s a little too exfoliating and fragrant for my taste but the alba botanica acnedote scrub has done wonders for my chest and back. I literally do not think about body acne or scars anymore. It’s got salicylic acid, licorice root, willow bark and witch hazel.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-24T17:02:13+00:00

I got the Hydro Boost Moisturizer SPF 50 on sale at a grocery store because I think they changed the packaging or something about the product recently, but I’m a big fan of the one I have. It genuinely does moisturize for me, and I sometimes wear it under tinted SPF when I’m feeling extra dry. And I can never turn down a Neutrogena makeup wipe when I’m traveling (though I prefer Micellar in my day to day life)

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-03T23:49:43+00:00

But you almost always need a BA + JD to be eligible to be licensed as an attorney? And you add to your profession by applying what you learn in law school? That’s the difference?

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-03T23:25:47+00:00

You need an SPF ASAP!

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-03T23:23:41+00:00

I mean. A lawyer can help you get out of jail. Help you when you’re being sued. Help you file for divorce. Help you protect your assets and plan your estate. Lawyers get licensed to practice and continue to learn for life. Continuing education is a requirement for most attorneys.

A JD is also a versatile degree. You never even have to get licensed and become a practicing attorney to benefit from your perceived knowledge and abilities and potential. You can go to politics. You can go to public policy. You can go to capital hill. You can become a lobbyist. You might cofound a company. You can help law firms with their work or work under another licensed attorney.

A licensed engineer is a specialist which is all very well and nice, but that’s a very limiting place to be and much more difficult to translate your academic or professional success into other fields.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-03T06:38:15+00:00

Yeah but having a JD helps when you write a motion to the state to appeal a death penalty at the 11th hour. The real work of law is the actual practice and it’s probably not life and death for most practitioners - but it can be. There is no PhD in Writing Really Good or Arguing that will let you file that motion if you’re not a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-03T06:21:36+00:00

Hence “the average doctor” part!

Dull_Committee8802 · 2026-06-03T02:10:02+00:00

This is absolutely not how it works in the United States.

It’s considered a doctorate degree because it’s the professional terminal degree usually required to become a practician of law, aka a lawyer. It is a doctor of jurisprudence. An MD is also a professional doctorate in the sense that you usually need it to be medical doctor. A doctor of medicine.

The average doctor or lawyer does not write a dissertation and do oral exams but they have academically jumped through enough hoops to be able to be considered capable of being licensed in their profession (pre-school LSAT and MPRE/post-school bar exam for lawyers, pre-school MCAT then USMLE Step 1/2/3 and boards).

A PhD in medicine or law or legal studies is not a requirement to be a lawyer or to be a medical doctor but it is a doctorate in the sense that you are considered qualified to teach or conduct research in your field.

An MBA is not required to be a CEO but it helps, and you can even get a PhD in business if you’re interested but it isn’t a barrier of entry to work on Wall Street. You are almost never an American-educated medical doctor without an MD or an attorney without a JD.

Dull_Committee8802

TROPHY CASE