Retinol irritating your skin? You need to try the ‘sandwich method’

Retinol. It has become the It ingredient within the world of skincare, and its hype is justified. Derived from vitamin A, it’s one of the few skincare ingredients proven to completely overhaul skin by speeding up cell turnover and you’ll struggle to find a dermatologist who doesn’t sing its praises.

Over the years, though, it has unfairly developed a bit of a bad rap for being irritating. So much so, the topic of safely incorporating retinol into a skincare routine is one we’re asked about most over on the Stylist beauty desk. There is a process that should be followed, which we’ve gone into detail in with our guide to adding retinol into your skincare arsenal. But it’s still important to know what to do if your skin does get irritated by the buzzy ingredient.

“First, stop [using retinol] immediately,” says Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist and founder of Self London. “There is a myth that you need to ‘push through’ the burn, but that creates inflammation which ages the skin – the exact opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.”

If retinol has made you break out or caused your skin to feel sore, tight or peel, Dr Mahto advises stripping your routine back to basics, using only a gentle cleanser and a barrier-repairing moisturiser. “Avoid acids (AHAs/BHAs) and scrubs completely. Once your skin has fully healed, with no redness or stinging, you can then reintroduce the retinol.”

But before you do, Dr Mahto recommends trying the ‘sandwich technique’, a method that allows you to still reap the benefits of retinol in a much gentler way.

She explains: “Apply a layer of light moisturiser first, then your retinol, then another layer of moisturiser.” Effectively, you’re sandwiching the retinol between two layers of moisturiser. “This buffers the absorption and reduces irritation while you build tolerance back up,” says Dr Mahto. 

Not only is the sandwich technique great to reintroduce retinol into your routine, but it’s ideal for those with sensitive skin. Even if you haven’t yet experienced irritation but feel hesitant to try retinol, this is a great way to get your skin acquainted with the ingredient. Plus, adding an extra dose of moisturiser only adds another dose of hydration to skin, leaving it plumper and healthier.

It’s not just retinol, either. You can use this technique on a range of exfoliating acids that tend to be a bit strong on skin, like tretinoin or vitamin C. If you’re keen to give it a go, pair your serum with one of these hydration-packed, skin-boosting moisturisers…

Main image: Adobe