Crystal Retinal

You should apply Crystal Retinal as part of your evening skincare regimen — after cleanser, toner and serums, but before your moisturizer.

As long as you build your use up gradually and start with the appropriate strength to begin with, you can use Crystal Retinal every night. For new users of Crystal Retinal, we strongly recommend that you phase‑in application to enable your skin to build up a tolerance while avoiding any potential irritation. Use twice a week for the first two weeks, every other night for the following two weeks, then every night.

As a cosmetics company, we are unable to provide product advice in relation to medical conditions such as pregnancy or breastfeeding. We strongly recommend discussing the ingredients with your physician or obstetrician before use. We do, however, generally recommend avoiding vitamin A use while pregnant or breastfeeding, which is why we offer a plant‑based vitamin A alternative — Bakuchiol Peptides

We do recommend applying a moisturizer after vitamin A. Our bestselling night cream, Advanced Night Ceramide, is specifically designed to be used following retinoid use. It helps to boost the visible age‑defying benefits of retinoids while maintaining optimal comfort.

Crystal Retinal’s peachy tone gets more intense as you go up the ladder and may create a peachy tone on the face or potentially transfer onto bed sheets. Color left on bedsheets can be mitigated by allowing Crystal Retinal to absorb fully and dry before making contact with light‑colored fabrics (such as pajamas, bedding, or pillows). We would also recommend applying a moisturizer over the top of Crystal Retinal 20 / Crystal Retinal 24 to seal it in. If sheets are left with color on them, wash at 30 degrees and leave to dry in the sunlight — retinal degrades in the sun which helps the color to quickly fade away.

You can move up to Crystal Retinal 24 once you have used at least 1 tube of Crystal Retinal 20. Crystal Retinal 24 is a high‑strength retinal serum, so we advise closely monitoring your skin during the first 2 weeks of use. If you feel any sensitivity during this time, we would suggest reducing the amount of product you apply or applying every other night to begin with.

We recommend using at least 1 tube of your current Crystal Retinal strength before moving up the ladder to the next strength.

Crystal Retinal 24 contains 0.24% retinaldehyde — our highest concentration to date and the very top of our unique Crystal Retinal ladder. We therefore recommend Crystal Retinal 24 for expert vitamin A users only — those who have used at least 1 tube of Crystal Retinal 20.

We don’t recommend using Crystal Retinal directly around the eye area due to its very delicate nature. However, that’s exactly why we’ve created Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye. It boasts all of the renowned age‑defying power of our original Crystal Retinal, but is expertly optimized for specific use on the delicate eye area.

We recommend using vitamin C alongside Crystal Retinal (vitamin A) as per our Vitamin C + A strategy. This simple yet clinically proven skincare approach champions vitamin C by day, vitamin A (retinoids) by night as the secret to youthful, glowing skin. After cleansing in the morning, apply your vitamin C serum (such as C‑Tetra Luxe). After cleansing in the evening, apply Crystal Retinal.

The bright peachy tone of Crystal Retinal 20 and Crystal Retinal 24 is a combination of the natural yellow color of the retinal, and some natural extracts which shift the color from yellow to a more peachy tone. Crystal Retinal 20 and Crystal Retinal 24 are brighter than the lower strengths of Crystal Retinal due to their higher concentration of retinal.

Crystal Retinal is designed for nighttime use, followed by a nighttime moisturizer (such as Advanced Night Ceramide). The higher strengths may leave skin with a slightly peachy tint. However, when blended under a night cream, this is less visible.

Crystal Retinal 20 contains 0.2% retinaldehyde, while Crystal Retinal 24 contains 0.24%. Crystal Retinal 20 is recommended for experienced vitamin A users (those who have used at least 1 tube of Crystal Retinal 10). Crystal Retinal 24 is recommended for expert vitamin A users only (those who have used at least 1 tube of Crystal Retinal 20).

Which strength of Crystal Retinal you should start with depends entirely on your skin type and experience level using vitamin A. We recommend use of our progressive strengths as follows:
Crystal Retinal 1 (0.01% retinaldehyde): For those with sensitive skin
Crystal Retinal 3 (0.03% retinaldehyde): For new vitamin A users
Crystal Retinal 6 (0.06% retinaldehyde): For regular vitamin A users
Crystal Retinal 10 (0.1% retinaldehyde): For advanced vitamin A users
Crystal Retinal 20 (0.2% retinaldehyde): For experienced vitamin A users
Crystal Retinal 24 (0.24% retinaldehyde): For expert vitamin A users only

You may notice our Crystal Retinal packaging text has switched from white to black. Rest assured, the formula has not changed and contains the same age-defying results you already know and love. There have been no changes to the ingredients, performance or visible results. As the update rolls out, you may receive either version of the packaging.