Can you use retinol with collagen?

What is the difference between retinol and collagen?

Collagen is a structural protein that gives skin strength and support. With age, skin makes less collagen and breaks down more of it, contributing to wrinkles. Retinol is a vitamin A ingredient and a member of the retinoid family. Applied to skin, retinol stimulates collagen and elastin production and can improve fine lines, uneven pigmentation and texture. Elastin is the protein that helps skin stay flexible.3456

A collagen moisturizer and a collagen stimulating treatment are not interchangeable. For example, Collagen Retinol Moisturizer Face lists collagen for moisturizing. For improving fine lines and texture, retinol has a different job from simply keeping skin hydrated. Buying a collagen product is not a prerequisite for using retinol, despite how neatly the names fit on a shopping list.17

How should you use them together?

1. 1Choose the least intense retinol formula you can find. Not every product displays its retinol percentage, so a precise strength is not always available.
2. 2Use retinol at night, starting every other night and increasing slowly as your skin tolerates it. Follow your product's application directions.
3. 3Include moisturizer in the routine. A collagen moisturizer can fill that role; moisturizer helps reduce the irritation associated with starting retinoids.
4. 4During the day, apply sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher to exposed skin. Add shade and protective clothing, because retinoids can increase sun sensitivity.

These are general retinol starting instructions, not directions for every combined cream. Collagen Retinol Moisturizer Face, for example, directs application after cleansing in the morning and evening. That differs from the general advice to start retinol at night, so resolve conflicting directions with a dermatologist before choosing a schedule. A combined cream is an option, not a requirement to turn your bathroom into a two bottle merger.14

Who should be careful?

Retinol can suit mild fine lines, uneven pigmentation and texture concerns. People with skin allergies, dryness or substantial redness and inflammation should discuss alternatives with a dermatologist before starting. Sensitive skin is more likely to experience irritation. In darker skin, irritation can trigger dark marks, making a slow start and moisturizer particularly useful. Do not use retinoids during pregnancy. If breastfeeding, ask your clinician before using a combined retinol and collagen product.145

Watch for itching, peeling, redness, puffiness or scaly patches, especially when first starting retinol or using a high concentration. A collagen ingredient does not remove the need to watch for these effects. The Collagen Retinol Moisturizer Face label directs you to stop and ask a doctor if a rash occurs, avoid damaged or broken skin, and keep the cream out of your eyes.15

Is taking collagen the same as applying it?

No. Ingested collagen is broken down into smaller protein components that the body can use to build proteins in different tissues, not exclusively skin. Oral hydrolyzed collagen, meaning collagen broken into smaller pieces, has generally shown better results for dryness and wrinkles than large collagen molecules and topical formulations. That does not make a supplement necessary for retinol to stimulate collagen in skin.3