A lot of you have been asking me about the various different retinol serums that I like, and particularly those that don’t come with side effects. I was sent a bottle of Osmosis Calm Vitamin A Serum (Level 2) to try, which couldn’t have been better timing.
So retinoids are chemically related to Vitamin A, and are a very important part of your anti-aging skin care regime because they treat photo-aging, and actually help to thicken your skin (skin thins as we age). You can start using a good retinoid product in your early thirties, but should definitely be using one nightly from around age forty on.
There are different names for first generation retinoids, including Retinol, Retinal and Retinaldehyde. May of these first gen Retinoids do produce side effects, especially if they come in a high concentration. You generally get these side effects as your skin acclimatizes to the product, and then they’ll subside. For me, the side effects were red, dry patches of skin, that at first I thought were psoriasis patches (yikes!). And then I realized that it was my retinol cream.
The good news is that a new generation of Retinol products have come onto the scene, which are just as effective, but less harsh in terms of side effects. This is great news for anyone out there with sensitive skin such as Rosacea or dermatitis because until these new products came out, there was little you could use except for soothing, calming (but not necessarily anti-aging products).
Osmosis Calm Level 2 Vitamin A Serum is exactly what you need if you have sensitive skin, but want to take preventative anti-aging action now. I love their formula because it contains so many other great ingredients including Sea Buckthorn, Chlorella, and a host of anti-aging peptides. And, of course, it gets the Gorgeously Green seal of approval, or I wouldn’t be reviewing it!