Retinol’s anti-wrinkle action stems from its ability to restart collagen production by stimulating your fibroblasts. Fibroblasts, which provide support to the epidermis, secrete collagen, which in turn gives the skin its shape, and keeps it supple and resistant. Among other things, collagen ensures that your skin is dense and plump. It’s important to note that collagen production starts to decrease when you hit age 25.

Vitamin A is an undisputed antioxidant. Retinol protects the skin from external aggressors, oxidative stress, aging effects due to the sun, pollution, and other factors that could affect the health of the cells that keep you looking youthful.

On top of giving collagen a hand, retinol also stimulates the elastin in your skin, which increases its elasticity. The best example of its power? When you pinch your skin, elastin helps it regain its initial shape. Because it is lacking in elastin, mature skin has a tendency to wrinkle, crease, and mark more easily and for longer.

The current enemy: dark spots, hands down. A true log of your days spent in the sun, the appearance of brown spots can nevertheless be reduced by using retinol. As a matter of fact, vitamin A can help promote the degradation and regulation of melanin, which causes the spots.

In the very beginning, the medical aesthetics industry used retinol as a treatment for acne. The molecule has the property of improving cellular regeneration. At the same time, it clears and reduces the appearance of large pores, as well as smooths the skin.