Shereene IdrissBoard Certified Derm, Founder and Chief Nerd

Retinol Benefits — Why you NEED this ingredient in your routine for “anti-aging”

18 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this segment of her YouTube video, skincare expert Shereene Idriss explains why vitamin A (retinol) is a must‑have ingredient for an anti‑aging skincare routine. She argues that retinol is one of the few proven ingredients that addresses aging holistically. She outlines five key effects: it accelerates cell turnover, stimulates deeper collagen production in the dermis, improves the appearance of fine lines and overall texture, evens skin tone, and balances pigmentation. Together these benefits target texture, color, and firmness, making retinol a "triple threat" for anti‑aging.

Chapters

Why do I even care? Why do I even need, quote unquote, because need is a strong word, this in my skincare routine? And why can't I just live in fear? Well, my friend, the reason why you need a vitamin A in your skincare routine is because it is one of the only, if not the only, tried and true skincare ingredient that can truly help your skin from an anti-aging perspective holistically. One, it's going to help with your cell turnover. 2, it's going to help to promote collagen deeper in your dermis. 3, that means the look of your fine lines and texture is going to get better. 4, not just that, your skin tone is going to improve. In addition to 5, your pigment is going to start to even out. So when you think of aging as a whole, it targets texture, it also targets color, in addition to overall firmness. Triple threat.