Shereene Idriss says most teens should skip retinol and focus on hydration, sunscreen, and a healthy skin barrier instead. If you're oily and acne-prone, you might start it, but perfect skin doesn't exist anyway.
Is it too early for me to use a retinol in my routine? I want perfect skin before I go to college. This is coming from a teenager, not her. I will say that it's good that you're focusing on wanting good skin, but perfect skin does not exist. Everybody has flaws in their skin. And starting a retinol when you are very young is kind of. You're kind of betting up in the air because you don't know yet how your skin is going to evolve as you get older, as your hormones evolve. So. So if you're oily and already acne prone, great. You can start a retinol in your routine. But if you're not that oily and you're not that acne prone, I would hold off on incorporating a harsher ingredient like a retinol into your skincare routine. I would instead focus on a solid routine where your skin already feels happy and is under the right balance, like it's well hydrated, your barrier is not broken, and you're already getting used to using a sunscreen every day versus trying to incorporate a retinol for quote, unquote, perfect skin, because perfect skin doesn't exist.
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