In today’s episode, I’m diving into one of my most requested topics: retinol, Retin-A, retinaldehyde, retinol esters, the whole retinoid family, and how these different forms of vitamin A actually work in the skin.
This episode is the first in a three-part Vitamin A series.
Today we’re focusing on retinoids, the synthetic and preformed versions of vitamin A that bind directly to retinoic acid receptors in your skin. Next week we’ll explore
retinol alternatives like carotenoids and plant-based ingredients, and in two weeks we’ll talk about
internal vitamin A and skin health.The conventional view of retinoids
The difference between retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters, retinoic acid & Accutane
What vitamin A actually does in the skin (differentiation, turnover, collagen)
Side effects, irritation, contraindications & when not to use retinoids
Why oxidized retinol can cause inflammation
How the formula around vitamin A matters just as much as the vitamin A itself
Why retinoids thin the barrier and disrupt the microbiome
The wild history: the dermatologist who helped bring Retin-A to dermatology is the same doctor who later coined the term corneotherapy
How the medical model shapes the way dermatology thinks about skin
Why the “skin as machine” paradigm creates a very narrow way of treating skin
And the corneotherapeutic + herbalist lens: what happens when we force cell turnover instead of supporting the skin’s natural intelligence
If you want the full picture of retinoids this episode will help you understand exactly what these ingredients do, who they’re right for, and how they affect the skin’s ecology.
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