Best first retinal for a simple routine: Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%.
- Its name gives you a retinaldehyde percentage to compare.
- Avène RetrinAL 0.1% is the traditional cream choice with a disclosed percentage.
- Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème combines retinal with peptides, PDRN and Volufiline for several stated appearance areas.
- Begin with two evenings a week, keep your moisturizer, and use SPF 30 in the morning.
At 45, the simplest first step is to add one retinal product to the moisturizer routine you already use. My default pick is Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05% if a stated percentage and cream-serum format guide your choice. Choose Avène RetrinAL 0.1% if you prefer a traditional cream; choose Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème if its combination of retinal, peptides, PDRN and maker-stated appearance areas fits your priorities. A percentage helps you compare labels, while the whole formula and your routine determine how a product feels on your skin.
What to compare before choosing a first retinal
Choose by three details: the stated retinal percentage, the texture you prefer, and whether the formula or its named appearance areas match your priorities.
The percentage is a useful comparison point because Naturium identifies 0.05% retinaldehyde and Avène identifies 0.1%. Each percentage belongs to a different formula, so compare it alongside product format and directions. The expert interviews in TODAY’s retinal-versus-retinol guide describe retinal as a more potent form than retinol, while dermatologist Sandy Skotnicki says both ingredients can offer mild photoaging benefits. For this choice, the practical takeaway is to start gradually with whichever retinal product you choose.
Retinaldehyde, also called retinal, takes one conversion step to retinoic acid, while retinol takes two, according to the dermatologist discussion in TODAY’s guide. The same report describes tretinoin as retinoic acid itself and prescription-only. Those terms help separate cosmetic retinal and retinol from prescription tretinoin when reading product labels.
A 2022 evidence review in Advances in Therapy describes retinaldehyde as the most promising cosmetic retinoid and says clinical evidence for cosmetic retinoids remains limited compared with prescription tretinoin.
The review summarizes one study of photodamaged skin that compared 0.05% retinaldehyde cream with 0.05% tretinoin cream and a vehicle. Researchers assessed wrinkle and skin roughness changes; the review reports no statistically significant differences between retinaldehyde and tretinoin or between retinaldehyde and the vehicle group. That result describes those formulas and participants. For this shortlist, the product labels identify each formula’s concentration, while format and stated application areas help translate that information into a practical choice.
| Option | Format and disclosed retinal detail | A useful fit |
|---|---|---|
| Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05% | Cream-serum; 0.05% retinaldehyde in the product name | You want a stated percentage and a serum-like cream format. |
| Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Multi-Corrective Cream | Lightweight cream; 0.1% retinaldehyde | You prefer a traditional cream and want its retinal percentage disclosed. |
| Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème | Booster crème with retinal, peptides, PDRN and Volufiline | You want a multi-ingredient formula with several maker-stated appearance areas. |
1. Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%: the clearest percentage-led start
Choose Naturium if you want a cream-serum and a retinal percentage stated in the product name. The company calls it Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%, which gives a clear starting point for comparing its label with Avène’s 0.1% cream.
The maker’s product directions say to shake well, apply an even layer to the face, neck and chest, and avoid the eye area. Naturium recommends following with moisturizer, wearing sunscreen during the day and patch testing before use. For a reader who already owns moisturizer, the layering step is familiar: cleanse, apply the retinal product as directed, then use your usual moisturizer.
2. Avène RetrinAL 0.1%: choose the traditional cream texture
Avène is the better fit if you prefer a cream rather than a cream-serum. The manufacturer’s RetrinAL product page describes a lightweight cream formulated with 0.1% retinaldehyde. Avène says the cream visibly reduces the appearance of wrinkles while smoothing and renewing the appearance of skin.
The formula also lists hyaluronic acid and niacinamide among its featured ingredients. Avène describes hyaluronic acid as moisturizing and visibly smoothing and plumping skin, and niacinamide as helping the look of fine lines while supporting skin-barrier function. The maker directs users to apply the cream to the face, neck and décolleté in the evening. That area coverage and familiar cream format suit someone who wants one evening step for face and neck.
The 0.1% label gives you a concentration to compare with Naturium’s 0.05% label. Treat the numbers as formula-level label information, then choose by format and the directions that fit your routine. If the cream texture, evening directions and listed size match what you want, Avène is a strong alternative to the cream-serum.
3. Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème: retinal plus peptides and other actives
Choose Abib when your preference is a multi-ingredient booster, especially one that names several specific appearance areas. Abib’s product description identifies PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème as formulated with PDRN, Volufiline, retinal and peptides. The catalog lists PDRN at 15,000 ppm and Volufiline at 10,000 ppm, and identifies the tube as 1.01 fl oz / 30 ml.
The parts-per-million figures apply to Abib’s PDRN and Volufiline, the two ingredients whose amounts the product description states.
Abib says the crème targets the look of forehead lines, smile lines, under-eye areas and neck wrinkles.
The under-eye reference names a cosmetic appearance target; it does not itself state where to apply the crème or establish that the product is an eye cream.
How to add retinal without rebuilding your routine
A moisturizer-only routine already gives you the step that follows a retinal product. Add the new product at night, keep your moisturizer, and make morning sun protection part of the plan. The Cleveland Clinic’s retinol guide recommends patch testing, starting slowly and increasing use gradually. It advises every-other-day use during the first couple of weeks and SPF 30 with protective clothing and hats while using retinol products.
- Apply a small amount to a limited area and wait a couple of days. For retinol, the Cleveland Clinic guide advises adding it at bedtime if the test patch is not very red or itchy after a couple of days.
- Use it two nights a week to begin. The beginner guide from The Derma Co suggests two to three nights a week for retinol at first, then a gradual increase. Choose spaced evenings such as Tuesday and Friday, then repeat that pattern for two weeks before deciding whether to add a third night.
- Apply the retinal product according to its own directions. Naturium says to shake its cream-serum, apply an even layer to the face, neck and chest, and avoid the eye area. Avène’s directions specify evening use on the face, neck and décolleté.
- Finish with your usual moisturizer. Naturium recommends following its retinal cream-serum with moisturizer. For a moisturizer-led evening routine, dermatologist Sandra Lee’s SLMD beginner guide describes a moisturizer–retinol–moisturizer “sandwich” for easing into retinol use; the advice concerns retinol, while the selected retinal product’s own instructions govern its use.
- Use sunscreen in the morning. Avène’s skincare-order Q&A describes a simple cleanse, treatment and moisturizer routine and says sunscreen belongs in a daily routine.
A simple routine can stay simple: cleanse at night, apply one chosen retinal product on its scheduled evenings, then moisturize. In the morning, use moisturizer and SPF 30. You can keep other new actives out of the same first few weeks so you can tell how the retinal step fits your routine.
FAQ
Is Naturium 0.05% automatically gentler than Avène 0.1%?
No. Naturium states 0.05% and Avène states 0.1%, but those percentages describe different formulas. Choose Naturium for the percentage-led cream-serum format; choose Avène if you prefer a traditional cream, and start either gradually.
Can I keep using my regular moisturizer?
Yes. Your current moisturizer can remain the familiar final step on retinal evenings.
Should I apply retinal around my eyes?
Naturium’s directions say to avoid the eye area; Abib names the under-eye area as an appearance target, which describes a cosmetic look rather than an application instruction.
What is the easiest schedule to remember?
Two spaced nights a week is a simple starting rhythm for the first couple of weeks, followed by a gradual increase. Use SPF 30 in the morning and keep your moisturizer in the routine.