10 Best Retinol Alternatives for Sensitive Skin, Reviewed

Retinol may be the gold standard of anti-aging skincare, but my ultra-sensitive, breakout-prone skin sadly never got the memo. After dealing with acne throughout my 20s and going through a couple of harsh rounds of Accutane, even seemingly gentle formulas left me red, flaky, and irritated. Still, I wanted the smoother texture, brighter tone, and fine-line-fighting benefits the ingredient is known for—which sent me on a mission to consult the top dermatologists for the best retinol alternatives money could buy (and, more importantly, ones that wouldn’t make my skin freak out).

And I’m far from alone. For all of retinol’s well-earned praise, the powerhouse ingredient can be notoriously difficult to tolerate, especially for those with sensitive or reactive skin like mine. Its popularity isn’t without good reason, though. As we age, some of the “main visible changes” include shifts in pigmentation—think dark spots—and loss of collagen, which can lead to wrinkles and loss of firmness, explains board-certified dermatologist Angelo Landriscina, MD.