These vegetable-based retinol superstars can help achieve a firmer, more youthful complexion

Written by: 100% PURE®
100% Pure Retinol Restorative Neck Cream and 100% Pure Restorative Overnight Balm

If maintaining a safe, healthy skin care regimen is important to you, by now you’ll have learned to read labels of retinol products very closely. Retinol is a preformed source of vitamin A, and is often animal-derived in conventional products. Animal derived retinols are called retinoids – and are something we avoid.

We’ve formulated our new Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm to be a potent retinol product by using vegan retinol and carrot seeds! Carrots and carrot seeds are high in beta carotene, which enhances the effects of vitamin A.

What is Retinol?

Retinol is a preformed Vitamin A found in animal-derived ingredients. Conventional cosmetics usually contain retinol esters called retinyl palmitate and tretinoin. Your body converts these into an active form - retinoic acid - that can then be used by your skin cells. Animal derived retinol and Vitamin A derivatives are called retinoids.

On the other hand, vegans and vegetarians will be looking for synthetic forms of retinol. The addition of carrots and carrot seeds, which are high in beta carotene, can help to enhance the effects of vitamin A – which is why we add both to our retinol products.

queen annes lace

Most retinoic acid is derived from the enzymes in milk or egg, and are generally perceived to be more potent for treating skin care issues. Instead we choose to use naturally occurring vitamin A enhancers like carrot seed, and opt for synthetic forms of vegan retinol.

We also use avocado and sunflower oils, which contain their own enzymes to help make the products more absorbable by the skin. Those same enzymes help to enhance the effects of vitamin A in our plant-based retinol balm.

Vitamin A and retinol are closely related, but depending on how you apply or ingest, they can show a multitude of beneficial functions. While many choose to supplement vitamin A into their diet with dairy, meat, fish, fish oil or vitamins, there are also many wonderful vegetarian sources.

Dark green leafy vegetables and yellow or orange fruits and vegetables are the best sources of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene converts to vitamin A inside the body, and is extremely beneficial for healthy mucus membranes and our immune system, which is super helpful in the fight against colds and viruses. And as most of you know, beta-carotene is a must for maintaining healthy vision and eye health.

Hand Swatches

Beta-carotene is not only a carotenoid, but an antioxidant too! It helps to neutralize free radicals within our body and will do the same for our largest organ: our skin. Free radicals are byproducts of chemical substances and pollution that can wreak havoc on our cells, which in turn affect our internal and external health. Free radicals have been thoroughly linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, lowered immunity and heightened signs of aging. In short: supplementing beta-carotene into your diet can show loads of both long and short term internal health benefits.

When applied topically, retinol has tons of impressive anti-aging benefits to improve skin’s texture and tone. If used early, it helps to increase skin’s elasticity, increase cell turnover, and enhance collagen production. This encourages skin’s foundation of suppleness so as we age, we’ve already worked to develop a defense against fine lines and wrinkles, making it harder for them to form. For mature skin, retinol can help increase collagen and stimulate skin cell renewal to slough dead skin layers that often lead to fine lines and dry skin. With repeated use, it can also diminish age or sun spots.

100% PURE Multi-Vitamin Antioxidants Ultra Riche PM Treatment

As with any great and powerful beauty accessory, there are some important do’s and dont’s that come with the territory. Both retinoids and carotenoids degrade in sunlight, so our biggest reminder is to only apply retinol products at night. Hence our bedtime friendly products-- our Retinol Restorative Neck Cream, Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Ultra Riche PM Treatment cream and new Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm all stipulate that they should be used in the evening.

100% PURE Restorative Overnight Balm

The Nighttime Multi-Tasker

Not only will the retinoids work their most potent magic while you sleep, but they’ll also be at their safest. When exposed to sunlight retinol will break down, resulting in increased sensitivity and vulnerability in skin due to a weakening of the skin’s top-most layer. This degradation from sun can have mild to extreme adverse reactions, ranging from mild skin irritation to lesions and increased risk of melanoma. Even certain types of artificial light emit small amounts of UV rays and can increase the potential for adverse reactions, so if using retinol at night you should avoid direct exposure to fluorescent or halogen light sources. No matter what light source you’re around, just remember the cardinal rule: retinol works right at night!

Next Day Regimen

Your next-day skincare routine after using retinol is just as important-- and it’s something you should already be doing! First, a best practice is to cleanse or rinse in the a.m. to ensure you have no leftover retinol that will degrade when you step into the light. Then, to really help any leftover retinoids or carotenoids be properly swept away, apply a sunscreen to any areas where retinol was applied the night before. Applying sunscreen is a daily must for proper skin care, but is especially helpful to fortify skin after a retinol treatment.Try our lightweight Tomato Lycopene SPF 20 Moisturizer, layered under a foundation with SPF.

If you’re looking to supplement retinol into your skin care routine, we have something for all areas for concern. As with any retinol product, it’s important to stick with regular application for 10-12 weeks to see the effects-- some may see results after only a few weeks.

100% PURE Multi-Vitamins + Antioxidants Potent PM Serum

Our beloved Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Ultra Riche PM Treatment is the best retinol cream because it isn’t solely a retinol product. It’s also packed with nutrients and vitamins, including the retinol-rich vitamin A. This ultra decadent, super luxurious cream is to be used at night, given the potency of vitamins A and C. Avocado, Sea Buckthorn and other deliciously rich oils will have you waking to supple, velvet-kissed skin come morning. Our Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Ultra Riche PM Treatment cream is wonderful for all skin types, especially those wishing to increase elasticity, suppleness, and decrease fine lines.

100% PURE Retinol Restorative Neck Cream

Our Retinol Restorative Neck Cream is the unsung hero of our retinol lineup, as it works hard through the night to enliven a spot oft forgotten during most skin care regimens. The neck, like the eye area, is made up of some of the most delicate skin on our body, which means it’s especially prone to signs of aging from sun damage, wrinkling and environmental exposure. With a healthy dose applied to fingertips then gently massaged into the neck and decollete before bedtime, our overnight neck cream will help to reduce telltale signs of aging in one of the most delicate and visible areas of the skin.

100% PURE Retinol PM Eye Cream

Our 100% PURE Retinol Family

Our most recent additions to the 100% PURE retinol arsenal are the Retinol Restorative Overnight Balm, Retinol PM Eye Cream, and Multi-Vitamins + Antioxidants Potent PM Serum. Luxurious avocado and shea butters nourish skin while you sleep, while soft scents of jasmine lull you into the realms of dreamland.

In our Overnight Balm, sunflower and olive oils moisturize skin so you’ll wake up to softer, more supple skin. Vitamin A helps to enhance firmness while diminishing the appearance of fine lines. It might just be our most luxurious, vegetarian balm yet, and was carefully formulated to restore skin’s radiance and elasticity. We’ve formulated our new retinol balm to be nourishing, potent for anti-aging, and a proponent for radiance and elasticity in your skin care regimen… all while being vegetarian!

Both our Retinol PM Eye Cream and our Multi-Vitamin Serum are major players in our retinol regimen. Using an eye cream made with retinol (plus plant stem cells and peptides) is the quickest way to make significant improvement in the eye area for lessening of crepey skin, wrinkles, and fine lines. Born into the already impressive Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants PM family, our Multi-Vitamin Serum has already garnered a superstar status among customers and converts. Nightly use of this serum has been shown to lighten dark spots, enhance skin’s glow, and improve skin texture.

Using these vegan and vegetarian sources of retinol is a smart (and effective) way to promote softer, more youthful skin. And while retinol is a product that must be used properly and with the recommended precautions, we believe that the benefits far outweigh the care and rules required to use it.

We carefully hand-select products based on strict purity standards, and only recommend products we feel meet this criteria. 100% PURE™ may earn a small commission for products purchased through affiliate links.

The information in this article is for educational use, and not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should not be used as such.

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