I have a confession to make… I don’t use retinol. Cue the gasps and ‘quelle horreur’s, right? Trust me, as a beauty journalist I get a lot of stick for this amongst my peers for this, but I stand by position. You see, my skin is temperamental at the best of times and downright angry at the worst. It’s oily, congested and spot-prone, making it an ideal subject for retinol. But my skin is also very reactive and sensitive, meaning even just one wrong application will inevitably leave my skin upset for weeks. So, for the most part, I’ve steered clear of retinol and have been happy enough to do so.
Having said that, there has always been the prospect of what my skin could be should I ever stumble across the perfect formula, niggling away in the back of my mind. Because I can’t deny science: retinol is without a doubt the most effective (and proven) ingredient in skincare, and a part of me always wanted a piece of the pie.
Until recently, finding a retinol suited to me wasn’t worth the months of tragically upset skin that I would no doubt have to endure. Sure, every now and again I’d try a new retinol out of curiosity, but nine times out of ten it would result in irritation or breakouts and I’d toss it to the side and go back to my ignorant, retinol-less bubble. But then, a few weeks ago, I had a top-secret launch drop on my metaphorical desk, and I just knew I had to give it a go.
Said secret packaging contained Glossier’s new Universal Pro-Retinol. While I have had a tumultuous relationship with Glossier skincare in the past (I love 95% of the line-up, but had shocking experiences with some others), something about Universal Pro-Retinol called out to me.
First of all, I knew it would be relatively gentle (that is Glossier’s thing after all). Secondly, and most importantly, it promised to take all of the fuss out of retinol application. Instead of creating a serum designed to be used on its own and layered up with other products, Glossier identified the potential issues of mixing other actives with retinol. As a result, they took all of the confusion out of the application and created one, easy-to-use retinol-infused moisturiser that requires no other products. A ‘slap it on and hit the hay’ sorta retinol.
And that is something I can get on board with. So, I tried it. On first pump, I thought the cream would be too rich for my oily skin, but I was determined to give it a go. On first application, my skin didn’t flare up or even redden like it does with most other retinols. And so I tried it again the next night and the next, and the next. I’m now three weeks in, and I’m shook.
Not only does my skin look plumper, hydrated and generally more radiant, it’s also smoother, less congested, and generally clearer. Containing an innovative blend of retinol and sunflower seed fatty acids, Universal Pro-Retinol delivers the line-reducing, pore-refining, tone-correcting and blemish-reducing properties of retinol, without any of the usual upset. And at the same time, it seems to deliver just the right amount of moisture through glycerin and Mondo grass root extract to keep skin happy and healthy.
Is this a seriously high-octane suited for seasoned retinol users? Probably not. Do I think that Universal Pro-Retinol is the perfect entry-level retinol for those who, like me, have struggled with the ingredient in the past? Absolutely. In fact, this has been the only eveing skincare product I’ve been using for the past three weeks, and I don’t intend to change that until the bottle runs out.
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