The Strongest Retinol You Can Buy Over the Counter

Retinol 1% is the strongest retinol you can buy without a prescription. However, there are also other options that aren’t retinol but use other types of retinoids, such as Hydrinity RetaXome Daily Retinal Hydrator. It pairs retinal with a bonded form of retinoic acid, the active ingredient in prescription Retin-A. Among cosmetic retinoids, that makes it the closest thing to prescription tretinoin you can buy off the shelf.

Retinol is sold in strengths from about 0.01% to 1%. Some brands advertise higher numbers for retinol complexes or blends, but pure retinol tops out at 1%. Our guide to retinol percentages has a full strength chart and explains how to move up from low to high.

Percentages only tell you how one retinol compares to another retinol, though. They do not tell you how retinol compares to other retinoids. A lower percentage of a more active retinoid can often do more than 1% retinol.

Your skin cannot use retinol as it is. Enzymes have to convert it into retinoic acid, the form that binds to retinoid receptors and changes how skin cells behave. Each conversion step loses some of the ingredient, so the fewer steps a retinoid needs, the stronger it is.

• Retinyl esters – three conversions away from retinoic acid

• Retinol – two conversions away

• Retinal (retinaldehyde) – one conversion away

• Retinoic acid (tretinoin) – the active form, no conversion needed

This is why prescription tretinoin works at 0.025% while retinol needs far higher concentrations to produce similar changes in skin (3). Retinal sits one step below tretinoin. In a clinical study, retinaldehyde 0.05% and retinoic acid 0.05% both significantly reduced wrinkles and skin roughness after 18 weeks, and retinaldehyde caused less irritation (4).

RetaXome does not contain retinol. Instead, it uses two retinoids that both sit higher on the strength ladder.

• Retinal – This is the main retinoid in the formula. Hydrinity describes it as 10 times more potent than standard retinol, because it needs only one conversion to become retinoic acid.

• Sodium retinoyl hyaluronate – This is the ingredient is essentially retinoic acid bonded to hyaluronic acid. Free retinoic acid requires a prescription, but this bonded form does not. The attached hyaluronic acid helps the ingredient reach the skin with less irritation.

The formula is built around a biomimetic exosome delivery system that encapsulates the retinal and is loaded with Centella asiatica, a plant known for calming skin. The goal is to carry the retinoids deeper into the skin with less surface irritation.

The rest of the ingredient list is there to keep skin comfortable while the retinoids work:

• Ceramides NP, EOP, and AP with cholesterol replace the barrier lipids that retinoids tend to deplete

• Niacinamide calms redness and supports the skin barrier

• Squalane, hyaluronic acid, and polyglutamic acid add moisture 

• Ectoin and bisabolol soothe skin that is adjusting to a retinoid

• Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 support firmness

It is close, but it is not the same thing. Tretinoin is free retinoic acid at a set, labeled percentage, and it has decades of clinical research behind it (5). RetaXome delivers retinoic acid in a bonded form alongside retinal, and it is regulated as a cosmetic, so it has not gone through drug trials.

Thus, RetaXome is a strong choice if you have reached the top of the retinol range and want more, or if you want prescription-style results in a formula that also moisturizes. If acne is your main concern, talk to your dermatologist about trying adapalene 0.1% gel, which is an FDA-approved retinoid sold without a prescription. If you have severe acne or deep wrinkles and your skin tolerates tretinoin, a prescription may still be the better fit. A dermatologist can help you decide.

RetaXome makes the most sense for people who:

• Have used retinol 0.5% or 1% without irritation and want a stronger product

• Tried tretinoin and stopped because of dryness or peeling

• Want a retinoid and a night moisturizer in one step

If you have never used a retinoid, it is better to begin with a low strength retinol and work up. Sensitive skin types should also be careful, even with the soothing ingredients in this formula. The right retinoid strength depends on your Baumann Skin Type. You can find yours with the skin type quiz.

Strong retinoids work best when you build up slowly.

1. Apply at night to clean, dry skin. Retinoids break down in sunlight.

2. Use a pea-sized amount for the whole face.

3. Start 2 or 3 nights a week. Add a night every week or two as your skin allows, until you reach nightly use.

4. Skip other retinoids, exfoliating acids, and benzoyl peroxide on the same nights until your skin has adjusted.

5. Wear SPF 30 or higher every morning.

Some flaking, tightness, or redness in the first few weeks is normal. If your skin stings or peels heavily, cut back to fewer nights. Do not use any retinoid if you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding.

The strongest retinol you can buy is 1%, but there are other forms of retinoids that can offer strength without a prescription. Hydrinity RetaXome Daily Retinal Hydrator combines retinal with a bonded form of retinoic acid, which puts it closer to prescription strength than any retinol. 

Before you start a new retinoid or other anti-aging regimen, it’s important to know your skin type. Don’t know yours yet? Take the quiz below to find out!

1. Baumann L. Antiaging Ingredients in Ch. 37 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
2. Baumann, L. Ch. Cosmeceuticals and cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)
3. Kang S, Duell EA, Fisher GJ, et al. Application of retinol to human skin in vivo induces epidermal hyperplasia and cellular retinoid binding proteins characteristic of retinoic acid but without measurable retinoic acid levels or irritation. J Invest Dermatol. 1995;105(4):549-556.
4. Creidi P, Vienne MP, Ochonisky S, et al. Profilometric evaluation of photodamage after topical retinaldehyde and retinoic acid treatment. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998;39(6):960-965.
5. Kligman AM, Grove GL, Hirose R, Leyden JJ. Topical tretinoin for photoaged skin. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1986;15(4 Pt 2):836-859.