Your first retinal for a moisturizer-based routine
- Pick Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05% if you want a clearly stated retinal percentage in a cream-serum format.
- Pick Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Multi-Corrective Cream if you prefer a traditional, lightweight cream with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
- Pick Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème if retinal and peptides together, plus named forehead, smile-line, under-eye and neck appearance areas, matter most.
- Start one product gradually in the evening, keep your moisturizer, and wear broad-spectrum sunscreen each morning.
If you are 45 and have only used cleanser and moisturizer, I would make Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05% the clearest concentration-led first pick. Avène RetrinAL is a stronger fit for someone who prefers a cream texture, while Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème stands out for its multi-ingredient formula and the areas Abib says it targets.
Retinal, also called retinaldehyde, is a vitamin A retinoid. In an interview-based explainer, Today’s dermatologists discuss retinal and retinol as related ingredients with different conversion steps in the skin; one dermatologist describes retinal as more potent, while another advises people new to retinol to begin with a gentler variation.
Compare the three options by label and format
| Option | What the maker identifies | Best fit for this reader |
|---|---|---|
| Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05% | Cream-serum; the product name states 0.05% retinaldehyde. | A beginner who values a disclosed retinal percentage and a serum-like application format. |
| Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Multi-Corrective Cream | Lightweight cream with 0.1% retinaldehyde, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. | Someone who prefers a traditional cream and wants those additional ingredients in the same product. |
| Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème | Booster crème with PDRN, Volufiline, retinal and peptides; named cosmetic appearance areas include forehead lines, smile lines, under-eye areas and neck wrinkles. | Someone who values that ingredient combination and the product’s stated multi-area focus. |
Ppm means parts per million. Abib’s 15,000 ppm PDRN and 10,000 ppm Volufiline describe those ingredients; Naturium’s 0.05% and Avène’s 0.1% figures describe retinaldehyde. Because the numbers refer to different ingredients, compare them as separate formula details.
The American Academy of Dermatology notes that over-the-counter retinol products have no standard requirement to disclose retinol percentage; Naturium and Avène both state their retinaldehyde percentages. A 2018 randomized, double-blind study evaluated 0.05% and 0.1% retinaldehyde creams for photoaged skin over three months. The researchers assessed texture, hydration, water loss, skin brightness, melanin index and crow’s-feet appearance, while patients and dermatologists rated overall improvement on a five-point scale.
Naturium labels its product a cream-serum, while Avène calls its product a lightweight cream; compare those textures alongside each maker’s stated directions.
1. Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%: the concentration-led pick
Naturium is the most straightforward pick if you want a clearly named percentage and a cream-serum format. The maker calls it Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%, and its product page lists retinal in the ingredient list. That gives a first-time shopper a specific concentration to compare with Avène’s 0.1% cream, while leaving room to judge texture and directions separately.
Naturium’s online ingredient list includes glycerin, propanediol, triheptanoin, apricot kernel oil polyglyceryl-6 esters and retinal. The maker says online ingredient lists may vary slightly from packaging and distributor listings as formulas and US/EU regulations change. If ingredients guide your choice, compare the package list with the ingredients you already use or prefer.
The Naturium product directions say to shake well, apply an even layer to the face, neck and chest, and avoid the eye area. They advise following with moisturizer, wearing sunscreen during the day and patch testing before use. Follow the package directions when they differ from a general routine.
Cleanse, let the skin dry, apply the retinal product, then use moisturizer.
2. Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Multi-Corrective Cream: the cream-format pick
Avène suits a reader who wants a traditional cream and a higher disclosed retinaldehyde concentration than the Naturium product. The current Avène product page identifies RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Multi-Corrective Cream as a lightweight cream with 0.1% retinaldehyde. Avène lists the cream in a 1.0-fluid-ounce size for $68 on its US product page.
Avène’s formula also includes hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. The maker describes hyaluronic acid as moisturizing and visibly smoothing and plumping skin, and niacinamide as visibly reducing the appearance of fine lines while improving skin barrier function. These extra ingredients may appeal if you want a retinal cream that also brings moisturizing and skin-care ingredients into the same step.
The maker directs users to apply the cream to the face, neck and décolleté in the evening. The page reports an updated formula and packaging, so use the current product name when shopping. Avène’s label calls its retinaldehyde 0.1% and makes a comparison with retinol; that comparison is the maker’s wording, while the concentration is the more useful item for a shopper comparing these three labels.
Avène also lists the formula as fragrance-free, soap-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, alcohol-free, silicone-free, silica-free, aluminum-free, soy-free, wheat-free, dairy-free and talc-free. These details give shoppers who avoid specific ingredients a fuller basis for comparing the cream’s label.
Choose Avène when cream texture is your priority and the named ingredients appeal to you. Choose Avène if you want a lightweight cream with retinaldehyde, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide in your evening step.
3. Abib PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème: the combination-and-area pick
Choose Abib’s PDRN Volume fill-it Booster crème if you want retinal and peptides alongside PDRN (15,000 ppm) and Volufiline (10,000 ppm).
Abib describes PDRN and Volufiline as helping visibly plump hollow areas and improve the look of skin elasticity. It identifies PDRN as salmon DNA, a useful source detail for shoppers comparing ingredient preferences.
Abib says the crème targets the appearance of forehead lines, smile lines, under-eye areas and neck wrinkles. Abib also says the formula is intended to soften the look of both fine and deep lines.
Choose Abib when retinal-plus-peptides and those maker-stated appearance areas are the features you value most. It is not the choice to make solely because of an assumed beginner strength; select it for the formula combination and target areas Abib identifies. Use it according to its package directions, especially around the eye area, and introduce it as your only new active at first.
Add one product to your current routine
Keep the cleanser and moisturizer you already use. Add one retinal product at a time and follow its label’s application directions.
- Evening one: Cleanse and pat your skin dry. Apply the selected product only as its label directs, then finish with your usual moisturizer.
- First applications: Follow the amount and frequency stated on that product’s label. Do not add another new active at the same time, so you can tell which product is part of the routine.
- Product areas: Naturium specifies the face, neck and chest; Avène specifies the face, neck and décolleté.
- The next morning: Use broad-spectrum sunscreen. The FDA explains that a broad-spectrum label covers both UVA and UVB rays, while SPF primarily indicates protection against UVB. The FDA recommends regular use of broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher and reapplication at least every two hours outdoors, more often after swimming or sweating.
The FDA says to apply sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure. It recommends broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher even on cloudy days. For swimming or sweating, a 40- or 80-minute water-resistance label indicates how long the product is expected to maintain its labeled SPF; reapply as directed. The FDA also advises limiting time in the sun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and covering exposed skin with clothing, sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat.
FAQ
Should I use retinal every night from the start?
No. Follow the frequency stated on your product’s label; Avène’s directions specify evening application.
Can I apply these products directly under my eyes?
Follow each product’s own directions. Naturium specifically says to avoid the eye area; Abib names the under-eye area among its cosmetic appearance targets, so use Abib only as its package directs around the eyes.
Can I use a topical retinoid during pregnancy?
No. The American Academy of Dermatology advises avoiding retinoids during pregnancy and lists over-the-counter skin care containing retinol among ingredients to avoid. The AAD advises people who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant to tell their obstetrician and dermatologist about all medications and prescription skin care they use.
Does 0.1% mean twice the results of 0.05%?
No. The 0.1% label is twice 0.05% as a retinaldehyde concentration; a percentage describes ingredient concentration, while visible improvement is a separate result.