What is Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated)?

A 0.1% retinaldehyde night cream from the Avène brand, designed to help with the look of fine lines, wrinkles and rough texture.

Is Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated) worth it?

Yes. All 13 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated)'s Guru Score?

Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated) holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 13 expert reviewers we have collected.

Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated)

Q: Who is Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated) best for?

Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated) is generally suited to mature skin.

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"For those looking for drugstore or retinol options, I really like Avene's retinaldehyde, which is very potent but very gentle for sensitive skin."

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"If you're looking for something more pricey that's splurge worthy, the Avène retinal line contains ceramides in a balm like moisturizer, great if you have sensitive skin struggling with fine lines or wrinkles. That one is really worth checking out."

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"For those looking for drugstore or retinol options, I really like Avene's retinaldehyde, which is very potent but very gentle for sensitive skin."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

722k subs

✓Yay

"If you're already doing a retinol and tolerating it well, consider a retinaldehyde. Some great picks I'd consider would be Avène's RetrinAL. They make a nice [...] retinol for the face."

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"If you're already doing a retinol and tolerating it well, consider a retinaldehyde. Some great picks I'd consider would be Avène's RetrinAL. They make a nice [...] retinol for the face."

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"May love moonlight or avent retronol products are great. Those are gentle [retinaldehydes]"

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"Aven has really impressed me. Avène is reliable in the sensitive skincare world. If you want something a little stronger, I'd consider their retinol there, Avène RetrinAL, which has been great. Retinaldehyde is one conversion step away from retinoic acid, and that beats retinol, which needs two conversion steps. So you don't need the strongest retinoid. Don't go crazy trying to find the strongest and push your skin, because we don't want to irritate your skin."

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"Specifically, I've been using their 0.1% Intensive Cream. So nice and very gentle. Retinaldehyde can be quite difficult to formulate because it's quite unstable, and so we didn't see it as much as retinol, but it is more potent, theoretically, than retinol, because retinol has to be converted into retinaldehyde before becoming active. Retinaldehyde is just one conversion step away from retinoic acid being active and going into the cell."

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"This one has surprised me quite a bit. Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream is a very nice product, and I've been using it quite a bit recently. I always thought Avène was just a nice sensitive skin care brand, [...] but they've also come out with a gentle retinaldehyde compound, which is what RetrinAL is. This is really great for anti-aging. It has a thermal spring water to help soothe and not irritate the skin barrier too much while you start off on it."

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"There's one that I've been using very recently, the Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream (reformulated). It's a retinaldehyde cream that works very well, and it's very gentle. I've been really happy with that one. So consider that for your neck as well, to increase collagen production."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"I honestly don't find it irritating at all. [...] The facial product [...] is a little thinner than the eye cream, so it's more likely to run into your eye, [...] which you obviously don't want. [...] I suggest avoiding getting it within a millimeter of the lash line to reduce the chance it gets in your eye. That goes for any product you put around your eye. Sure, you can, but just be aware it can be super irritating there."

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"It can improve collagen production and [...] the overall appearance of rough texture that occurs with age, and it's typically very well tolerated. RetrinAL is a really, really good formula. It's very moisturizing, which offers an almost immediate wrinkle-smoothing effect, but with consistent use you can start to notice improvement in the visible signs of skin aging. I think Dermstore is offering the best deal on it right now, with 20% off."

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"Many retinoids are formulated in a very moisturizing base. The one I frequently recommend is the Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream. I've been recommending that for years because Avène puts a lot of R&D into their formulations. They're a pretty big company and they have a good track record of retinoid formulation, so I do recommend them. That particular product I find to be pretty moisturizing in and of itself. Not only is it an effective formulation, but it's in a very moisturizing base."

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"Avène is a reputable company with a large R&D, so I have a lot of faith in the formulation itself. I've used it myself. Here's what I can tell you about the formulation. It's very moisturizing. It is less likely than a prescription topical vitamin A, like tretinoin, for example, to irritate your skin. It works more slowly, but over time, it can definitely help to firm the skin, reduce wrinkles, and improve the visible signs of skin aging."

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"When it comes to retinaldehyde, I am a huge fan of Avène RetrinAL. I've used that, it's a very good product. It is on the pricier side, but that company did put a lot of good R&D into that formulation, so I feel confident in that product."

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"In contrast to prescription tretinoin, which can be pretty irritating, RetrinAL is often easier to tolerate. Avène is a very good company, they have a lot of R&D behind their products, and this is one I've personally used and strongly recommend, it's made an appearance in a lot of my videos. It is on the pricier side, so take advantage of the sale."

208SkinDoc

2.10M subs

✓Yay

"The retinoid I recommend for nighttime use is the Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream. It contains retinaldehyde, which is a gentle form of retinol that's less likely to cause irritation than most prescription retinols. This is the one product that's going to give you the most dramatic long term improvement in your skin. The Avène retinol is gentle enough for sensitive skin, but still very effective."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

151k subs

✓Yay

"Their Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream is clinically shown to reduce fine lines, improve texture, and enhance radiance in as little as 4 weeks. So if it's Black Friday and you pick it up just now, you're going to have that glowing skin by Christmas. The retinol is also encapsulated, so you get a gradual release to minimize irritation. It's really ideal for anyone who has mature or menopausal skin and is looking for some of that reversal of aging signs."

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"Retinol is clinically shown to reduce fine lines, improve skin texture, and enhance radiance in as little as four weeks. This one is encapsulated for gradual release to minimize irritation, so it's ideal for mature or menopausal skin. It comes in several different strengths, so you can start with the lower one. Start with about three nights a week. If you're not irritated, go up to five nights a week, and then you're using it every single night."

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"It will still boost collagen production while reducing signs of sun damage. It's less irritating than the prescription retinoids, making it a really good option for sensitive skin. The active ingredients are the retinaldehyde and tocopheryl, which is a vitamin E derivative. It's an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage. It also contains a little bit of hyaluronic acid to help with that dryness."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"The one I have is the 0.1% version, which is what I'm talking about today. This one has 0.1% retinal, and it also contains vitamin E, as well as their highly regarded thermal spring water for soothing your skin. They've got it in a mist as well. [...] I'm curious if a lot of you have tried their spring water. Apparently they have a thermal bath that people can go to and soothe their skin if they have eczema and things like that, which is kind of interesting. I want to check that out sometime."

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"This one has 0.1% retinal, and it also contains vitamin E, as well as their highly regarded thermal spring water for soothing your skin. They've got the spring water in a mist as well. I'm curious if a lot of you guys have tried their spring water. Apparently they have a thermal bath where people can go and soothe their skin if they have eczema and things like that, so it's kind of interesting. I want to check that out sometime in my life."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"This is $73, which is pretty expensive. On the plus side, it's NAIF safe, with no DH alcohol, no fragrance, and no essential oils, and that's good for skin of color. In terms of ingredients, it's literally water as the first ingredient, then emulsion. There are no other actives in it besides the 0.1% retinal plus peptide, so it's a very simple formula. I do like the formula, it's just very expensive for what it is."

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"Another product I like is RetrinAL 0.1% from Aen. It's $79, so it is expensive. It is fragrance free and it's an airless pump, but it's probably one of the best retinals, retinoids, on the market at the moment."

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Beyond50Skin

32k subs

✓Yay

"I've been able to tolerate the 0.1% Avène RetrinAL Intensive Cream very easily. It's my favorite retinal formula, and it still remains the best because it doesn't have that yellow cast that most retinal formulas have at the higher percentages."

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Yay

"I have a lot of experience with this product in particular and it's really effective. I was using this on my neck a little while ago and it worked really well. Yes, this could [...] still cause some dryness and irritation, but I really do like the formulation. It's really moisturizing as well, and I didn't see any irritation or dryness. I actually found that it was quite gentle on my combination skin. So if you like Avène, I would say go with this brand."

Gothamista

683k subs

✓Yay

"Aen is the retinol OG. They had the patent on it for a very long time, and their retinol moisturizer formulas have only just improved. The 0.05% is newer, but they also have the 0.1% as well. These are very lightweight and super fast absorbing. They're moisturizing, but they actually leave a dry touch finish. It's a far simpler formula. It's got niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, but it is effective. It works. In fact, the 0.1% just feels stronger than the others."

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The Budget Dermatologist

724k subs

✓Yay

"My skin has more bounce and glow because it does a good job repairing my skin texture. Then, with consistent use, you're going to start to notice a softening of your fine lines and wrinkles. So let's dive into what actually makes this a Holy Grail. There is nothing else compared to this that has given my skin more results or more bang for my buck. I have a must-have list for retinoid products that I check before I would consider something a Holy Grail, and this checks every single box."

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"For an anti-aging gift set, my number one pick is this one from Aesop, the Skin Barrier Loving Pro-Aging Routine. The kit comes with two full-size must-haves. The whole value is $107, but bundled together it's $85. It comes with Aesop RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream, which is my number one anti-aging product for fine lines and wrinkles."

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"My all-time favorite nighttime anti-aging treatment, of any brand, is the Avène RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream."

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"Even though I have sensitive skin I still use the 0.1 intensive and tolerate it very well. It is a very moisturizing product. It delivers the retinol medication to your skin and then it creates this nice hydration barrier over it so you're preventing water loss from the skin that occurs with retinoid use, so this prevents your skin from drying out. [...] These two products together are in my own personal routine."

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"I use this on my face, but if you are using it for a localized area like a stretch mark, this is reasonable to use on the body as well. [...] This product also comes in two lower strength versions, the 0.05 cream and the day cream. I like this choice because of the formulation—it is thicker in texture and almost feels similar to a balm, so this is the perfect consistency to use when massaging it into the stretch mark."

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"This is expensive but it is on major sale right now. [...] It works—I have used this for several years and it works. You will notice improved radiance of the skin after one single use of this product, and that radiance will really continue to improve as you continue to use it two, three, four times and beyond. What you will see with consistent use beyond that is improvement in skin texture—you will have much more smooth skin—and then a decreasing of those fine lines and wrinkles."

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"This is really aimed at anti-aging and it has a retinoid in it as their hero ingredient. The type of retinoid that is in it is retinaldehyde. [...] I think of retinaldehyde as like your strongest over-the-counter form, it's the closest thing to prescription strength. It comes in a 0.05 and this one which is 0.1, the intensive form."

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"The Retronal 0.1 intensive cream is the strongest option and it is what I use even though I have sensitive skin. These are pricey but they are absolutely worth the spend in my opinion because a retinoid is the most important anti-aging ingredient of all the ingredients, so your entire anti-aging skincare routine should be built around this star product."

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"Aven is really my tried and true holy grail because it is strong and I have really worked up to that and it is the closest thing to prescription strength. So I use the 0.1 intensive, but it also comes in a 0.05 mid-strength version or a day cream which is the lower strength version."

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"The Avène Retinol 0.1 Intensive is my absolute number one must-have product from this whole brand. This is my absolute favorite and I put this product in so many anti-aging routines that I build for people. It [...] has retinaldehyde as the type of retinoid in it, so it is the closest thing to prescription strength that you can get over the counter and it does not irritate your skin as much as prescriptions can. This is a game changer for fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and texture."

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"I choose the Avène Retro Now line because it has retinaldehyde as the active form of retinoid and this is one of the reasons it's worth spending more for because it's the closest thing to a prescription strength product and it has far less irritation and side effects compared to prescription versions. [...] I have chosen this one for three reasons: number one it has retinaldehyde, number two it is extremely hydrating and it has a very luxurious texture."

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"This is my holy grail of all holy grails. [...] I have been talking about this product for three years now and it's one that you use and can get results instantly in terms of texture and radiance improvement, and over time it does a great job of softening fine lines on the face and plumping them up. It's just incredible. [...] This was my 2022 product of the year."

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"It's by Avène and it's the 0.1 intensive. This is where the majority of my skincare routine budget goes to this product. Avène is a French skincare brand that is found at the drugstore and this brand is always making their products with the highest quality ingredients with very simple formulations. Avène also uses sterile packaging on many of their products so that can really help avoid using those irritating preservatives that you can find in so many other skincare products."

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"This has an incredible formulation, it's very simple and effective. I have used this one for years and I recommend it all the time on my channel. It is ideal for sensitive skin. It comes in this [...] 0.1 strength and has two lower strength options if you are a beginner retinoid user or just have exceptionally sensitive skin. It comes in this cream formulation which I sometimes use alone without a moisturizer on top just depending on how my skin feels."

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"Retinaldehyde is the closest thing to prescription strength that you can get over the counter. [...] Retinaldehyde only has to undergo one single conversion to get to retinoic acid, whereas the other retinol products have to undergo two conversions. [...] So I like to think of retinaldehyde as a stronger version of retinol. I am recommending the Retronal line of anti-aging creams."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.73M subs

✓Yay

"For retinaldehydes, which are a step before retinoic acid, Avène is a great one. They have their retinol 0.1 at 74 dollars. It is a 0.1 percent retinol cream, yellow tinted, and it also has their thermal spring water, which is supposedly helpful for any sort of redness that you may or may not have."

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"Avène has a bunch of retinols, and their RetrinAL 0.1% Intensive Cream is a good one if you're a beginner and want to try something. You guys can try this one. If you're very sensitive, buffer it with the moisturizer first, and just be careful where you use it. I cannot use any retinol around my mouth area because I will shed like a snake."

HotandFlashy

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"This is the retinoid that I use on my neck. Unfortunately, I'm unable to use my prescription retinoid on my neck. This is retinaldehyde it's so much better than using retinol because retinol is two steps removed from your skin being able to use it. So, your skin only has to do one conversion with this, so it's much more likely that you'll be getting more retinoid to your skin cells that need it and can use it by using this than by using a standard over-the-counter retinol."

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"The drugstore retinaldehyde that I love and recommend—although I hate to recommend it in a drugstore video because while it is a brand you can get at the drugstore, [...] the price point is a little out of the drugstore range. I think it retails for about seventy dollars."