Why Retinyl Propionate Might Actually Be Better Than Retinol

The role of retinyl propionate in skincare is to mimic all retinol benefits without the adverse side effects such as irritation and dryness.

The main difference between the two is that retinyl propionate has to pass through more conversion steps to get into the active form of vitamin A compared to retinol, which makes it work more gently while still keeping all the benefits.

Moreover, retinyl propionate has a molecule weight small enough to reach its site of action but large enough to minimize chances of irritation. Hence, retinyl propionate is a great retinol alternative.