Retinoid
Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%
Adapalene 0.1%, the only retinoid sold without a prescription in the US, in a fragrance-free gel. The AAD strongly recommends topical retinoids for acne, and a 2025 randomized trial found adapalene 0.1% improved wrinkles and pigmentation over 6 months.
Worth knowing
- Approved for acne. Using it for ageing skin is off-label and rests on one 6-month trial of 58 women.
- In that trial 64% of the adapalene group had stinging and 25% had dry skin at first, and most of it was gone by 2 months. A moisturiser helps.
- The label says to limit sun exposure and use sunscreen, and to ask a doctor first if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.
Ingredients
Adapalene 0.1% (active), Carbomer 940, Edetate Disodium, Methylparaben, Poloxamer 182, Propylene Glycol, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide.
Not for use in pregnancy. The NHS says topical retinoids aren't suitable during pregnancy, and the US label says to ask a doctor if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.
What we ruled out
Retinol, retinaldehyde, and retinyl palmitate creams sold as anti-ageing. These are cosmetics, which need no efficacy trials, and a 2022 review found a lack of well-designed trials supporting the retinoids used in them. Adapalene and tretinoin have the evidence.
Collagen creams. Collagen is a large protein that can't be absorbed through the skin. Molecules over about 500 daltons don't pass the skin's outer layer, and collagen is far larger.
Niacinamide serums. 5% niacinamide improved fine lines, spots, and sallowness against a plain moisturiser in a 12-week split-face trial of 50 women, and a 2021 review found similar small trials. The evidence is thinner than for a retinoid, so it isn't part of the minimal routine.
Vitamin C serums. Vitamin C is unstable in a bottle and hard to deliver into the skin at a useful dose.
Also good
Prescription tretinoin. Tretinoin improved wrinkles and pigment in all 7 randomized trials in a 2022 systematic review. It needs a prescription.
Azelaic acid 15 to 20%. Matched topical retinoids for acne and hydroquinone for melasma in trials, with mild irritation, and the AAD conditionally recommends it for acne. An option if a retinoid irritates you. These strengths are prescription medicines; cosmetic 10% products weren't checked.
Sources
- Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 90(5):1006.e1-e30 (2024)
- Topical tretinoin for treating photoaging: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials, International Journal of Women's Dermatology 8(1):e003 (2022)
- Topical retinoid acne treatment approved for OTC use, US Food and Drug Administration (2016)
- Effectiveness and tolerability of adapalene cream 0.1% in the treatment of female skin ageing: a randomised controlled trial, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology 91(5):571-576 (2025)
- Use of retinoids in topical antiaging treatments: a focused review of clinical evidence, Advances in Therapy 39(12):5351-5375 (2022)
- Mayo Clinic Q&A: Does collagen really help fight wrinkles and aging?, Mayo Clinic News Network
- The 500 Dalton rule for the skin penetration of chemical compounds and drugs, Experimental Dermatology 9(3):165-169 (2000)
- A comprehensive review of azelaic acid pharmacological properties, clinical applications, and innovative topical formulations, Pharmaceuticals 18(9):1273 (2025)
- Topical niacinamide reduces yellowing, wrinkling, red blotchiness, and hyperpigmented spots in aging facial skin, International Journal of Cosmetic Science 26(5):231-238 (2004)
- Mechanistic basis and clinical evidence for the applications of nicotinamide (niacinamide) to control skin aging and pigmentation, Antioxidants 10(8):1315 (2021)
- Vitamin C in dermatology, Indian Dermatology Online Journal 4(2):143-146 (2013)