Can you use retinol and vitamin C together?

Should retinol and vitamin C be used at different times of day?

That is the common advice. In the American Academy of Dermatology’s guide to a basic routine, a dermatologist recommends applying vitamin C after washing in the morning, before sunscreen, and a retinoid before bed, 20 to 30 minutes after washing. Another AAD page advises using retinoids only at night, because they increase sensitivity to the sun.

Splitting them also means that if your skin reacts, you can tell which product to pause. Our skincare routine order guide shows where each step goes, and the retinoids and vitamin C pages cover each ingredient in more detail.

Why can retinol and vitamin C irritate skin?

Most of the irritation risk comes from the retinoid. A 2006 review in Clinical Interventions in Aging describes a retinoid reaction of redness, peeling, burning and itching, usually in the first few weeks of use. It is more common with prescription tretinoin and tazarotene than with retinol or retinal, which the review describes as much less irritating.

Vitamin C can irritate too. A 2017 review in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology notes that L-ascorbic acid is unstable, that a pH below 3.5 improves its stability and absorption, and that strengths above 20% add no benefit and may cause irritation.

The AAD notes that retinoid irritation can itself lead to dark marks, and that starting slowly and using moisturiser helps.

Is there evidence for using retinol and vitamin C together?

Some, but it is limited. In a 12-week open-label trial published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology in 2016, 44 women used a 0.5% retinol product with a moisturiser containing 30% of a vitamin C derivative, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. Clinical scores improved against their own starting point, and dryness was the only tolerability measure that rose significantly; it had not persisted by week 12.

Two small double-blind studies, reported in a 2005 paper whose lead author worked at L’Oréal, compared one preparation containing both ingredients with the same base without them, in 8 and 11 volunteers, and reported changes in skin structure. Neither study is large enough to show how common irritation is, so if your skin is sensitive, check with a dermatologist.

Who should be careful with retinol?

The AAD says retinoids should not be used during pregnancy. It also says people with a lot of redness or inflammation should avoid them, and that people with skin allergies or dryness are probably not good candidates.

If any product irritates your skin, the AAD advises stopping it straight away. For persistent irritation or a skin condition, check with a dermatologist or pharmacist.