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Retinol and isopropyl alcohol

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Retinol and isopropyl alcohol: keep them apart

Keep them apart

Use them on alternate nights because they clash. They strip the skin barrier, causing extra dryness, redness, and irritation when used together. The shopper can switch to a gentler alcohol-free product or increase the time between applications.

Retinol products

Isopropyl alcohol products

Questions and answers

Can you use retinol and isopropyl alcohol together?

No, you should keep retinol and isopropyl alcohol apart in your routine because they may strip your skin barrier and increase irritation. Use them at separate times or days to protect your skin.

Which goes first, retinol or isopropyl alcohol?

Keep retinol and isopropyl alcohol apart in your routine because isopropyl alcohol strips the skin barrier and may increase irritation from retinol.

Are retinol and isopropyl alcohol good for sensitive skin?

Keep retinol and isopropyl alcohol apart because they strip the skin barrier and may increase irritation. Using them together is not recommended for sensitive skin.

Research on retinol and isopropyl alcohol

Behind this pairing advice

Lovi checks every pairing with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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