Vitamin C and pro-retinol
Keep them apart
Use vitamin C in the morning and pro-retinol at night, because combining them causes too much skin irritation. Using both at the same time can cause your skin to become red and irritated, and it stops the products from working well. You can try a gentler strength or space them out by using them at different times of the day.
Retinoids: a journey from the molecular structures and mechanisms of action to clinical uses in dermatology and adverse effectsWhy Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne
Vitamin C products
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Olay
Super Serum
SAR 189.75
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Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte's Magic Cream
SAR 203.95
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RoC
Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream
SAR 165.54
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Paula's Choice
1% Retinol Treatment
SAR 325.00
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Summer Fridays
Jet Lag Mask
SAR 247.03
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Mad Hippie
Vitamin C Serum
SAR 166.32
- Eve Lom Renewal Treatment Oil
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ZO Skin Health
Exfoliating Polish
SAR 328.15
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum
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Eucerin
Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
SAR 90.00
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RoC
Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum
SAR 173.28
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iS Clinical
Cleansing Complex
SAR 241.37
Questions and answers
Can you use vitamin C and pro-retinol together?
Keep vitamin C and pro-retinol apart because using them together increases irritation, and instead alternate them by using vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night.
Which goes first, vitamin C or pro-retinol?
Keep vitamin C and pro-retinol apart by using vitamin C in the morning and pro-retinol at night, because combining them increases irritation and instability. You should also avoid using them in the same routine.
Are vitamin C and pro-retinol good for sensitive skin?
Using vitamin C and pro-retinol together is not recommended because combined use increases irritation and instability. You can use them safely by alternating times, such as vitamin C in the morning and pro-retinol at night. Products like L'Oreal Paris Revitalift contain both ingredients.
Research on vitamin C and pro-retinol
Stability, transdermal penetration, and cutaneous effects of ascorbic acid and its derivatives
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Ascorbic Acid Treatments as Effective and Safe Anti-Aging Therapies for Sensitive Skin
Efficacy of ethyl ascorbyl ether-containing cosmetic cream on blue light-induced skin changes
Moisturizing potentials of ascorbyl palmitate and calcium ascorbate in various topical formulations
Liposomal formulation of a vitamin C derivative: a promising strategy to increase skin permeability
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
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.
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Dr. Sof铆a Perea P茅rez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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