You should know
What it is
Benefits
Concerns
Explained
Retinyl palmitate is a form of retinoid. Retinoids are the superstar class of anti-aging ingredients that include tretinoin and retinol.
This particular ingredient has had a bumpy year with its rise and fall in popularity.
First, Retinyl palmitate is created from palmitic acid and retinol. It is a retinol ester and considered one of the weaker forms of retinoid.
This is because all retinoids have to be converted to Tretinoin, AKA retinoic acid. Retinyl Palmitate is pretty far down the line and has to go through multiple conversions before its effects are seen.
Due to this long and ineffective conversion line, the benefits of Retinyl Palmitate are debated.
Studies show Retinyl Palmitate to help:
- reduce inflammation
- stimulate collagen production
- prohibit cell apoptosis, or self-collapse
- help thicken the epidermal for extra protection against UV-B rays
- protect our cells as an antioxidant
Dermatologists say this ingredient is ineffective because it isn't used in high enough concentrations in cosmetics.
This ingredient used to be found in sunscreens to boost the efficacy of sunscreen filters.
The downfall of Retinyl Palmitate was due to released reports about the ingredient being correlated to sun damage and skin tumors.
While there is a study showing this ingredient to cause DNA damage when exposed to UV-A, there is no concrete proof of it being linked to skin cancer. It is safe to use when used correctly.
All retinoids increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun in the first few months of usage. Be especially careful with reapplying sunscreen when using any form of retinoid.
Currently, this ingredient is still allowed in cosmetics all over the world. In Canada, cosmetics must have a warning label stating the product to contain Retinyl Palmitate
Fun fact: This ingredient is often added to low-fat milk to increase the levels of Vitamin A.
People also like: Niacinamide, Ascorbic Acid, Retinol
People also dislike: Retinol, Glycerin, Niacinamide
Also known as: Vitamin A Palmitate
Retinyl Palmitate is a rare cosmetic ingredient, with about 2.2% of the products in our database containing it.
What it does:
Community Stats
162 people from our community have liked or disliked this ingredient.
Users who like it 💖
Often have the following skin types:
Usually have one or more of the following skin concerns:
Users who dislike it 💔
Often have the following skin types:
Usually have one or more of the following skin concerns:
Where it's used
Retinyl Palmitate is most often found as ingredient number 20 within an ingredient list.
Of the 3 products in our database that have a known concentration of Retinyl Palmitate, we've seen concentrations from 0.3% to 1% specified within their ingredient lists.
These are the categories of products that use Retinyl Palmitate the most:
References
- https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredient-hotlist-prohibited-restricted-ingredients/hotlist.html
- https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredients/retinyl-palmitate/
- https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(10)00850-9/abstract
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10622759/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3977527/
- https://www.termedia.pl/Retinoids-active-molecules-influencing-skin-structure-formation-in-cosmetic-and-dermatological-treatments,7,37473,0,1.html
Products with Retinyl Palmitate
CosIng Data
- CosIng ID: 37482
- INCI Name: RETINYL PALMITATE
- EC #: Â 201-228-5
- All Functions: Skin Conditioning