Scared stiff of retinol? There’s a gentle alternative you should meet…

Hands up if you’ve been victimised by the powerful-yet-potent impacts of retinol? Yep, as we suspected, a sea of quivering hands. We know that the effects of a strong retinol can totally scare you off incorporating even a gentle anti-ageing step into your routine. And we hate to be the ones to tell you, but it’s time to climb out from under your doona and accept that it’s time to find a rejuvenating alternative. 

But first, we need you to know that we’ve got your back, even in the tricky conversations. And when we say we’ve got to talk to you about your anti-ageing routine, it’s totally out of love, okay? Besides, we’re working off the theory that prevention is the key. So, enough yapping about the why, it’s time to let you in on the what. 

What are we talking about? Cetaphil’s latest Healthy Renewal range. Yep, the retinol-alterative range is powered by skin-plumping purified peptides. And because the purified peptides offer a much more gentle approach than retinol, they’re able to be incorporated into so many more steps of your skin care routine. So, let’s bust some anti-ageing ingredient myths…

Didn’t realise your cleanser can actually be seriously impactful?

Okay, okay we know the importance of our cleanser, how else would our skin get squeaky clean? But what we might’ve neglected? The extra benefits the sudsy stuff could carry. Yep, not only can it work to wash away makeup and build up, but if it’s formulated with the right ingredients (read: micellar, vitamin b5 and edelweiss extract), you’ll be seeing extra skin-boosting benefits. And if you want to incorporate a game-changing cleanser to kick off your routine (and trust us, you do) the Cetaphil Healthy Renew Micellar Cleansing Water ($20.99 at Chemist Warehouse) has all the skin-freshening goodness you’re after and more!

Worried about applying retinol near your eyes? 

Let’s be real, this is a totally valid fear and we’ve all probably flown a little too close to the metaphorical sun (literal eye), with beauty products before. So, putting down the retinol-packed eye creams is the way to go. But if you’re anything like us, the words crow’s feet send shivers down your spine and have you running to the nearest, potent eye cream formula. But instead of running the retinol risk, check out the Cetaphil Healthy Renew Eye Serum ($24.39 at Chemist Warehouse). Designed to soothe, hydrate and most importantly smooth, this serum has dark circles and fine lines shivering in their boots. This lightweight serum works to brighten visible dark circles while also addressing concerns of skin texture, all without posing a risk to your delicate eyes. 

Think anti-ageing ingredients can only be applied at night? 

You’ll be forgiven for thinking that anti-ageing ingredients can only be applied at night — we’ve got retinol to answer for that. But it turns out that most other age-defying ingredients are totally fine to be used morning and night. Yep, score one for our faces in need of rejuvenation. Our first port of call? A hydrating, lightweight serum that’s powered by purified peptides (and bursting with encapsulated beads), along with a range of other skin-tone addressing goodies. The Cetaphil Healthy Renew Facial Serum ($41.99 at Chemist Warehouse) is in charge of round one of our morning dullness-busting routine. 

Round two involves adding a whole lot of hydration to your skin. Because hydrated skin is healthy skin (yep, commit it to memory). And if 24 hours of lasting hydration sounds like the kind of renewal you’re after then the Cetaphil Healthy Renew Day Cream ($34.99 at Chemist Warehouse) is the step your morning routine has been missing. Plus, it’s been designed to protect your skin barrier against environmental aggressors; retinol could never. 

Turns out, there’s absolutely no need to be afraid of adding in a rejuvenating renewing range to your skin care routine, you just hadn’t met the perfect one yet. We’re totally here for the skin-loving shift. 

 Main Image Credit: Getty