Share this article:     

The benefits of using vitamin A (retinol) in skincare have been proven time and again, but so has its potential for irritancy. Not only does vitamin A have some significant issues with causing consumer irritation, but it also has some prohibitive regulatory restrictions in certain countries and can pose substantial issues with the stability or shelf life of a formulation. It may also have incompatibilities with other ingredients because of its tight pH range over which it is stable.

Thankfully, there are now several suppliers with effective, clinically proven vitamin A alternatives. Using a vitamin A alternative can be a great idea if your formulation has other ingredients with restrictive pH, vitamin A incompatibilities, or your products are intended to be used on those with sensitive skin or known irritations to vitamin A. Many of the vitamin A alternatives are plant-derived, too, meaning your products can use a natural ingredient with a comparable performance if that is what your target market is particularly interested in.

Because the market is already quite saturated with standard or professional vitamin A products, alternatives can also provide your brand with a strong point of difference and marketable story. Couple this with reduced irritancy but similar (or improved) performance and you have a chance to make your product really stand out! Vitamin A alternatives can also solve regulatory issues, especially where you are formulating for more than one country/market, and the use of Vitamin A would otherwise pose restrictive product or customs issues.

In this video, Belinda Carli, Director of Institute of Personal Care Science, takes you through the latest vitamin A alternatives, along with their clinically proven performance, formulation needs, and stability requirements. She also explores how they can be a great solution – compared to retinol – for marketing and regulatory benefits.

Find out about the latest vitamin A alternatives and why they may be the perfect solution in your next cosmeceutical development – watch now!

If you are not up with some of the formulation issues when using vitamin A, or still want to use it and need to learn its compatibility and regulatory limits, please watch this video on how to formulate a vitamin A serum: https://youtu.be/nEV13a8-z3Q

View regulatory and retailer lists for early insights into potential regulatory challenges with Prospector advanced tools!  Learn more and upgrade today.

---

The views, opinions and technical analyses presented here are those of the author or advertiser, and are not necessarily those of ULProspector.com or UL. The appearance of this content in the UL Prospector Knowledge Center does not constitute an endorsement by UL or its affiliates.

All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without prior authorization from UL or the content author.

The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. While the editors of this site may verify the accuracy of its content from time to time, we assume no responsibility for errors made by the author, editorial staff or any other contributor.

UL does not make any representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness of the content. UL does not warrant the performance, effectiveness or applicability of sites listed or linked to in any content.

Share this article:     