Retinol, hyaluronic acid and collagen are clearly the triple threat of skincare; generously fighting off our wrinkles for us. But have you ever stopped to wonder which one is superior in combatting those sneaky fine lines that seem to creep up on us? I researched these three allies and came up with a surprising answer. When I started out, I was sure that my findings would result in a clear answer. However, upon investigating, I realized, it’s always complicated. And I’m not just talking about skincare.

First, let’s start with clear definition of these three stars. Retinol is a term that covers all vitamin A derivatives (Carazo, Macakova, Matousova, Protti,& Mladenka, 2021) . Our skin cells do not turn over as much as we age, leaving a dull, dry appearance. Retinol “encourages” the skin cells to turn over. (Zasada & Budzisz, 2019) Collagen is a protein found in the body, made up of vitamin c and amino acids. (Wu, Konin & Krane, 2024) And although there is no conclusive evidence that it can be absorbed through skin, many reviewers rave about its ability to plump and moisturize skin. (Bolke, Schlippe, Gerb & Voss, 2019) Hyaluronic acid is a naturally-occurring substance found in our bodies, and is especially found in the skin, joints, connective tissues and eyes. It can also hold up to an astonishing 1000 times its weight in water. (Bolke, Schlippe, Gerb & Voss, 2019).

From the research, all three clearly hold their weight (and not just in moisture.)  Collagen showed clear results in improving “joint pain, wound healing, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, elasticity and wrinkles of the skin, and epidermal barrier function.” (Kang, Leydon, Lowe et al., 2001). In addition, four weeks of retinol treatments increased collagen and significantly reduced wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid was found to reduce wrinkles, firm skin and return that dewy look you see on Gen Z’s glowing skin, taunting us all, shining in all its dewy glory across social media platforms alike. But don’t be jealous; you just need your triple threat to fight for you. Conclusion finally, drum roll please! All three offer benefits and even can be used together for the ultimate anti-aging properties. Retinol is the only one that stimulates skin cells to turn over, however, all three reduce wrinkles and fine lines. So, go ahead and use them all to your heart’s delight.

References

Bolke. L., Schlippe,G., Gerß, J., Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, 11(10), doi: 10.3390/nu11102494. PMID: 31627309; PMCID: PMC6835901.

Carazo, A., Macáková, K., Matoušová, K., Krčmová, L.K., Protti, M., Mladěnka, P (2021) Vitamin A Update: Forms, Sources, Kinetics, Detection, Function, Deficiency, Therapeutic Use and Toxicity. Nutrients, 13(5). doi: 10.3390/nu13051703.

Kang, S., Leyden, J.J., Lowe, N.J., Ortonne, J.P., Phillips, T.J, Weinstein, G. D, Bhawan, J., Lew-Kaya D.A, Matsumoto, R.M., Sefton, J, Walker, P.S, Gibson, J.R. (2001) Tazarotene cream for the treatment of facial photodamage: a multicenter, investigator-masked, randomized, vehicle-controlled, parallel comparison of 0.01%, 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1% tazarotene creams with 0.05% tretinoin emollient cream applied once daily for 24 weeks. Arch Dermatol. 137(12). doi: 10.1001/archderm.137.12.1597. PMID: 11735710.

Lierova,A., Kasparova, J., Filipova, A., Cizkova, J., Pekarova, L., Korecka, L., Mannova, N., Bilkova, Z, Sinkorova, Z.(2022) Hyaluronic Acid: Known for Almost a Century, but Still in Vogue. Pharmaceutics,14(4), p. 838. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040838.

Wu, M., Cronin, K., Crane, J.S.(2024) Biochemistry, Collagen Synthesis. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507709/

Zasada, M., Budzisz, E. (2019) Retinoids: active molecules influencing skin structure formation in cosmetic and dermatological treatments. Postepy Dermatol Alergol, 36(4):392-397. doi: 10.5114/ada.2019.87443.