This post contains affiliate links. Product provided by Oshen Skin.
I’m kind of a retinoid newbie - even though I’ve been using retinoid products for months and months and finishing several tubes, all of them have been from the same brand (Dr. Different). Now I’m branching out and trying other brands to see how they compare and which ones I prefer.
Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream, available on Oshen Skin (use my code KBHOBBIT10 to save on your entire order), is a gentle formula that promises to improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It combines 500ppm retinal with 500ppm bakuchiol, 0.01ppm retinol, niacinamide, and adenosine to improve efficacy. The formula has been clinically shown to help with elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles.
How to use:
Apply a pea-sized amount at night after cleansing / toning / serums
If you are new to retinoids, start with every 2-3 days and slowly build up
Retinoids degrate in the presence of UV rays, so this cream is only for evening / nighttime use
People with very sensitive skin can finish their routine with a different moisturizer, let it dry, then follow with Scinic. If you are wondering how to layer products, including retinoids, check out this video. Pro tip - apply a bit to the backs of the hands before bed, because those areas tend to show our age quickly.
Scinic Cicanoid cream has a golden-yellow color (common for retinoids), a beautiful smooth texture and almost no scent (it’s so mild I hardly notice it). It’s not greasy or sticky, although that wouldn’t matter too much to me in an evening product.
Retinol vs Retinal
When applied to the skin, the more commonly known retinol must be converted to retinal and then to retinoic acid, while retinal is ready to go directly to retinoic acid. That last conversion is rapid, and since the first conversion is skipped, retinal can provide faster results than retinol. I am not a scientist by any means, but this is my best understanding of the difference between retinol and retinal, and why brands like Scinic are able to claim that their products work quicker than the ones with retinol.
My impressions
I was pretty pleased with Dr Different, but Scinic’s texture is next level awesome. The cream spreads so easily and has a very light, airy feel to it (while still being moisturizing). Applying a pea sized amount over the entire face is very simple because of the texture. Despite having macadamia and other oils in the ingredients, the cream doesn’t bother my combination skin. I also use it on the neck, chest, and backs of the hands (I do the last part right before bed once I’m totally sure I’m done with handwashing for the day).
My skin is used to retinoids, so I didn’t experience any retinization (a period of time while the skin is getting used to vitamin A characterized by dryness / flaking / purging). I happily reach for my tube several times a week. I think I could use it daily, but on some nights I like to exfoliate, and it’s a good idea to separate exfoliation and retinoids to avoid irritation. I made that mistake over a year ago and my skin was quite mad the next morning; even sunscreen felt uncomfortable.
Overall, I am very happy with this Scinic product and would definitely grab it again. My skin does look more youthful and supple when I apply retinoids regularly vs when I don’t.
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Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream ingredients: Water, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Caprylic/​Capric/​Myristic/​Stearic Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Phenyl Trimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Retinal(500ppm), Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Synthetic Beeswax, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Sorbitan Stearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/​VP Copolymer, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Sodium Acrylate/​Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Palmitic Acid, Polyisobutene, Stearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Cholesterol, Bakuchiol (500ppm), Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Sterols, Adenosine, Ceteth-3, Ceteth-5, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Aluminum/​Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Phytate, Caprylyl/​Capryl Glucoside, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Oleate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Allantoin, Madecassoside, Ceramide NP, Retinol (0.01ppm), Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, PEG-5 Rapeseed Sterol
*Ingredients subject to change by manufacturer's discretion. Please refer to product packaging for latest information.