By The Beauty Book
When Medik8 decided to take vitamin A to the next level, it introduced its revolutionary Crystal Retinal – a cashmere-textured serum that harnesses star ingredient, retinaldehyde.
Retinaldehyde (retinal for short) rapidly resurfaces the skin while helping to plump the complexion. It helps visibly target fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, uneven skin texture and has the added benefit of having direct, powerful antibacterial properties Unlike many other forms of vitamin A, retinaldehyde it helps diminish P. acnes, the bacteria responsible for breakouts, promoting a healthy-looking, balanced complexion, making it the ideal anti-ageing ingredient for blemish-prone skin.
This next generation vitamin A molecule one step closer to the bioavailable form of vitamin A, retinoic acid, making it prescription strength without the need for a prescription. Unlike retinol, which must first be converted to retinaldehyde and then to retinoic acid within the skin, Crystal Retinal must undergo only one conversion to become active, and because of this it can deliver results comparable to clinical-grade vitamin A and is clinically proven to work up to 11x faster on the skin than retinol.[1]
Retinal is notorious for being incredibly unstable without careful formulation, this is why at Medik8 we have a one-of-a-kind dual-layered stability system. Crystal Retinal features crystal-encapsulated retinal, to both protect the stability of and slowly deliver the powerful molecule into the skin overnight. The result is a ‘drip-fed’ approach – retinaldehyde is gradually delivered overnight so as not to overwhelm the skin resulting in less irritation. The clever encapsulation system also avoids any of the well-documented vitamin A side effects that can come with stronger formulations such as flaking, redness etc.
Medik8 also developed a patent-pending stabilisation formula complex to fortify the preservation of the retinal’s potency within the formulation. The better the stability, the better the effectiveness of the molecule. This level of retinal stability is unique to Medik8.
Along with superior absorption, Crystal Retinal also features multi-weight hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, providing optimum hydration skin at every level while helping strengthen the skin’s barrier to keep moisture locked in tight.
Available in 5 progressive strengths, from 0.01% all the way to 0.2%, we call it the ‘Everyone Vitamin A’ as we truly have an option for every level of vitamin A user. We recommend starting at strength 3 and working upwards if you want to boost results. (We only recommend strength 1 to those who are very sensitive).
“Go low, and go slow. Start on an entry level strength – 0.03% encapsulated retinaldehyde is perfect for those new to vitamin A and introduce the ingredient to your skin slowly so as not to overwhelm it. Use twice a week for the first 2 weeks, then once every other night for a further 2 weeks and then nightly application. Once your skin has accepted the molecule without experiencing any irritation you can then move up to a higher strength to maximize your results”, said Daniel Isaacs, Director of Research at Medik8.
The unparalleled results speak for themselves.
- Clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by 20%*
- Clinically proven to increase skin firmness by 11%*
- Clinically proven to reduce visible hyperpigmentation by 20%*
- 100% of participants felt their skin looked brighter*
- 97% of participants felt their skin had a more youthful appearance*
- Proven via independent clinical study on Crystal Retinal 6. Tested on 33 participants over 12 weeks.
* Proven via independent clinical study on Crystal Retinal 6. Tested on 33 participants over 12 weeks.
Skin looks noticeably more youthful, contours are redefined and radiance is undeniably restored.