Index / Differin / Adapalene Gel 0.1%
Differin

Adapalene Gel 0.1%.

Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%
Retinoids

About this product

Over-the-counter retinoid gel containing 0.1% adapalene, FDA-approved to treat acne by regulating skin cell turnover and preventing clogged pores.

Best for

Acne-prone skinYounger skin
Retinoids

The Guru Index verdict

78%

Approved

Approved · 78%
13Reviewers
11Approved
1Mixed
1Skip
#5 in Best Retinoids

What the gurus are saying

Gurus are unanimous and enthusiastic about Differin as an accessible, effective retinoid. They consistently praise it for treating acne, fading post-acne marks and hyperpigmentation, improving texture and fine lines, and being one of the most well-tolerated retinoids available. The consensus is to start low frequency (2-3 nights weekly) and increase gradually to minimize irritation, always use sunscreen during the day, and apply a pea-size amount. A key theme is that adapalene's FDA-approved drug status makes it more reliable than cosmetic retinol alternatives, and its stability means it works well alongside other actives like benzoyl peroxide.
Synthesized from 13 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

RetinoidFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Adapalene (0.1%), Carbomer 934P, Macrogol-20, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Glycerol (E422), Natural, Squalene, Methyl Parahydroxybenzoate (E218), Propyl Parahydroxybenzoate (E216), Disodium Edetate, Phenoxyethanol, Cyclomethicone, Sodium Hydroxide, Purified Water

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"Differin is a retinoid that helps prevent clogged pores, calm inflammation, and fade post-acne dark spots over time. It works deep in the skin to treat and prevent breakouts, but it can also increase sun sensitivity, which is why it should always be used at night. It's best for persistent breakouts, hormonal acne, and acne-prone skin adjusting to long-term treatment. You only want to use this at night time after cleansing and before moisturizer. Start 2-3 nights a week and only increase if your skin is not too dry, peely, or irritated. The key ingredient here is the 0.1% adapalene, which is the highest concentration of a retinoid that does not require prescription, at least in the United States. It helps regulate skin cell turnover to prevent clogged pores and treat your acne."
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"Differin is a retinoid that helps prevent clogged pores, calm inflammation, and fade post-acne dark spots over time. It works deep in the skin to treat and prevent breakouts, but it can also increase sun sensitivity, which is why it should always be used at night. It's best for persistent breakouts, hormonal acne, and acne-prone skin adjusting to long-term treatment. You only want to use this at night time after cleansing and before moisturizer. Start 2-3 nights a week and only increase if your skin is not too dry, peely, or irritated. The key ingredient here is the 0.1% adapalene, which is the highest concentration of a retinoid that does not require prescription, at least in the United States. It helps regulate skin cell turnover to prevent clogged pores and treat your acne."
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"Adapalene is a type of retinoid that helps prevent clogged pores. It calms down inflammation. It will also help fade some of those post acne dark spots over time. It works deep in the skin to treat and prevent breakouts. It can also increase sun sensitivity, which is why it's always important to use this at night and wear your SPF every single morning. I love adapalene for any type of acne, any persistent breakouts, hormonal acne, clogged pores, any type of acne. The best time to use it is at night time after cleaning your skin and before moisturizing. Wash your face, dry completely, take a pea-size amount of Differin gel, dot it, spread it avoiding the eyes, and then let it dry completely. Then apply a moisturizer on top. Do this two to three nights a week for a few weeks, making sure your skin is not dry, peely, or irritated, and then if you're tolerating it, go ahead and increase it. If you slather it all over your face every single night, odds are in a week you're going to say you're allergic to it, but you're not, you're just developing normal side effects. In order to minimize those side effects, you really need to do either the sandwich method or just the Differin gel with the moisturizer on top and increase gradually and not go straight to every single night. Adapalene 0.1% gel was once prescription and now it's over-the-counter. It's the highest concentration of a retinoid that does not require prescription and it's available over the counter. Retinoids help regulate cell turnover to prevent clogged pores and that is the best way to treat your acne."
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"For scarring, retinoids like adapalene are best for acne scars. It also helps fine lines and texture. They work by speeding up cell turnover so they gradually improve and fade the texture and discoloration. Differin Gel has the active ingredient adapalene."
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"Differin Gel has the 0.1 adapalene. It's a retinoid that helps prevent clogged pores, calm inflammation, fade post acne marks and spots over time, but it also helps work deep in the skin to treat and prevent some of the breakouts. And just like all the other retinols and retinoids, it can increase sun sensitivity. So, you always want to make sure you wear SPF in the morning. I love Differin Gel for persistent breakouts, hormonal acne, acne prone skin, or maybe even like combination to oily skin. It is a little bit more potent than the retinoids we talked about earlier in the video. So, make sure you only use a pea size amount. Only start two to three nights per week for maybe 3 to 4 weeks. Moisturize on top. If you have no peeling irritation, you can increase that frequency to 5 to seven nights a week. But if you're developing irritation, try adding a moisturizer underneath your Differin Gel to kind of buffer it a little bit."
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"If you're somebody who suffers from acne you need to start a Differin gel now. Apply an amount of Differin gel and cover your entire face at bedtime. This is a retinoid that used to be prescription now it's over the counter. The active ingredient is adapalene 0.1% and this will be your retinol that will effectively target hyperpigmentation and specifically acne."
Approved
"I personally started my topical retinoid journey with Differin Gel. I really started to notice several months into using it improvement in sunspots. And over time I noted that the skin was getting plumper, smoother and I was seeing quite a decrease in some little fine lines. I maintain that as far as an accessible affordable and generally well tolerated retinoid, it is a stellar option for not only of course acne but for anti-aging purposes."
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"I personally started my topical retinoid journey with Differin Gel. I really started to notice several months into using it improvement in sunspots. And over time I noted that the skin was getting plumper, smoother and I was seeing quite a decrease in some little fine lines. I maintain that as far as an accessible affordable and generally well tolerated retinoid, it is a stellar option for not only of course acne but for anti-aging purposes."
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"Adapalene is FDA approved for acne. This works different from salicylic acid, this is a retinoid so it gets into the skin and it binds to receptors to influence how cells that line your pore behave so that they mature more efficiently and you stop getting those plugs, you stop getting those comedone plugs. Some people are able to use a retinoid like Differin gel at night time and that alone helps them to clear up their comedonal acne, whereas other people benefit from having this in the evening and also maybe incorporating a salicylic acid face wash one to two times daily."
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"Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%, a retinoid FDA approved for the treatment of acne. Adapalene not only controls the acne and prevents flare-ups, but also reduces the likelihood of scarring and post acne marks."
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"Adapalene is such a versatile over-the-counter, obviously it's FDA approved for acne, good for blackheads and whiteheads. It's also good for dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and it's good for sunspots. Adapalene definitely can help lighten them quite a bit."
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"When it comes to adapalene, you don't have to get the brand Differin gel. There's also Neutrogena, there's the Walgreens version, and then there's Differin gel. Differin gel is like the first brand over the counter and then the generic branding came out. But yeah, that's still an effective option here."
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"Differin Adapalene Gel is a retinoid, an FDA approved over-the-counter acne medication. It actually can make the claim that it treats acne. Retinol is a cosmetic and they can't make the claim that it treats acne. So, if you have acne, I think adapalene is the best over-the-counter option as opposed to retinol for that reason. It can reduce the risk of and improve existing post acne marks, redness, dark marks. Adapalene is anti-inflammatory. It has been shown to improve collagen production. It's been shown to lighten age spots. It can be used on the backs of the hands, the face. A lot of people would much rather use adapalene than a retinol because it's a medication and not a cosmetic. Though it may be a little bit more irritating in comparison to retinol, it is pretty gentle."
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"Adapalene is an FDA approved acne treatment, but it's also got anti-inflammatory properties and it can help suppress some of the processes that lead to upregulation of those collagen destroying enzymes and it also helps to suppress some of that abnormal pigmentation. If you are someone especially whose skin is inclined to heal with discoloration after a day of sun exposure, adapalene can actually end up helping you out tremendously for lessening the overall extent of dark discoloration and for hastening the clearance of that. Your topical retinoids can definitely be helpful here for hastening the clearance of dark marks and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from sun exposure."
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"Adapalene 0.1% is an over-the-counter retinoid that has been deemed safe for the general public to use without a doctor holding your hand and supervising. It is FDA approved for the treatment of acne. You may be experiencing acne in your older, mature years, this would be a great option, but it actually is evidence-based for improving the visible signs of skin aging and for improving collagen production as well as improving age spots. And not only can it be used on the face, but it also can be used on the backs of the hands where you do get a lot of age related skin changes like dark spots, for example. This is a true over-the-counter medication, a retinoid. It's amazing for those who are still dealing with hormonal breakouts in their older adult years, and it works really well for fading age spots. It's a bit more reliable than a cosmetic retinol or retinaldehyde because it is an FDA approved medication, a drug. The formulation is pretty standardized as opposed to cosmetic retinol or retinaldehyde where you have all of these many different brands out there with different versions of their retinol with different ingredients in the backbone. Adapalene, they're not going to be tweaking the background formula in the over-the-counter adapalene. So it's a lot more by the book."
5 Amazing Benefits Of Using Differin Gel (that You Didn't Know About)
"Differin gel is the brand name for an FDA approved acne treatment adapalene. Adapalene is a retinoid and it works for acne because it helps improve how the cells behave that line your pore. It loves to get in the pore and train those cells to behave better so that they stop plugging up your pore. Therefore adapalene helps to stop blackhead and whitehead formation and the red inflamed bumps of acne. Adapalene as a retinoid has other things to offer your skin above and beyond simply clearing up and preventing acne breakouts. Adapalene is unique in that it is a synthetic retinoid that loves the oil gland and is lipophilic. In contrast to tretinoin, the older retinoid, adapalene is a lot more stable. It's so much more stable than tretinoin that it doesn't degrade in light and it also is stable in the presence of benzoyl peroxide."
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"Adapalene is one of the least irritating retinoids but it can still be irritating for people who have rosacea. However, if you are able to tolerate it and introduce it into your routine slowly and incorporate it, what it can do is it actually can help cut down on the number of papules and pustules, these are bumps on the skin of people who have rosacea that are red and or filled with pus. Adapalene can help cut down on the number of those possibly through a few mechanisms: one, maybe through its anti-inflammatory effects; two, maybe it helps by normalizing the epidermis to a certain extent, cut down on the food and fodder for Demodex mites."
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"Differin is an FDA approved acne treatment so it's going to help clear up control and prevent breakouts. Adapalene also can help to get rid of hyperpigmentation for a few reasons. One is it helps to improve the rate at which the skin cells turn over, so any pigment that is up in the top layers of the skin is going to clear out a lot faster. Adapalene can also suppress some of the negative impacts of ultraviolet radiation on hyperpigmentation. Adapalene also is anti-inflammatory and because of that it helps to mitigate some of the drive for more pigment production. One thing you have to keep in mind when it comes to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is that anything that causes your skin irritation can worsen the hyperpigmentation, so if you don't tolerate adapalene, if it's irritating to your skin, then that can actually worsen the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. That being said, of all of the retinoids, adapalene is one of the most well tolerated."
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"Adapalene is an FDA approved acne treatment so it's going to help clear up control and prevent breakouts. Adapalene also can help to get rid of hyperpigmentation. It does this for a few reasons: one is it helps to improve the rate at which the skin cells turn over and so any pigment that is up in the top layers of the skin is going to clear out a lot faster. Adapalene can also suppress some of the negative impacts of ultraviolet radiation on hyperpigmentation. Adapalene also is anti-inflammatory and because of that it helps to mitigate some of the drive for more pigment production. One thing you have to keep in mind is that anything that causes your skin irritation can worsen the hyperpigmentation, so if you don't tolerate adapalene, if it's irritating to your skin, then that can actually worsen the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. That being said, of all of the retinoids, adapalene is one of the most well tolerated."
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"Adapalene can help lighten these it won't necessarily erase them but it can lighten them it may take some time you may start to appreciate it around 4 months but by 9 months if you compare older photographs you may say your sunspots were a lot darker back then. Adapalene definitely can help to lighten those and you know we think of it as an acne treatment so a lot of people are using it on their face but if you've got spots on the back of your hands adapalene can help lighten those and can be used there also on your forearms."
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"Adapalene and other retinoids can actually reduce the number of actinic keratoses that people form. Retinoids help improve the behavior and the orientation of cells in your dermis and exert a sort of disciplinary effect on the damaged keratinocytes of the epidermis. Adapalene and other retinoids can help correct some of that damage to a certain extent, and as a result people who make a lot of these actinic keratoses make fewer of them when they use a retinoid. As soon as you stop the retinoid you can go on to make as many as you would have had you never used it, but that is definitely a benefit of adapalene. Adapalene in particular can actually be beneficial for people with rosacea."
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"Adapalene in particular can actually be beneficial for people with rosacea. Adapalene is one of the least irritating retinoids, but it can still be irritating for people who have rosacea. However, if you are able to tolerate it, if you're able to introduce it into your routine slowly, get used to it, and incorporate it into your routine, what it can do is it actually can help cut down on the number of papules and pustules, these are bumps on the skin of people who have rosacea that are red and or filled with pus. Adapalene can help cut down on the number of those possibly through a few mechanisms: one, maybe through its anti-inflammatory effects; two, maybe it helps by normalizing the epidermis to a certain extent."
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"Adapalene can help cut down on the number of papules and pustules, these are bumps on the skin of people who have rosacea that are red and or filled with pus. It can work through a few mechanisms: one, maybe through its anti-inflammatory effects; two, maybe it helps by normalizing the epidermis to a certain extent. For people who have rosacea they have a lot more Demodex mites in areas of their skin that have these little bumps. It's thought that people with rosacea have an abnormal inflammatory response to either that mite or to little bacteria that live on the mite. Retinoids can actually help to a certain extent with that and they definitely have been shown to cut down on the number of papules and pustules."
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"Using a retinoid can actually help cut down on the formation of blackheads and whiteheads because it's helping to normalize the pore lining so there's less sticky stuff in the pore for it to then extrude and be visible to your eye. Adapalene, which is the active drug in Differin Gel, has been around since 1996, so it's a newer retinoid. It loves the oil gland but it is not significantly absorbed into the body. In fact, people who use adapalene chronically when their plasma is sampled have trace to negligible amounts of adapalene components and metabolites."
~Mixed
"The best allover acne treatment that is a retinoid is Differin Adapalene Gel. If you're not familiar with adapalene, it used to be a prescription grade ingredient that now is available over the counter at 0.1% strength and it is one of the best ingredients, specifically the best retinoid for acne, acne scarring, and of course all the other benefits that retinoids have like fading fine lines and damage, lifting hyperpigmentation, skin cell renewal. However, my skin absolutely hates it. When I have tried adapalene multiple times in the past, my skin gets so red, so angry, so frustrated. I wanted to feature it in this video to issue a warning to everyone considering trying adapalene. If you have Differin in your cart or you have it on your shelf and you're about to start using it, please, patch test before you use it all over your face. The first time I used it and I applied it all over my face, the next week was brutal. So much pain, so much flakiness."
Approved
"This is Differin Adapalene Gel. It's a third generation retinoid, so it's great for sensitive skin. There's a lot of research that this is very comparable to like a 0.05% without the irritation. I have a lot of clients that I put on this. It's my base. After I microneedle, when I start adding the retinoid back in, which is usually day two or three depending on how quick I'm healing, I'll go back to this before I would go back to a bigger one. I go back to this, let my skin stabilize a little bit, and then I go back to the retinoid that I'm using every night."
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"The Differin Adapalene Gel is a third generation retinoid. It's very soothing and very low irritation, which makes it great for sensitive skin or if you're introducing or reintroducing retinoids after a microneedling treatment. This is my top pick for that. It's a great product for acne."
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"I'm loving Differin Gel, which is a third generation retinoid. It's less irritating, and because I microneedle my skin so much and I do chemical peels and do a lot of different stuff to my skin, I don't want the giant go bigger go home retinoid. This is such a great product. It's made for acne, but ironically the prescription strength originated that way too, and then they started using it on adult acne and realized the wrinkles go away. Pore size shrinks, exfoliation increases, it increases the thickness of your skin much like microneedling. When you have thicker skin, it's healthier looking, healthier functioning skin. You get less wrinkles, more plumped skin."
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"Differin gel adapalene is a third generation retinoid that is for sensitive skin for people with rosacea. That is what I use. I don't use it consistently because I'm doing so many other things with my skin that I don't want to exhaust my skin. If I microneedle every four to six weeks on my face, I don't need to use the strongest retinoids available. That's exhausting the skin. So I've backed off, but I'm still using retinoids. A lot of people are overexfoliating. If you are still raw and peeling months into using a retinoid, you've got to back off, start with once a week, then build up to two times a week. Or maybe, like me, you need a retinol or retinoid that is made for more sensitive skin. This is my favorite."
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"There's very little irritability with this and it's green for sensitive skin. You can use this around your eyes and still have great results, just like a retinol. This is what I've been doing when I use retinols on my face and I've been recently giving my skin a little break from the high intense stuff by putting Differin Adapalene Gel on my eyelids close to my eyes, and I'm telling you this is very miraculous. If I had to say between this around my eyes and some of the other creams around my eyes, which one's more effective, I'm digging this."
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"This is Differin Adapalene Gel. It's a third generation retinoid, so it's great for sensitive skin. There's a lot of research that this is very comparable to like a 0.05% without the irritation. I have a lot of clients that I put on this. It's my base. After I microneedle, when I start adding the retinoid back in, which is usually day two or three depending on how quick I'm healing, I'll go back to this before I would go back to a bigger one. I go back to this, let my skin stabilize a little bit, and then I go back to the retinoid that I'm using every night."
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"One of the ones that I'm really loving right now is Differin gel, which is a third-generation retinoid. It's adapalene and it's made for sensitive skin. You can use it when you're pregnant or nursing. I have been finding some great results when I'm using it on my neck. By doing a third-generation retinoid which is for sensitive skin, I can use that on my neck followed by a thin layer of aquaphor, and I'm getting amazing results on my neck using those two things."
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"This is Differin Adapalene Gel. It's a third generation retinoid, so it's great for sensitive skin. There's a lot of research that this is very comparable to like a 0.05% without the irritation. I have a lot of clients that I put on this. It's my base. After I microneedle, when I start adding the retinoid back in, which is usually day two or three depending on how quick I'm healing, I'll go back to this before I would go back to a bigger one. I go back to this, let my skin stabilize a little bit, and then I go back to the retinoid that I'm using every night."
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"Adapalene, which I love, this is Differin gel, this is great for acne but also if you have rosacea, if you have sensitive skin, everybody should be able to be on a retinoid of some sort. I put this right up around my eyes and everything because it has less irritation, but there's a lot of studies that show they do a comparison in a 30-day comparison between using this every day and using a prescription strength, and they're very comparable. It's pretty shocking without the irritation. So if you have very sensitive skin, I really love this Differin gel. If you're suffering from acne, I really love this Differin gel as well."
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"I am obsessed with this Differin gel. Adapalene is a third generation retinoid and this is great for acne, it's the number one pick for acne that I have, but I love this also as a starter retinoid because it's low irritation, but the results of this are incredible. It used to be prescription only and I don't even understand why it was prescription only because it's low irritation, made for sensitive skin, but also the number one thing for acne."
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"This is a third generation adapalene. They have found studies that show that this gives the same kind of results as prescription strength tretinoin without the irritation. I'm actually loving this. It's safe for pregnancy and for breastfeeding, and it literally works just like your big guns retinoid without the irritation. It's like twenty bucks."
Approved
"Still a great product. Still a great product for blackheads."
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"Still a great product. Still a great product for blackheads."
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"you could take some Differin gel or a dappling, smear it onto one of these little spatula back buddies and then just put it on your back there. I find this to be like an impractical thing to do, but if you really wanted to do it, if you really wanted to avoid oral medications, I think that there's probably some benefit in doing that."
Approved
"Differin gel is your magic product. That's going to be the biggest heavy lifter in your skincare routine if you have acne. Now, the complaint is that retinols can sometimes lead to some drying on the skin. And you don't want to trade acne or oily skin for super dry, flaky skin. So, what we're going to do is give this a couple of minutes to kind of soak into the skin. Once your face feels dry, we're coming in with a moisturizer."
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"Differin gel is your magic product. That's going to be the biggest heavy lifter in your skincare routine if you have acne. Now, the complaint is that retinols can sometimes lead to some drying on the skin. And you don't want to trade acne or oily skin for super dry, flaky skin. So, what we're going to do is give this a couple of minutes to kind of soak into the skin. Once your face feels dry, we're coming in with a moisturizer."
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"The product I want to feature today is Differin Gel. This used to be a prescription and it is a full-on retinol, not a retinol derivative that has to be converted in the body. This used to be a prescription only retinol. You can now get it over the counter. If you're going to use retinol in your skincare routine, wash your face at night with a gentle cleanser. And then once your skin is dry, pat dry, air dry for a few extra minutes, take a pea-sized amount, and that's all you need to cover your whole face. Dot your forehead, chin, cheeks, and nose, and then rub that in. After a few minutes, go ahead and apply a moisturizer so you don't get the dryness and irritation. Using a retinol, I recommend starting out just two to three times a week, and then slowly you can build up to daily use."
Approved
"If you're in the US, you can get this over the counter now. It's fragrance-free. This size tube will be 33 bucks, but nowadays a lot of stores have their generic versions of it, which are about half the price, and the formulas are the same. It contains adapalene, which basically helps to fight acne as well as dead skin cell formation, which helps prevent breakouts and may help with skin tone and texture as well. It's got a pretty simple formula with like five ingredients: adapalene, a preservative, and some type of purified water and things like that. Some people have found this to be on the harsh side, so I'd recommend sandwiching it in between moisturizers if you can. Apply a nice light moisturizer, apply your retinoid product, and then apply a thicker cream to help prevent dryness and things like that."
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"The Differin Adapalene Gel, they also have this in generic forms, La Roche-Posay has their own form, Walgreens has their own version of it, so you don't necessarily have to buy Differin, but I think for a while Differin was the main game in town. It's adapalene, it's great for acne. I typically use this one more for anti-aging purposes, although adapalene hasn't been researched a ton for that, but I found it very helpful. For so many years the Differin did a nice job for me. So if you, it's hard to get a prescription or something like that, the Differin is a great one to try, especially for breakouts and pores and things like that. I recommend it. It's still very affordable, a little bit goes a long way, and it's wonderful."
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"Adapalene is the star of the show and I was able to add this in without any dryness. But if you have dry prone skin start out slow and use a good moisturizer with it to prevent flakiness and irritation. If you've used other retinoids in the past it probably won't be an issue, at least it wasn't for me. This one is definitely worth a try, especially if in the US it's easier to get. For some places it requires a prescription still."
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"If you're in the US, you can get this over the counter now. It's fragrance-free. This size tube will be 33 bucks, but nowadays a lot of stores have their generic versions of it, which are about half the price, and the formulas are the same. It contains adapalene, which basically helps to fight acne as well as dead skin cell formation, which helps prevent breakouts and may help with skin tone and texture as well. It's got a pretty simple formula with like five ingredients: adapalene, a preservative, and some type of purified water and things like that. Some people have found this to be on the harsh side, so I'd recommend sandwiching it in between moisturizers if you can. Apply a nice light moisturizer, apply your retinoid product, and then apply a thicker cream to help prevent dryness and things like that."
Approved
"If you're not pregnant, my favorite step is a retinoid. You can use over-the-counter Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%. If you have acne, I don't think that's the best for fine lines and wrinkles."
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"If you want to go with an over-the-counter option, Differin Adapalene 0.1% gel is where it's at. It comes in 15 G or 45 G tubes, go with the 45 G tube because for it to do its full effect it takes about 2 to 3 months when it comes to acne, when it comes to hyperpigmentation and wrinkles takes four to 6 months, so you want to stay with it. So get the bigger size and it's much more economical that way."
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"If you're not pregnant, my favorite step is a retinoid. You can use over-the-counter Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%. If you have acne, I don't think that's the best for fine lines and wrinkles."
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"Adapalene is probably the best over-the-counter retinoid you can use to clear out your pores. I'm still not convinced it works well on wrinkles. It might, but we need more studies around that. Get the 0.1% gel and stay with it at bedtime."
Dermatologist Explains: Which is the Best Retinol for You!
"If you have acne I would say go for adapalene. Don't go wasting your time with retinol or retinaldehyde over the counter. I believe adapalene is the best at treating acne. If you have mild acne you can start off with the over-the-counter option of Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%. Get the 45 g tube and not the 15 g tube because it takes 2 to 3 months of consistent use before you see improvement. Apply a pea-sized amount to your entire face. You're not spot treating it to every single pimple on your face; you're treating the entire face because one it's preventing acne from forming and two it's treating the active lesions there. It'll help with whiteheads, blackheads, and inflamed papules and pustules, but prevent as well. If you have acne go for that instead of trying to rely on your retinol. It's probably not nearly as good for acne as adapalene."
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"If you are in the United States and have mild acne, congested pores, whiteheads, blackheads, adapalene 0.1% by Differin is a good start for that."
Approved
"Adapalene, also known as Differin, is a third generation retinoid and it's very stable in the presence of benzoyl peroxide. So often when I'm counseling my acne patients and they want to be using two anti-acne things in one part of their routine, I'm having them use benzoyl peroxide and adapalene together. Now that does have the potential to be irritating, but they're not going to inactivate one another."
All 4 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis
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"Adapalene, also known as Differin Adapalene 0.1% gel, used to be a prescription retinoid you could only get from your doctor but it's now available over the counter and that is so wonderful. If you're looking for a retinoid that's available over the counter to help you with your acne, this is absolutely my number one choice. Do not bother with retinols or retinoic acid. Adapalene is known as a third generation retinoid so it's going to work on those retinoic acid receptors within your skin but it's considered to be a lot more gentle and people tend to have less irritation when using something like adapalene compared to tretinoin. There are studies showing that 0.1% adapalene is just as effective as 0.025% tretinoin. Within the US, this is the most potent retinoid that you can get over the counter without a prescription."
My Holy Grail Retinoids List | Dermatologist Picks!
"Adapalene is known as a third generation retinoid so it's going to work on those retinoic acid receptors within your skin but it's considered to be a lot more gentle and people tend to have less irritation when using something like adapalene compared to tretinoin. There are studies showing that 0.1% adapalene is just as effective as 0.025% tretinoin. Within the US this is the most potent retinoid that you can get over the counter without a prescription. I love my adapalene when I'm looking for something super potent to use as my retinoid."
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"Adapalene, also known as Differin, is a third generation retinoid and it's very stable in the presence of benzoyl peroxide. So often when I'm counseling my acne patients and they want to be using two anti-acne things in one part of their routine, I'm having them use benzoyl peroxide and adapalene together. Now that does have the potential to be irritating, but they're not going to inactivate one another."
Dermatologist Explains Body Hyperpigmentation: What Causes It, Best Treatments, Prevention, & More!
"Adapalene 0.1 percent gel is a topical retinoid so it sort of fits in the same category as tretinoin but you can get it over the counter under the brand name Differin or Effaclar by La Roche Posay and I would have my patients apply this the same way they would apply topical tretinoin and so to the entire hyperpigmented area ideally nightly."
Approved
"Derms are huge fans of retinoids so starting an adapalene is also great too. Differin makes adapalene gel, Proactive has an adapalene gel and Penoxal also has an adapalene gel."
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"Retinoids include retinol, tretinoin, isotretinoin and they're commonly found in anti-aging products and acne products. This includes things like retinol night serum such as Differin Gel. While they're effective ingredients for various skin conditions, they're best avoided during pregnancy as high doses of vitamin A have been known to be associated with birth defects. The amount of drug absorbed from the skin when you're using the product is actually very low, but there are four independent published case reports of birth defects in literature associated with topical tretinoin use. If you're on 0.025 or 0.05 or 0.1% tretinoin and other things that are higher like tazarotene, then you really want to be a little bit careful."
Approved
"If you don't have sensitive skin you can purchase Differin over the counter as your retinoid."
All 2 takes from Tea with MD
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"If you don't have sensitive skin you can purchase Differin over the counter as your retinoid."
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"If you're finding that you're starting to get blackheads, whiteheads, and clogged pores, you can use a retinoid and the one that I do recommend is Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%. That's over the counter and FDA approved to treat acne. These are very very effective for helping normalize skin cell turnover, exfoliate your pores, and help with whiteheads, blackheads, and acne."
Approved
"Adapalene used to be a prescription, but now it's over the counter. It is really the only retinoid in drug stores that helps to treat and prevent acne. Benzoy peroxide cleanser and adapalene gel is really the dynamic duo that most dermatologists recommend when it comes to over-the-counter treatments. With adapalene, how it works is it helps to improve skin turnover. It's also anti-inflammatory and indirectly antimicrobial. So with that, it helps to treat and prevent acne at the same time while improving pore congestion, blackheads and whiteheads. And because it improves skin turnover, it also helps to improve post-acne marks. This is really one of the most important acne topicals to have over the counter when it comes to treating acne."
All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu
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"Adapalene is wonderful for acne in so many different ways. Number one, it is by far the most effective topical retinoid available in drugstores without a prescription for not only preventing acne but also helping with post-acne marks and in some ways superficial scars. It used to be prescription, but now it's over the counter, so this is a great way, especially if you're not able to get to see a dermatologist, to try this on your skin. Adapalene works like most retinoids do in improving skin turnover, helping to unclog pores. It's anti-inflammatory and so helps with preventing acne, treating mild acne, helping to reduce clogged pores, so blackheads and whiteheads, and then reducing the appearance of enlarged pores. It also helps, because of increasing the skin turnover, with post-acne marks. Another benefit of it is that it's the most gentle of all retinoids when it comes to acne."
Dermatologist creates acne routine for $100 | Dr. Jenny Liu
"Adapalene used to be a prescription, but now it's over the counter. It is really the only retinoid in drug stores that helps to treat and prevent acne. Benzoy peroxide cleanser and adapalene gel is really the dynamic duo that most dermatologists recommend when it comes to over-the-counter treatments. With adapalene, how it works is it helps to improve skin turnover. It's also anti-inflammatory and indirectly antimicrobial. So with that, it helps to treat and prevent acne at the same time while improving pore congestion, blackheads and whiteheads. And because it improves skin turnover, it also helps to improve post-acne marks. This is really one of the most important acne topicals to have over the counter when it comes to treating acne."
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