Strong wrinkle-reducing retinol creams will soon be banned in Europe. Here are the ones for your whole body to get your hands on now…

Ask most skincare enthusiasts to pick one ingredient that really works and many will give the same answer.

Retinol, or vitamin A, is one of the few cosmetic ingredients that even skin doctors agree can reduce signs of aging, such as wrinkles and age spots. Its efficacy is supported by strong clinical studies.

So it’s no wonder that many women religiously dab it on their faces before going to bed.

But now a slew of new products claim to deliver the same benefits for your entire body. Can retinol body cream really give you smooth, even, glowing skin? And if so, why haven’t we all been doing that for years?

There’s a growing trend toward super-powerful body care, using expensive ingredients once reserved for facial products. Last year saw the launch of serums and lotions containing a range of anti-aging heroes, from peptides to acids and ceramides.

Can retinol body cream really give you smooth, even, glowing skin? And if so, why haven’t we all been doing that for years?

The latest creams contain percentages of retinol that are lower than most face creams, but should really make a difference. Any concentration of the ingredient from 0.1 percent will counteract the signs of aging, while face creams are currently available in strengths up to 1 percent.

Retinol helps your skin cells produce collagen, the protein that keeps skin plump, more efficiently. At the same time, it accelerates your skin’s ‘cell turnover’, the regeneration cycle that slows as we age.

The result is that your skin functions better and can better repair damage in the form of discolored spots and wrinkled areas. Over time, retinol-treated skin looks plumper and more even. Oil production is also regulated, which means there are fewer stains.

On the other hand, retinol is notorious for causing irritation, so it should be used with care. Initially, all the extra stimulation can lead to inflamed areas and flaky, dry skin.

Beauty expert Ingeborg Van Lotringen (pictured) put the top five retinol body creams to the test

For most users this will subside, but for some the irritation will continue. All of this helps explain why retinol body creams haven’t been widely available until now.

Cost is another factor; Putting enough of a premium ingredient into a body formula will never be cheap. But consumers are now more willing to invest in luscious skin everywhere.

However, good results take time. A retinol product can smooth out rough texture in a few weeks, but plumping up crepey skin and addressing discolorations would take at least three months.

Can the Long-Term Benefits of Retinol Make My Dry Winter Skin Less Needy? Over the course of three months, I put the top five retinol body creams to the test…

THE SUPEREXFOLIATOR

Nécessaire The Body Retinol, £56 (150ml, spacenk.com)

Unscented (although it smells a bit strange) and silky smooth, this cream contains 0.1 percent retinol. It also contains 10 percent exfoliating acids – a lot by any standards. That includes the most powerful, glycolic acid. Within days my skin became so smooth that I felt like a seal.

I loved it, but three weeks later I developed a burning rash on the inside of my elbows that took weeks to clear up. Given the relative percentages, it is more likely that this was caused by the strong exfoliating acids rather than retinol.

I suspect the same goes for its undisputed skin-soothing properties.

PRONUNCIATION: Best for super smooth skin – if you can tolerate glycolic acid. 3/5

SMOOTH BUT PRECIOUS

Paula’s Choice Skin Soothing Retinol Body Treatment, £33 (118ml, paulaschoice.co.uk)

With an additional 0.1 percent retinol (plus skin-protecting antioxidants), vitamin A virgins are advised to only use this every other day initially. But it didn’t cause me any irritation, even with daily use.

There are also rich butters and oils in the formula. It is very light with a pleasant scent that penetrates immediately and leaves the skin smooth. Unfortunately, like most body retinols, it is pricey.

PRONUNCIATION: Lightweight and easy to use, but expensive. 4/5

L-R: Paula’s Choice Skin-Soothing Body Treatment with Retinol, £33 (118ml, paulaschoice.co.uk); Beauty Pie YouthBomb Body Concentrate, £125 (£38 for members, 200ml, beautypie.com)

BEATS STAINS

Beauty Pie YouthBomb Body Concentrate, £125 (£38 for members, 200ml, beautypie.com)

Billed as a retinol body lotion, this actually contains 0.2 percent hydroxypinacolone retinoate, an alternative form of vitamin A that is less irritating but slightly less effective.

On the other hand, it contains almost 7 percent powerful exfoliating glycolic acid and a high dose of brightening and soothing niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3.

Again, the glycolic acid in this made my skin very smooth (it’s great if you have keratosis pilaris or ‘chicken skin’) but it was also irritating (the lingering perfume might have something to do with that).

With niacinamide also in the formulation, this fast-absorbing lotion should be very good at tackling pigment spots, but be sure to use a body SPF as it makes the skin sensitive to the sun.

PRONUNCIATION: Skin brightening but a bit aggressive. 3/5

EXTRA POWERFUL

Skinsense Retinol Body Cream, £26 (100ml, skinsense.co.uk)

This 0.3 percent retinol lotion is the highest percentage available to the body. It also contains the gentle ‘plant-based retinol’, bakuchiol.

Despite the higher concentration of retinol and the fact that this light, comfortable cream is quite strongly scented, it caused no irritation and maintained my smooth ‘seal skin’.

Again, the tube is frustratingly small (100ml) for the price, but at QVC you can get two for a little more than the price of one.

PRONUNCIATION: The most retinol for your money, but a strong scent. 4/5

PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS

Naturium Retinol Body Lotion, £27 (234ml, spacenk.com)

This has an entry-level concentration of 0.05 percent retinol that is ‘encapsulated’ – released slowly after application, further preventing irritation. There are also plenty of anti-inflammatory ingredients like allantoin, plus butters and skin barrier protectors. It is unscented, rich and thick. You don’t need much, which makes the price for this 234ml tube seem even more reasonable.

The smoothing, softening benefits should ultimately be compounded by line-plumping and pigment-blurring effects.

PRONUNCIATION: Great benefits made affordable. 5/5

PS: How safe is strong vitamin A?

If retinol is an essential part of your routine, you may soon be looking for an alternative – from June, sales of stronger retinols will be banned across Europe.

The maximum permitted percentage of retinol in facial creams and serums is currently 1 percent, but will become 0.3 percent.

For body creams, the maximum percentage is only 0.05 percent; the strongest body retinol currently available contains 0.3 percent of the ingredient. The reason, regulators say, is the very small risk of overexposure to vitamin A, which can lead to liver problems and other problems.

Don’t be put off though.

‘The independent scientists who assessed the safety of retinol noted that the contribution of cosmetics (compared to dietary intake) is small,’ says pharmacist Emma Meredith of the Cosmetics, Toiletry and Perfumery Association.

In other words, you only have to worry (somewhat) if you also take a vitamin A supplement and indulge in vitamin A-rich foods, such as eggs, dairy, and mangoes. But if the risk is so low, why this ban? It appears the new rules are partly intended to prevent a common side effect of retinol: skin irritation.

Skin expert Abi Cleeve says regulators are concerned about consumers using multiple products. ‘This can increase the amount of retinol used and lead to inflammation.’

Some experts say you don’t need more than 0.3 percent retinol, so anything higher risks causing unnecessary side effects.