This Retinol Alternative For Sensitive Skin Is Perfect For Plumping Without The Irritation

It’s summer, which means your kids are likely out of school for the next couple of (very long) months. Even if you’ve signed them up for camp, summer can be a stressful time, because kids still manage to always be bored and always need a snack. That brings me to Facetheory, a company that makes skin-brightening retinol alternatives that your “dealing-with-the-kids-all-summer” face deserves.

Retinol is a form of vitamin A that’s used in lots of well-known products to help target fine lines and discoloration. If you’ve used retinol in the past, you might have first-hand experience with its potential gnarly side effects, including redness, irritation, burning, itching, dry skin, and an increased sensitivity to the sun.

Facetheory makes some pretty mind-blowing products that provide the powerful skin-revitalizing effects of retinol without the risk of sensitivity or irritation. Since they work so well, I’m sharing them with you so we can all absolutely glow this summer — because we deserve to look dewy and youthful as our kids run hog wild.

Facetheory’s Best Retinol Alternatives

It always feels good to add a balancing oil to your skincare regimen. Facetheory’s Balancing Rosehip Oil will feel extra good, because it contains powerful antioxidants that help promote brighter, smoother, more supple skin while defending against environmental damage. We’re looking at you, summer sun. Naturally rich in Vitamin A, the organic oil gently promotes cellular regeneration targeting signs of sun damage. Yes, please.

If you’ve never used (or even heard of) bakuchiol, let me give you a quick rundown. When compared to retinol in a clinical study, bakuchiol worked similarly, however it’s natural and it doesn’t cause skin sensitivities retinol can. Facetheory’s Bakuluronic Moisturizer M1 is a hydrating face cream comprised of 2% bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. The cruelty-free daytime formula comes in a 50-milliliter glass jar and works best for combination/oily skin. It has a light scent that isn’t overpowering.

Raise your hand if you could use a relaxing night cream. That’s everyone, right? Facetheory’s Relaxing Night Cream M10 Pro is what dreams are made of — literally and figuratively. Formulated for all skin types and gently scented, the cream works hard to repair your skin overnight while you sleep. It has a whole bunch of good-for-your-skin stuff inside that you’ve probably never heard of (I certainly haven’t), including the brand’s proprietary ChroNOline, a biomimetic lipopeptide that targets fine lines. It also has encapsulating melatonin, an already beloved sleepy-time ingredient, but this time it’s working on a cellular level to regenerate and protect against oxidative stress.

We’re always so busy moisturizing our faces, it’s easy to bypass our eyes. (I’m talking about myself here, but I imagine you might do the same.) Whether you feel like you’re looking extra tired these days (totally understandable), or you want to be proactive about skin care on all areas of your face, Facetheory’s Ocuwake Eye Cream Eye1 can be a tremendous help. The eye cream contains a blend of vitamin C, ferulic acid, licorice, and chamomile. Another active ingredient is the brand’s proprietary Meiview, which is obtained from a microorganism that lives in the halophyte plant, and improves microcirculation and increases production of collagen I, for smoother and plumper skin. Together, the ingredients can help reduce dark circles and bags under your eyes — you know, the ones you’ve obtained from your kids being home all summer.