What is Retinyl Propionate? Uses In Skin Care and Cosmetics

Overview

Retinyl propionate is an esterified form of retinol (you can read more about it here).

Retinoids are a large group of ingredients with vitamin A-like activity (to put it briefly). Retinoic acid is the active form, while others like retinol, retinyl palmitate, and, of course, retinyl propionate, have to first be transformed in the skin cells into the active form. Retinoids have powerful collagen boosting, anti-aging, and anti-acne properties, although some people don't tolerate them well and they are quite unstable when exposed to air, heat, and light.

Retinyl propionate is one of the less used, but very promising, retinoids. A clinical study from 1998 reported only minimal trends towards anti-aging skin improvements after using a 0,15% RP cream for more than 24 weeks. That was not very promising, but what they did notice was that all signs of actinic keratosis had disappeared (a scaly spot caused by sun damage).

Two newer studies follow up on this: one test-tube study reports that RP is effectively utilized by skin cells, while another test-tube study reports that while pure RP is effective at stimulating collagen production, it works even better when combined with other antioxidants and niacinamide.

Other studies seem to agree – there are clinical tests with skincare products that combine RP with climbazole, niacinamide, and peptides, and a whole range of different ingredients, with good anti-aging results and less irritation. These also agree that the concentration of RP used should be 0,3%.

Lastly, RP appears to be more stable in a skincare formula than regular retinol. Overall, it is a promising retinoid that seems to be better tolerated and easier to work with.

Either way, it is important to always remember to include sunscreen in your retinoid skincare regime!

Science

Green, C., Orchard, G., Cerio, R., & Hawk, J. L. (1998). A clinicopathological study of the effects of topical retinyl propionate cream in skin photoageing. Clinical and experimental dermatology, 23(4), 162–167.

Bjerke, D. L., et al. (2020). The vitamin A ester retinyl propionate has a unique metabolic profile and higher retinoid-related bioactivity over retinol and retinyl palmitate in human skin models. Experimental dermatology, 10.1111/exd.14219.

Lam, E., et al. (2021). Enhanced retinoid response by a combination of the vitamin A ester retinyl propionate with niacinamide and a flavonoid containing Ceratonia siliqua extract in retinoid responsive in vitro models. International journal of cosmetic science, 43(1), 102–106.

Hawkins, S., et al. (2017). Retinyl propionate and climbazole combination demonstrates clinical improvement to the appearance of hyperpigmentation and deep wrinkling with minimal irritation. International journal of cosmetic science, 39(6), 589–599.

Fu, J. J., et al. (2010). A randomized, controlled comparative study of the wrinkle reduction benefits of a cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate product regimen vs. a prescription 0.02% tretinoin product regimen. The British journal of dermatology, 162(3), 647–654.

Kaczvinsky, J. R., Griffiths, C. E., Schnicker, M. S., & Li, J. (2009). Efficacy of anti-aging products for periorbital wrinkles as measured by 3-D imaging. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 8(3), 228–233.

Semenzato, A., Bovenga, L., Faiferri, L., Austria, R., and Bettero, A. Stability of Vitamin A propionate in cosmetic formulations. SÖFW-Journal, 123, 151-154 (1997)