I Replaced Retinol With This Smoothing Anti-Aging Moisturizer That Helps Me Skip Botox

Renée Reardin

June 26, 2024 at 10:00 AM·3 min read

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My skin is happier, clearer, and brighter than ever.

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I have a confession to make: Last year I made a silly skin-care mistake that I, a journalist who’s researched and written about beauty for over a decade, shouldn’t have made. I chose not to listen to my dermatologist when he told me my skin was too sensitive for tretinoin (a type of retinol), and I went behind his back and got a prescription. You know what happened next—I learned my lesson. My skin turned into a dry, red, splotchy, scaly mess, and stayed that way for months. I was only recently able to bring it back to a healthy state after replacing tretinoin with a different anti-aging product perfect for those of us with sensitive skin: SkinCeuticals’s Metacell Renewal B3 Niacinamide Moisturizer.

First, let’s address the obvious question: Tretinoin is one of the best anti-aging products available today—so how could an ingredient like niacinamide even compete with it? That’s because niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, has been proven to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier, reduce the appearance of discoloration, soothe blotchiness, and, unlike retinoids like tretinoin, is suitable for all skin types.

Now, here’s why the SkinCeuticals niacinamide moisturizer has been especially helpful for my skin after my tret blunder: It healed my damaged skin barrier, which had caused more visible signs of aging thanks to my skin’s unrelenting dryness and irritation. But this moisturizer was able to reverse the damage and make my complexion look better than ever—or at least younger than it’s looked in a few years.

Aside from containing 5 percent niacinamide, it also includes a tripeptide concentrate, which offers more anti-aging benefits like smoothing wrinkles, boosting collagen, and improving texture. It also contains 15 percent pure glycerin, which increases cell turnover to even skin tone, hikes up elasticity, and softens wrinkles.

I’m not the only one seeing great results: One reviewer said this SkinCeuticals product is “hydrating and makes a noticeable difference in the appearance of fine lines.” “I've seen an improvement in evening out skin tone…[and] a reduction in fine lines around my eyes,” another reviewer added. And a final customer noted improvement in as little as two weeks; they said their skin is “more supple, brighter, and smooth.”

I’ve been applying SkinCeuticals’s Metacell Renewal B3 Niacinamide Moisturizer every night to clean skin for six weeks and I’m already thrilled with the results. Here’s what else: It’s been seven months since my last Botox appointment, and I don’t feel the need to hop into my dermatologist’s chair anytime soon.

Below, shop more anti-aging powerhouses from SkinCeuticals.