Pushing the Retinol Envelope

At ZO, we like to push the envelope. For us, “pretty good” is not good enough. That’s why in Ossential® Radical Night Repair Plus, Dr. Obagi amped up the formula to put in 1% retinol. That may not sound like much, but to your skin, it’s a whole lot. Here’s why:

Retinol is the most effective topical ingredient for anti-aging—and the only one that is clinically proven. But for it to be effective, it has to reach a concentration in the skin of at least .60-.70%.

Typical drug-store retinol products (even the best selling ones) only contain about .15%—not enough to make a meaningful difference. No matter how much you put on, you’ll never reach .60%.

With a 1% concentration—as found in Radical Night Repair Plus—you can activate and stimulate your skin cells so that they begin producing collagen and accelerate cellular turnover.

Scientists agree that an even higher concentration ( 2%, 3%, or even 4%) would be even more effective. However the product would be unacceptably irritating. 1% is the ideal “cap rate”—the greatest concentration of retinol, with little or no irritation.

When using Radical Night Repair, please apply gradually according to label directions. Do not use in combination with other nighttime skincare products that may compete with it or induce irritation.