Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty Retinal Night Review
March 15, 2023
Hi! I’m updating this post as I have some new info. The first post originally appeared in March 2023.
For the past two and a half months, I’ve been participating in a secret skin trial for one of Dr. Whitney Bowe’s new products from her Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty line called Retinal Night–the newest product to the DWB Beauty line.
In this post, I’m walking you through what it was like being part of the testing group, how I used the product, and the results I saw with consistent use.
Being Part of the Secret Skin Cyclers Squad
As a longtime fan and IG friend of Dr. Bowe (I’ve interviewed her several times on my podcast–links below!), I knew that whatever product she formulates would be high quality and well-researched. And that was definitely the case with this new formula, a retinal product. The official name is Retinal Night 0.1% Retinal Firming Treatment.
Here’s how it all started: DWB Beauty posted on social media to see who would want to participate in a secret product testing group, so I applied, and I was so excited to be selected. In all, there were a few dozen people who got to participate, and we even got to do a group chat with Dr. Bowe to learn about the product. Plus, each of us got some separate one-on-one time to walk through any questions we might have.
Having time with a world-renowned doctor with the type of knowledge and experience Dr. Bowe has was amazing. She is always so gracious, chill, and down-to-earth, so as you can imagine, I was stoked to be part of this group!
I’m going to run through what makes this product different, what I thought, and how I use it in my routine. If you’re in the market for a new product that fights wrinkling and discoloration, read on!
WE GOTTA SHOP
Here are the products mentioned in this post
What is Retinal, and How Is It Different from Retinol?
According to Dr. Bowe, retinal works “smarter, harder and better” than many other products containing related ingredients, such as retinol (with an “o”) or even prescription-strength tretinoin.
“Retinal (a.k.a retinaldehyde) is the most potent vitamin A you can get without a prescription. It’s ten times more bioavailable than retinol, so it works faster, and a lot less is needed to drive impactful results.”
The ingredient itself is only one conversion step away from retinoic acid, the ingredient found in many prescription products labeled as “anti-aging.” As a result, you need less of this in any given product to see results.
And the biggest bonus for me, as someone who hasn’t used retinol regularly for quite some time, is that it is touted as exceptionally gentle on the skin, which I can attest is true.
My skin just hasn’t been loving retinol products since I hit 40. Often times I will never get out of the “adjustment period” that you hear so many skin influencers talk about–that period of time you’re supposed to give a Vitamin A-based product to stop irritating your skin, and start working (i.e. helping to clear and plump skin). Because I was already deliberately avoiding using any Vitamin A product at the time I signed up for this trial, I knew I would get a true idea of how this product works, as I hadn’t been on anything else for quite some time.
My Skin Journey
Why was I staying away from retinol and Vitamin A products? When I turned 40, my skin overall became more dehydrated, and therefore more reactive to active ingredients. The retinol creams that I have loved in the past just weren’t working for me.
I did use a product or two containing bakuchiol over the past year and had great results, but I never ended up sticking with it–a combination of laziness and also fear that my skin would react kept me away from any products that had these ingredients.
So when I signed up to be part of this trial, I knew I’d be stepping out of my comfort zone by using an active product, but I trust Dr. Bowe’s scientific knowledge and knew that if I were going to dip my toes back into the Vitamin A product world, this would be a great way to do it.
Want to hear more on retinal and how it works? Check out my interview with Dr. Bowe below!
Review of the Dr. Whitney Bowe Retinal Night 0.1% Retinal Firming Treatment
Here is my skin before I started skin cycling, using this product.
And here is my skin now, about 2.5 months later.
It’s not exactly the same lighting–I took the first one at night in front of a cool- and warm-mixed light mirror on a setting similar to true daylight–but the results are there. You can check out the Reel I put together to get a closer look.
My pores are cleaner, and I genuinely feel that my overall texture is smoother. While I did see some slight fading on my cheeks, I do still have some dark spots, so we’ll see with continued use if those improve. I’m also only using this an average of two nights a week, and from what I understand, if I want those to clear up more quickly, I should bump up to more frequent use. I’m not sure I want to do that right now, but that’s another story.
Overall, I’ve been happy with the performance of the Dr. Whitney Bowe Retinal Night!
It’s non-irritating, although on the mornings after I used it I did notice that my skin–while not peeling–was a bit red, almost as if I had a little pinkish glow.
On those mornings I would just wash with a gentle cleanser to make sure there wasn’t any retinal left on my skin (I didn’t want it to sensitize my skin in the sun), put on a good peptide serum and SPF, and my skin looked and felt great!
Here’s what I notice after using DWB Beauty Retinal Night:
My skin texture has improved.
As someone with larger pores genetically, this has cleared out the clogged pores on my cheeks, and overall I feel my skin looks smoother.
I have a subtle glow.
When I wake up in the morning, I feel my skin has a radiance to it. I credit this not only to skin cycling, but also the seabuckthorn oil cleansing routine, which has helped to rejuvenate my skin barrier.
Does retinal help with acne?
I can’t attest to this directly, as I don’t struggle with acne or breakouts on a regular basis, with the exception of some occasional hormonal acne along my jawline. When I have a zit or two, I’ll usually just apply a dab of a benzoyl peroxide treatment on it, and that really helps.
Does retinal help with wrinkles or fine lines?
I don’t have deep wrinkles, but I do have a few fine lines that come out with expression. I don’t think any skin care product alone will erase wrinkles–truly, only a neuromodulator can “freeze” your skin–but this does help my skin to feel a little plumper and more refined.
How Do You Use the Dr. Whitney Bowe Retinal Night?
Of course, as the mother of Skin Cycling, Dr. Bowe recommends using this treatment as part of a plan where you cycle it out with other products.
I did the Gentle Skin Cycling method, which looks like this:
Since I’m following the Gentle Skin Cycling routine, I don’t use the retinal as frequently as someone on a more aggressive routine might. Here’s how it looks:
Every night, I cleanse with the Living Libations Seabuckthorn Oil, using the technique shown by Noy Skincare’s Danna Omari. I put together a Reel showing the method here. Then, I follow this schedule:
Night One:
Cleanse; let skin dry; apply Exfoliation Night; apply Bowe Glowe for added moisture
Night Two:
Cleanse; let skin dry; apply Retinal; apply Bowe Glowe for added moisture
Nights Three, Four and Five:
Cleanse; let skin dry; apply Clearstem’s Bounceback Triple Peptide Stem Cell serum; apply moisturizer and then Furtuna Skin Olive Replenishing Balm to lock it all in.