Tretinoin without the chaos.

— § 01

The steps.

1. 01

   PM

   Oil cleanser, then cream cleanser

   Double cleanse, gentle

   An oil-then-cream double cleanse removes mineral SPF and the day's oxidative load without stripping the barrier. The single most-skipped step in PM anti-aging routines, and the one that determines whether tretinoin will actually be tolerated.

   DHCTier A

   Deep Cleansing Oil

   Default oil

   CetaphilTier A

   Gentle Cleanser →

   Cream step

2. 02

   PM

   Buffered tretinoin 0.025%

   Wait 20 min, sandwich method

   Apply a pea-sized amount of tretinoin to a thin moisturiser layer (the buffer) on dry skin. Start twice weekly for two weeks, then alternate nights for four weeks, then nightly. The 12-week ramp matters far more than the strength.

   GaldermaTier A

   Retino-A 0.025%

   Default

   JanssenTier A

   Retin-A Micro 0.04%

   Premium

3. 03

   PM

   Ceramide-rich night cream

   Generous, occlusive

   The barrier-protecting layer that closes the sandwich. A ceramide + cholesterol + fatty acid blend in a richer texture preserves the lipid bilayer that tretinoin transiently disrupts. Apply 5–10 minutes after the tretinoin.

   CeraVeTier A

   PM Facial Lotion →

   Default

   La Roche-PosayTier A

   Toleriane Riche

   Premium

4. 04

   PM

   Lip + eye occlusive

   Targeted, petrolatum-based

   The first signs of tretinoin retinisation appear at the perioral and periorbital margins. A small petrolatum dot at these zones — applied before the tretinoin — preempts the cracking that would otherwise force you to pause the protocol.

   AquaphorTier A

   Healing Ointment

   Default

   VaselineTier A

   Original

   Budget