The European Union has regulated the use of retinol, an active ingredient that in recent years has become a star in anti-aging cosmetic treatments, and will not allow products with concentrations higher than 0.3% to be sold if they are facial products. or 0.05% if they are corporal.
Retinol is a form of vitamin A and is considered a safe compound, but the community authorities have decided to establish limits on its use in cosmetics in anticipation of the fact that there are people who, in addition to using these products, are exposed to other sources of vitamin A through of foods and food supplements.
“Vitamin A is not dangerous, and in fact doctors use it, but at high doses it can cause liver and bone problems,” explains Ramon Grimalt, dermatologist and professor at the International University of Catalonia (UIC).
And he emphasizes that, although it is very difficult to incur an excess of vitamin A by using serum or creams with retinol, the truth is that people use creams very differently and it is difficult to know what dose they absorb or if in addition to using These cosmetics take anti-aging dietary supplements or multivitamins that also contain vitamin A, which would accumulate absorption and risks.
Lorena Rivera, head of the Drug Information Center of the College of Pharmacists of Barcelona (COFB), says that it was precisely the probability that an increasing number of citizens who take food supplements are overexposed to vitamin A that has led to to the Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety (CCSC) of the EU to establish “safe” limits of retinol concentrations in cosmetics.
“The risk was low; The EU regulation itself estimates that only 5% of the population would be affected by overexposure to vitamin A, but it is regulated so that people keep in mind that everything adds up, from the creams they put on to the foods and vitamin supplements they use. ingest,” says Rivera.
Grimalt details that “it is a Solomonic decision because there are people who use the creams once a week, others every day; some that are placed only on the cheekbones, others on the entire face; and the absorption of retinol accumulates depending on the dose, frequency, concentration… So if you reduce the concentration of retinol in cosmetics you reduce the risk of excess vitamin A.” The average daily amount of vitamin A recommended for adults is 700 micrograms.
The CCSC opinion that gave rise to the new community regulations establishes that “vitamin A is safe in cosmetic products in concentrations of up to 0.05% retinol equivalent for body lotions and 0.3% retinol equivalent. in facial products.” And that is why it establishes that, starting in November 2025, cosmetics that do not comply with these limitations cannot be placed on the market and that, in May 2027, those that do not comply with the regulations will be withdrawn.
Grimalt emphasizes that, beyond worrying about the dosage of retinol, what consumers should keep in mind is that “there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate its effectiveness for what people use it for, which is to prevent aging.”
He explains that it is an acid that causes local irritation that improves the appearance of the skin and makes it appear brighter “but there is no evidence that those who use retinol, over the years, have less aged skin.” According to the dermatologist, “to prevent skin aging, the only thing we know scientifically that works is protecting yourself from the sun.”
