Face & Neck Firming Retinal Serum Stick

Retinoids tend to stop at the jawline. Not by design, but because a serum in a dropper is fiddly to take any further, and the neck and chest are the first places people give up on. This solves it by putting encapsulated retinaldehyde into a solid stick that glides straight down the neck and across the décolletage in a few seconds.

Retinaldehyde sits one step closer to the active form of vitamin A than retinol does, which means it works efficiently at lower strengths and tends to be better tolerated on thinner skin. Encapsulation slows the release further. The base is anhydrous, an oil and wax system rather than a water-based one, so there is no stickiness, no crystallisation and no drag as it goes on.

Alongside it sits a spilanthol extract, which tightens the look of skin almost immediately, and palmitoyl peptides that work on the appearance of firmness over a longer stretch. Skin-identical lipids and ubiquinone keep the barrier comfortable throughout. Over several weeks, fine lines look softened and crepey texture on the neck looks smoother and more taut.

Best for

Loss of firmness through the face, neck and chest, crepey texture, and anyone who finds conventional retinol too much for the neck.

How to use

In the evening, glide the stick over clean, dry skin across the face, neck and chest. If you are new to retinoids, start two or three nights a week and build up as skin adjusts. Follow with moisturiser, and always wear SPF the following morning.

Key ingredients

Encapsulated retinaldehyde encourages surface turnover and softens the look of fine lines, with fewer conversion steps than retinol and a gentler feel on delicate skin. Spilanthes acmella extract tightens the appearance of skin from the first application. Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl tripeptide-1 support the look of firmness over time. A skin-identical lipid complex reinforces the barrier, and ubiquinone adds antioxidant defence against environmental stress.