Retinol
Retinol is a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, personal care, and skincare formulations. Depending on its function, it may serve as a moisturizer, preservative, emulsifier, or active ingredient to enhance the overall effectiveness and performance of a product.
Retinol, also called vitamin A1, is a fat-soluble vitamin in the vitamin A family that is found in food and used as a dietary supplement. Retinol or other forms of vitamin A are needed for vision, cellular development, maintenance of skin and mucous membranes, immune function and reproductive development. Dietary sources include fish, dairy products, and meat. As a supplement it is used to treat and prevent vitamin A deficiency, especially that which results in xerophthalmia. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a muscle. As an ingredient in skin-care products, it is used to reduce wrinkles and other effects of skin aging.
 | |
 Retinol | |
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
| License data | |
| Routes of administration | By mouth, intramuscular |
| Drug class | vitamin |
| ATC code | |
| Legal status | |
| Legal status |
|
| Identifiers | |
| |
| CAS Number |
|
| PubChem CID | |
| IUPHAR/BPS | |
| DrugBank | |
| ChemSpider | |
| UNII |
|
| KEGG | |
| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| PDB ligand | |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.621 |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C20H30O |
| Molar mass | 286.459 g·mol−1 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
| Melting point | 62–64 °C (144–147 °F) |
| Boiling point | 137–138 °C (279–280 °F) (10−6 mm Hg) |
| Solubility in water | 0.000017 mg/mL (20 °C) |
| |
| |
Retinol at normal doses is well tolerated. High doses may cause enlargement of the liver, dry skin, and hypervitaminosis A. High doses during pregnancy may harm the fetus. The body converts retinol to retinal and retinoic acid, through which it acts.
Retinol was discovered in 1909, isolated in 1931, and first made in 1947. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Retinol is available as a generic medication and over the counter. In 2021, vitamin A was the 298th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 500,000 prescriptions.
