Tried & tested: the new Boots No7 retinol cream with a 100k+ waitlist
Boots’ own beauty brand, No7, is no stranger to huge demand. Last year, 36,000 people joined the waitlist to hear about its new Firming Booster Serum and Dark Spot Correcting Serums.
Yet, the cult brand has topped itself again in 2020, accruing a massive 100,040 waitlist for its latest product: No7 Advanced Retinol 1.5% Complex Night Concentrate.
When the brand’s first retinol cream dropped last Thursday, it sold more than 3,000 units of the product between 7am and 9am that morning, with one cream selling every three seconds. By lunchtime that day, there was a cream being sold every 1.8 seconds.
But what is retinol and why is the product so popular? We look into No7’s game-changing cream below.
What are the benefits of retinol?
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and works by increasing the skin’s cell turnover, which is why it's often hailed as one of the top ingredients to help fight ageing. In the 1970s, it was used as a form of acne treatment, but scientists soon discovered it has a number of other benefits like combatting pigmentation, boosting collagen and pore congestion.
Vitamin A cannot be made in the body, which is why it needs to be applied topically (in the form of a retinol cream), or ingested through what we eat - fish, eggs, butter and various cheeses are all good sources of vitamin A.
Those using retinol products for the first time need to be careful, as side effects include dry, flaking skin and moderate irritation, but if you gradually introduce it to your skincare routine (i.e. don’t use it every night from the off), you should be able to bypass any negative side effects and reap the benefits instead.
What is the No7 retinol cream and why did it accrue such a big waitlist?
The cream is No7’s first clinically-proven advanced retinol concentration and promises to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, along with a slew of anti-ageing benefits. It also says it can refine pores, increase elasticity, reduce hyperpigmentation and improve collagen levels, too.
Dr Mike Bell, No7's Scientific Advisor, says: “For a long time, there has been a perception that the higher the percentage of retinol in a product, the better it works. However, our scientific research with the University of Manchester has found that 0.3 per cent retinol delivers virtually the same age-defying benefits as a higher concentration retinol but with minimum irritation.”
No7 is known for delivering high quality, budget-friendly products, which could be why its waitlist for its first ever retinol product was so extensive. Retailing for an introductory price of £25 until June 30, and £34 thereafter, the product is comparably cheaper to other similar cult retinol products on the market (such as Drunk Elephant’s A-Passioni Retinol Cream which retails at £62 and Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment which is £53).
Does No7’s new retinol cream work?
With the promise of wrinkle-free, glowing skin, it’s hard not to think the No7 retinol cream will be a miracle worker. In a 12-week clinical study, 60 women between 45 and 65 were divided into two groups with half wearing a day and night cream and the other half using the same creams but with the addition of No7’s retinol concentrate.
As per instructions, those in the retinol group increased their use over four weeks and then applied it every night for eight weeks. By the end of the study, those who applied the retinol cream showed double the improvement in the appearance of crow’s feet, firmness of the skin, hyperpigmentation and under-eye wrinkles. Further studies found the cream also increases collagen production by 55 per cent and doubles epidermal thickening.
For me, the biggest issues I have with my mid-late 20s skin is enlarged pores around the T-zone and the first sign of wrinkles. I’ve also never used a retinol product on my skin so I was interested to see the results and how my skin would react to the powerful concentrate.
Adhering to the instructions, I applied two pumps of the retinol cream after cleansing my face at night and followed it with No7’s serum, eye cream and night cream - my skin was duly hydrated as I hit the sheets. I’ve applied the cream twice now, over non-consecutive nights, and have already noticed a stark difference: my pores appear smaller, blackheads noticeably reduced. My skin feels fresh and glowy in the morning, even on a morning after not using the retinol cream, its effects are still present. And, while it's probably too early to tell at this stage, the fine lines starting to appear around my eyes do look fainter, less noticeable.
Using the cream has also encouraged me to use sunscreen more often, as retinol makes your skin more sensitive to the sun’s rays which is why it should only ever be used at nighttime, before bed, and sunscreen should be applied the next morning. Sunscreen should be at the top of your beauty regime in any case, as its protective benefits can stop the signs of ageing and reduce the amount of exposure your skin gets to the sun’s harmful rays.
Our verdict
No7’s Advanced Retinol 1.5% Complex Night Concentrate is a budget-friendly retinol product that says what it does on the tin (or tube, in this case). It’s lightweight, hardworking and will leave your skin with a fresh glow you didn’t realise it had.
No7 Advanced Retinol 1.5% Complex Night Concentrate is £25 for the month of June and £34 thereafter, boots.com
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