Cited skincare — every flag names its source, no upsell.What it does
The adapalene is joined to oleyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol, and the EU lists it as a cosmetic ingredient. Drop’s sources don’t cover it on its own, so out of caution it’s skipped in pregnancy, while trying to conceive and while breastfeeding.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a skin conditioner, its general term for an ingredient that keeps skin in good condition.European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
strongNo topical retinoid is recommended in pregnancy. The class covers tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene, trifarotene, retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl palmitate and hydroxypinacolone retinoate. Studies of accidental exposure, mostly to tretinoin and adapalene early in pregnancy, are reassuring. They are not strong enough to recommend any retinoid in pregnancy. The caution extends to the other retinoids as a class-effect. Oral isotretinoin is a separate case, with an absolute contraindication.ACOG 2022 · ACOG patient FAQ ↗ expert consensusUnder 18, Drop does not suggest a retinoid to prevent aging. No source Drop has read tested one for that in anyone under 18, and the only under-18 data in the retinoid review it cites comes from people with acne. Acne is different: the American Academy of Dermatology's acne guideline covers patients from age 9 and strongly recommends topical retinoids for acne. That is a conversation with a doctor.Motamedi 2022 · Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery ↗ Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Browse all 712 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
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