Retinyl Propionate

Introduction

What is retinyl propionate?

Retinyl propionate, sometimes called vitamin A propionate, is the synthetic ester of retinol and propionic acid. It is an oily liquid that is insoluble in water.

Does retinyl propionate get absorbed?

Like the other retinoids, retinyl propionate is lipophilic, which in theory should help it penetrate the skin barrier. It also has a lower molecular weight of 342.51 Dalton compared to retinyl palmitate, another retinyl ester that is known to be percutaneously absorbed by human skin (R, R). However, we were not able to find any published studies or data to verify whether retinyl propionate is absorbed by the skin and metabolised to the active forms of vitamin A.

Efficacy

Show 2 more outcomes
Outcome	Grade	Effect	Evidence	Studies
Actininc Keratoses	C	⇩ Potential	★★★ Fair	1 study
Skin Thickness	D	⇧ Potential	★ Basic	3 studies 69 participants
Fine Lines	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Spider Veins	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Hyperpigmentation	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Wrinkles	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Skin Elasticity	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants

Mechanisms

Show 7 more outcomes
Outcome	Grade	Effect	Evidence	Studies
Keratinocyte Proliferation	B	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★★★ Fair	2 studies 16 participants
CRABP2	B	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★★★ Fair	1 study 16 participants
Keratin	B	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★★★ Fair	1 study 16 participants
Retinoic Acid Receptor Activation	D	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★ Basic	1 study
Hyaluronan Synthase	D	🠩🠩🠩 Marked	★ Basic	1 study
Loricrin	D	🠫🠫🠫 Marked	★ Basic	1 study
Collagen	D	⇧ Potential	★ Basic	2 studies 69 participants
Glycosaminoglycans	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	2 studies 53 participants
Elastosis	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Inflammation	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Elastic Fibres	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants
Melanin	E	– No Effect	★★★ Fair	1 study 53 participants

Side Effects

Outcome			Effect		Frequency			Studies
Irritation			⇧ Increase		20% (8 out of 40 participants)			2 studies

Latest Research

Retinyl Propionate

What is retinyl propionate?

Does retinyl propionate get absorbed?

Topical application of retinyl propionate, 4 hexyl resorcinol, and niacinamide reverses molecular and clinical features of ageing (2024)

The vitamin A ester retinyl propionate has a unique metabolic profile and higher retinoid-related bioactivity over retinol and retinyl palmitate in human skin models (2021)

Retinyl propionate and climbazole combination demonstrates clinical improvement to the appearance of hyperpigmentation and deep wrinkling with minimal irritation (2017)

Climbazole boosts activity of retinoids in skin (2017)

A clinicopathological study of the effects of topical retinyl propionate cream in skin photoageing (1998)