forwardridge
Iron
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2025
- Posts
- 185
- Reputation
- 332
The Goat Unknown Topical:
An Adapalene Gel Analysis
An Adapalene Gel Analysis
I wanna come on here and advocate for adapalene gel a lot. I think its not only the most underrated skincare product but is also the best topical skincare ingredient out there. Heres my in depth analysis of why its the best topical product available for your skin.
Here’s the table of contents:
- Background of me finding adapalene
- Current adapelene gel routine
- Basic info about adapelene
- RAR’s/Receptor Binding Profile (Why its better than tretinoin)
1. Background/me finding adapalene
If i had to make a ranking of skincare products/ingredients to mog, adapalene gel, specifically differin, would be #2. The reason i cant title this “best unknown skincare product of all time gtfih holy shit” is because accutane exists. I took accutane for 7 months and it completely eviscerated my acne for good. And it was very fucked prior to accutane, check my other threads for reference. Since being off accutane for a little over a year, ive noticed my acne start to creep back. Its not even close to as bad as it was before accutane, but i get a few pimples every week which is definitely noticeable. It being noticeable isnt necessarily a bad thing. Like having anywhere from 1-5 pimples visible on your face at all times isnt technically “unclear skin”, but the difference in mog between having just a few pimples to having absolutely none with glass like skin is massive. Ive had adapalene gel as my active for a little over a month now, and ive got pretty good results. Before accutane, my dermatologist had prescribed me every topical under the fuckin sun and none of them worked.
Heres a short list of some that didnt work:
- tretinoin
- amzeeq (minocycline foam)
- doxycycline antibiotics
- clindamycin
- benzoyl peroxide
2. Current adapelene gel routine:
I like to keep the skincare routine pretty simple. This is done at night. This is only a recommendation. I have other threads about skincare guides that are more in depth if you are looking for that. What adjustments you may need to make to that and what you need to do in the morning for skincare is up to you.
- Cleanse face with cerave foaming cleanser + luke-warm water
- Dry face completely
- OPTIONAL: dampen face with luke-warm water, apply cerave hyaluronic acid serum, wait 1-2 min
- Apply cerave pm lightweight moisturizer
- Wait 1-2 min
- Apply adapelene gel 0.1%, 1-1.5 pea sized drops for the whole face
- Wait 1-2 min
- Apply another layer of cerave pm lightweight moisturizer
3. Very basic info about adapalene (water)
This is gonna be short because chapter 4 is where the bulk of the important info is. You can skip this if you know a lot about retinoids or dont care.
Adapelene gel is a topical retinoid treatment for acne. Its very similar to tretinoin in the way it works, and it some times referred to the OTC version of tret.
It clears acne by promoting skin cell turnover and preventing pore clogging. It comes along with some strong anti-inflammatory benefits as well.
As mentioned earlier, you dont need a prescription for adapalene gel, and thats half true. For the 0.1% concentration version, you dont need a prescription. Differin also makes a 0.3% concentration that does require prescription, and i havent tried it so i wont speak on it, although obv you could buy it online. The 0.1% concentration adapalene is sold by many brands, but i opt for differin’s because their formula is typically tolerated better by peoples skin due to some ingredients they use.
4. RAR’s (Why its better than tretinoin)
As mentioned earlier, adapalene is similar to tret. This is because they both bind to the nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RAR’s), except slightly differently.
First, we must quickly understand the RAR profile. There are 3 main RAR isoforms: RARy, RARb, and RARa.
The roles they play:
RARy:
This receptor plays a big role in keratinocyte turnover in the follice. This essentially means that this receptor is responsible for correct shedding and differentiation of keratinocytes within the epidermis. Keratinocytes make keratin in skin barrier and also have other protective skin barrier roles. Nonetheless, they go through a cycle where they eventually die (shed) and form the dead skin layer. When they shed improperly, microcomedones, or clogged pores, form. Along with that, improper shedding of keratinocytes weakens the skin barrier. This is due to the fact that keratinocytes release inflammatory signals in the body which further attack local acne on the face. When this receptor is binded to by a topical retinoid like adapalene gel, it changes the way keratinocytes differentiate and shed in a more controlled manner, leading to reduced acne.
RARb:
this receptor is less important for acne protection, but when binded to can still help with clearing skin a lot. This receptor doesnt have as many keratinocytes within it, making it less important for keratinocyte turnover. The good thing about this receptor, is that when bound to, it reinforces retinoid signaling. Pretty much, this means that when activated, it upregulates genes help with differentiation and more controlled keratinocyte shedding.
RARa:
like RARb, this receptor has less keratinocytes than RARy, making it less important for stopping acne. Its seen as a more broad tissue protectant. Its main job is prevent inflammation from immune responses and prevents keratinocytes from over proliferating, causing cells to die. The problem with this receptor, is that once bound to, a lot more side effects can arise.
Now we can get into why adapalene is better than tretinoin.
Tretinoin binds to all 3 RAR’s. RARy, RARb, and RARa. This means its great for control keratinocyte turnover and keeping inflammation low, but the binding of RARa is where the problem comes. As i said, the binding of this receptor can lead to a lot of side effects. Most of the dryness, redness, and other irritable side effects from topical tretinoin come from the fact that tret binds to RARa.
How does adapalene differ?
You guessed it! Adapalene gel DOESNT bind to the RARa receptor, and only RARy and RARb. This is why adapalene is commonly tolerated better than tret. This binding profile means you get the correct shedding, anti-inflammation, and dead skin layer control benefits without the horrible, irritant side effects. The high selectiveness of adapalene gel in relation to its receptors cause it to provide less irritation.
BONUS: thats not all folks. Adapalene mogs tret in another fashion. Completely unique to it, adapalene inhibits AP-1 transcription factor and TLR signaling. In short, AP-1 increases pro-inflammatory cytokines and adapalene gel directly prevents the overexpression of those cytokines. This leads to less keratinocyte related inflammation. This means your acne will be less inflamed and red. TLR’s are receptors on cells that detect microbes/bacteria. When these receptors activate, pro-inflammatory mediators/signalers are produced causing more skin inflammation. Adapalene suppresses TLR signaling meaning that there’s less of an immune response to certain bacterias that the TLR’s detect. This gives adapalene gel an anti-inflammatory aspect to it that tretinoin simply cant compete with.
Overall, adapalene gel gives the same acne clearing benefits with less side effects + more anti-inflammatory benefits at a lower cost without needing a prescription. Start using adapalene NOW.
. Gotchu in the next one
