Retinol Purge

It’s a strong one! I had a similar issue, my skin couldn’t handle it and after 2 months I switched to the naturium retinol which is super gentle due to the encapsulated formula. I used that one for about a month and switched back to Paula’s choice, no issues at all. No more peeling or irritation. I now use the Paula’s choice 2/3 x week with no side effects.

if this is your 1st ever retinoid product, it is too strong, esp for sensitive skin. a safe beginner's strength for retinol is somewhere between 0.1 to 0.3% ive been using a 0.2% since last october, its still a bit irritating if i didn't sandwich the retinol in between 2 layers of moisturizer. am still only using it less than 3x per week. Some tips to lessen irritation ⬇️ • dont use more than a tiny droplet or 2. • don't use daily, limit to once a week for now since it's still very irritating for you. • gradually increase to 2 nights per week if it is no longer irritating. go slow, there's no rush to get yr skin to be able to tolerate daily retinol, nor is it necessary to do so. less is more. • only use it on forehead & cheeks • AVOID smile lines, mouth area & eye area, these area are more sensitive and more supsetible to peeling & flaking. • use retinol on DRY skin, not damp. • buffer the retinol in between 2 layers of moisturizer. (google "moisturizer sandwich method" for more details) • if that's still too powerful, you can also dilute retinol further by mixing a drop of retinol with a big glob of moisturizer (adjust moisturizer:retinol ratio accordingly) on yr palms. Mix it evenly and spread the diluted mixture over forehead & cheeks. • the more you rub it in the stronger the effects, so less rubbing if you want less irritation. it might take a few tries to get it just right, but you'll get a feel for it after a few tries.

sounds like your skin can't handle it , but if you still wanna give a chance to try it , might you use it by sandwich method instead ? so you apply moisturizer or hydrating serum - then apply retinol serum - and putting the moisturizer/hydrating serum afterwards. using retinol is so tricky , you need exploring many ways to applied them until you know the best way to used it on you .

It seems like you need a milder dose of Retinol, 1% was too much for your skin.