Summer often comes with a familiar piece of skincare advice: stop your retinoid until the weather cools down.
It's one of the most common myths in skincare, and it's largely based on a misunderstanding of how retinal actually behaves in sunlight. Pausing a retinal serum for the summer isn't just unnecessary for most people — it can actually undo the progress the serum has been making.
Where Does the "Pause Retinal in Summer" Advice Come From?
The concern usually traces back to a mix-up between two very different things: sun sensitivity and light sensitivity.
Retinal doesn't make skin more sensitive to the sun simply because it's present. What retinal actually is, is photolabile — meaning the molecule itself breaks down when exposed to light, which reduces its effectiveness rather than increasing your risk of sunburn. That's an important distinction, because it changes what you actually need to worry about.
Does Retinal Make Skin More Sensitive to the Sun?
Not directly, and not simply by being on your skin during the day.
The reason retinoids are associated with increased sun sensitivity has more to do with their effect on skin over time: as they support cell turnover, they can temporarily thin the outermost layer of skin, which does make it somewhat more vulnerable to UV exposure. That effect isn't seasonal — it's present whether you're using a retinal serum in July or January, and it's managed the same way regardless of the time of year: consistent daily sunscreen.
What Actually Happens If You Stop Using Retinal for Summer?
Pausing consistent use is the one thing that reliably undoes a retinal serum's benefits.
Skin gradually thins back out. The improvements in texture and fine lines that come from consistent retinal use rely on continued use — stopping allows skin to return to its previous state over several weeks.
You lose the cumulative benefit. Retinal's effects build over time with regular use, so a summer-long pause means restarting much of that progress when you pick it back up in the fall.
The break doesn't reduce sun sensitivity. Since the retinoid isn't the direct cause of increased UV vulnerability the way many assume, stopping it doesn't meaningfully change your sun exposure risk — it just costs you months of consistent use for no real protective benefit.
What Should You Actually Do Instead of Pausing?
Keep using your retinal serum at night, and treat sunscreen as the non-negotiable part of the equation — exactly as you would any other time of year.
Apply retinal in the evening as usual, since nighttime use avoids the photolability issue entirely. Then apply sunscreen every morning without exception, reapplying if you're outdoors for extended periods. This combination lets you keep the cumulative benefits of your retinal serum without adding any meaningful summer-specific risk.
Are There Any Legitimate Reasons to Adjust Retinal Use in Summer?
For most people, no adjustment is needed at all — but a few situational changes can help comfort without requiring a full pause.
If skin feels more reactive during hot, humid weather, reducing frequency slightly (for example, from nightly to four times a week) is a reasonable adjustment. This is about comfort, not necessity, and it's very different from stopping altogether for the whole season.
FAQ
Should you stop using retinal serum in the summer?
No, for most people this isn't necessary. Retinal doesn't directly increase sun sensitivity by being present on the skin — daily sunscreen use, not pausing your retinoid, is what actually manages any UV-related risk.
Does retinal make skin more sensitive to sunburn?
Not directly. The increased sun sensitivity associated with retinoids is related to their gradual thinning effect on the outer skin layer over time, not to the retinoid being present during the day, since it's applied at night and doesn't remain "active" in a way that reacts to sunlight.
What happens if you take a summer break from your retinal serum?
Skin gradually loses the texture and renewal benefits that come from consistent use, and you lose months of cumulative progress — without any real reduction in sun sensitivity, since that risk isn't tied to the season.
Why is retinal used at night instead of during the day?
Retinal is photolabile, meaning it breaks down when exposed to light, which reduces its effectiveness. Using it at night avoids this issue and allows it to work overnight while skin repairs itself.
If summer has you second-guessing your retinal serum, the better move is usually to keep it in your nightly routine and double down on daily sunscreen instead of pausing.
Advanced+ Renewal is formulated to be gentle enough for consistent nightly use, all year round, including through the summer months.
