Difference Between Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol

The key difference between retinyl palmitate and retinol is that retinyl palmitate is a form of vitamin A; it is an ester formed from the reaction of retinol and palmitic acid. Meawhile, retinol is the purest form of vitamin A.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient. It is an organic compound that contains retinol, retinoic acid, and provitamin A compounds, such as retinyl palmitate. Vitamin A is essential for good vision, healthy skin, teeth and skeleton and maintenance of the immune system. Moreover, vitamin A is an antioxidant. It prevents the formation of free radicals that damage the cells and repairs our skin as well. Retinyl palmitate and retinol are two forms of vitamin A. They are retinoids. Retinol is the purest form of vitamin A which is more potent than retinyl palmitate.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Retinyl Palmitate 
3. What is Retinol
4. Similarities Between Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol
5. Side by Side Comparison – Retinyl Palmitate vs Retinol in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Retinyl Palmitate?

Retinyl palmitate is a form of vitamin A. In fact, it is a preformed vitamin A. It is an ester formed from the reaction of retinol with palmitic acid. It is found in animal products such as eggs, chicken, and beef. Similar to retinol, retinyl palmitate is also an antioxidant and a source of vitamin A.

Moreover, retinyl palmitate is a constituent of skincare products. Retinyl palmitate should be converted into retinol prior to absorbing into the bloodstream. Compared to retinol, retinyl palmitate is less effective and less potent.

What is Retinol?

Retinol is a form of vitamin A. In fact, it is the purest form of vitamin A. Retinol is an antioxidant and anti-ageing compound that is essential for skin-renewal and reducing wrinkles, lines, and age spots. Therefore, it is one of the best-studied skincare ingredients.

Retinol aids in producing collagen to have a powerful skin. Moreover, it is a powerful antioxidant which prevents free radical formation. Therefore, we consume foods containing retinol; we can also take in retinol through dietary supplements. Furthermore, retinol is used to treat vitamin A deficiencies. However, too much of vitamin A is also not good for our health. They can be harmful or fatal.

When exposed to sunlight, retinol breaks down and becomes less active and less beneficial. Thus, retinol products come in opaque packaging to prevent exposure to sunlight and UV.

What are the Similarities Between Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol?

• Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol are two forms of vitamin A.
• Both are bioavailable and can be easily absorbed into the body and used efficiently.
• They are powerful antioxidants.
• Bothe retinyl palmitate and retinol should be converted into retinoic acid, which is the active form of vitamin A.

What is the Difference Between Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol?

Retinyl palmitate is a type of vitamin A formed by the reaction of retinol and palmitic acid, while retinol is the purest form of vitamin A. So, this is the key difference between retinyl palmitate and retinol. Moreover, retinol is more potent than retinyl palmitate. Further, the chemical formula of retinyl palmitate is C₃₆H₆₀O₂ while the chemical formula of retinol is C₂₀H₃₀O. Also, another difference between retinyl palmitate and retinol is the molecular mass. That is; the molecular mass of retinyl palmitate is 524.86 g/mol, whereas the molecular mass of retinol is 286.45 g/mol.

The below infographic summarizes the difference between retinyl palmitate and retinol.

Summary – Retinyl Palmitate vs Retinol

Retinyl palmitate and retinol are two forms of vitamin A. Retinyl palmitate is formed from the reaction of retinol with palmitic acid. Therefore, retinyl palmitate is an earlier form of retinol. Retinol is the purest form of vitamin A. Compared to retinol, retinyl palmitate is less potent and less effective. Therefore, retinol is used as a major constituent of skincare products than retinyl palmitate. Retinyl palmitate can be effective in boosting collagen fibres in the skin by indirectly working for skin health. So, this summarizes the difference between retinyl palmitate and retinol.

Reference:

1.“Retinyl Palmitate.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2019, Available here.
2.“Retinol Palmitate.” Retinol Palmitate – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Retinyl palmitate2” By SubDural12 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Retinol 3D balls” By Jynto (talk) – Own workThis image was created with Discovery Studio Visualizer (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia