This is by far our favorite choice when it comes to products specifically for removing stretch marks, dark spots, and sagging skin. The Glow Fairy’s Retinol Body Glow Wand is a highly-condensed retinol balm that you easily apply to any area of concern on your body. The Body Glow Wand comes packed with retinol along with a handful of effective ingredients (including squalane, vitamin E, and lanolin) to help boost your skin’s moisture and collagen production and help lessen the appearance of stretch marks, wrinkles, and dark spots while giving your skin a smoother and softer feel. Not only that, it was the only product on our list to offer a special 50% off discount code SECRET50, which made it one of the most affordable. So cool! The balm is easy to apply with just a few swipes needed every night on the areas of skin that need your help. Highly recommended! 

For extra dry and aging skin, Medix is a great solution. It offers a strong mix of retinol and ferulic acid to help sagging skin regain its moisture and elasticity. For extra support it is infused with Black Tea, Aloe Vera, and Chamomile. What stopped us from putting this product on the top was its scent! Unlike Glow Fairy and other retinol creams which either are scentless or have a small hint of scent, Medix gives off a STRONG perfume scent that resembles the smell of an old woman’s purse. LOL. It was too much for our sensitive noses, especially if you’re applying at night. But hey! Maybe a strong smell is for you! 

One thing many customers are worried about with retinol is how it can make your skin red and sensitive for a time, especially when you first start using it. Naturewell uses a micro-encapsulated retinol which helps with distribution of the retinol plus improved efficacy. We found this to be true, with some of our researchers noticing less redness after the first few uses. We’d like this cream more if it had some added antioxidants to help really battle aging, but it’s still a great choice. 

This is a great recommendation for anyone who’s using retinol to try and battle dark spots. PH Factor has added Ferulic Acid, which is a powerful antioxidant that targets sun damaged skin. So the nice one-two punch of both retinol and ferulic acid can really help keep your skin tone nice and even. While affordable, is does come at a price. A lot of reviews mention the bottle is made quite cheap and hard to use. The fragrance is also quite strong, which often means lower quality ingredients.

Paula’s Choice comes packed with retinol along with vitamin C and E for a great revitalizing solution to dry, aging skin, stretch marks, and dark spots. We’ve always been a big fan of Paula’s Choice products and are happy to test every single one of their products on our skin. The only issue we have is the price. Now it may not look that expensive at first, about $30, but that’s for a 4 oz bottle - and you’re using this for your ENTIRE BODY. If it was just a face lotion, you could stretch that out. But when you’re thinking of trying to keep your entire body’s skin tight and ageless, 4 ounces won’t be doing you any favors! Look for a product that can last you a long time!

We really liked Replenix for it’s strong formula that includes hyaluronic acid and an antioxidant compound to help battle wrinkles, fine lines, and aging. In terms of ingredients, it provides a lot of top quality choices, and leaves out any parabens and mineral oil. The skin-feel is good, too. Unfortunately, we found it quite expensive for the amount of product you receive. There’s plenty of other lotions and balms on this list that have just as good results without breaking the bank.

Cosmedix makes an excellent overnight solution of retinol cream infused with vitamin A to help trap moisture and boost collagen. It’s a great product, but best for overnight because the lotion is rather thick and shouldn’t be used with other products. Its effectiveness isn’t as high as some of the other products because we didn’t see a lot of results with stretch marks, though it did make our skin feel especially healthy. The price point is a bit of an issue. At $90 a bottle, you may break the bank trying to regain some youth, which we don’t recommend.

If you’re looking to splurge, Chantecaille Retinol Body Treatment is worth the try. It’s filled with restorative retinol along with saccharide isomerate which is a magnet for moisture to help revitalize dry skin. While we found this product to be effective and safe, the price was quite a blow. For something you should be trying to use everyday to every other day, you’ll be spending a  lot of a youthful look (especially when there are more affordable products with similar results out there). Like we said, if you’re looking to splurge, check this one out!