Ultimate A

A gentle retinal 0.06% night cream with niacinamide 4%, at pH 4.5 to 5.0, made for sensitive skin and people using vitamin A for the first time. It is used at night as the last step, so it replaces a separate night moisturiser.

Both are forms of vitamin A that the skin converts into retinoic acid, the active form. Retinal (retinaldehyde) needs one conversion step; retinol needs two. ESK's view is that retinal works faster than retinol at a comparable level of tolerance. Our full guide: retinal vs retinol.

Vitamin A products are studied for the look of smoother texture, fine lines, brightness and a more even tone. They are a long game: months, not weeks.

Yes. It is the ESK retinal made for sensitive, irritable and rosacea-prone skin: a lower strength, a barrier-supporting base and no essential oils. Patch test first if your skin reacts easily.

A low-strength retinal with a supportive base, used 2 to 3 nights a week to start. That is what Ultimate A is designed to be. Strength can go up later; irritation on day one cannot be undone.

Whenever texture, fine lines or tone start to bother you, and your skin is not currently irritated, sunburnt or healing from a treatment. There is no age rule; there is a skin-state rule.

Start on 2 to 3 nights a week, on clean, dry skin, as the last step at night. Build to nightly over about a month if your skin stays comfortable. Use SPF every morning.

Nightly once your skin is used to it. Reactive skin can stay at every other night; steady use matters more than frequency.

1 to 2 pumps for the face. More does not work faster and is more likely to irritate.

Ultimate A is the moisturiser, so it goes last. If your skin is dry or reactive, put a moisturiser on first and Ultimate A over it; the moisturiser slows the retinal down a little, which is the point.

Smoother-feeling skin in the first weeks; the look of fine lines and tone at 8 to 12 weeks; and it keeps building. Judge it at 12 weeks, not 2.

A little dryness while you build up is common. Peeling, stinging or redness that lasts means you built up too fast: hold at the current frequency until it settles, and message us if it does not.

Yes, once your skin is used to it. Start at 2 to 3 nights a week and build.

Yes. Niacinamide 4% is already in the formula.

Yes. It contains hyaluronic acid, and a hyaluronic serum underneath is fine for dry skin.

Yes, on the same day: vitamin C in the morning, Ultimate A at night.

Yes with care. Introduce acids on separate nights at first, and stop layering if skin stings. A salicylic cleanser is fine because it is rinsed off.

No. One vitamin A product at night. If you are on prescription tretinoin, adapalene or isotretinoin, ask your prescriber before adding anything.

No. Do not use it in pregnancy, breastfeeding or when trying to conceive.

ESK lists rosacea-prone skin among the skin types it suits. Start at 2 nights a week with a moisturiser underneath, and stop if it flares. Active rosacea is worth an assessment first.

Yes. It is suitable for all skin types, including deeper skin tones (Fitzpatrick V to VI), and its gentleness makes it a good first retinal there, where irritation can leave marks.

Yes. It is non-comedogenic and ESK lists acne-prone skin. If congestion is your main concern, Ultimate A+ adds glycolic acid.

Retinal and niacinamide both support the look of a more even tone over months. For marks as the main concern, see Enlighten Gold, which can be used over it at night.

Retinal is naturally yellow and may transfer onto pillowcases or light fabrics. Let it absorb before contact and wash fabrics promptly.

Yes, every morning. Vitamin A products make daily sun protection essential.

Ultimate A is retinal 0.06% with niacinamide, the gentlest. Ultimate A+ is retinal 0.1% with glycolic acid 2%, for oily and congested skin. Ultimate A Gold is retinal 0.1% with niacinamide, a PHA, 4-n-butylresorcinol, hyaluronic acid and ceramides, the most complete of the three.

When you have used Ultimate A nightly for 2 to 3 months with no irritation and want more from the texture and tone work. Move up at 2 to 3 nights a week, as if starting again.

It comes in an airless pump. Keep it closed, out of direct light and away from heat, and use it within the period on the pack once opened.

No fragrance or essential oils appear in its ingredient list. It is free from parabens and sulphates.

The 50ml lasts around 3 to 4 months of nightly use, and longer while you build up. The 15ml travel size lasts around 3 to 4 weeks.

Yes. ESK states that Ultimate A is cruelty free and vegan.

Yes. Melatone Skin Clinic is an authorised ESK stockist. Stock comes directly from ESK, so every item is genuine and traceable, and it is the same product we use in clinic.

Yes. Message us on WhatsApp with a description of your skin, or book a skin assessment at the clinic in Battersea.

Tracked UK delivery is £3.49, or free over £65, and usually arrives in 2 to 4 working days. Sealed, unopened items can be returned within 60 days for a refund.