A313: The Best Retinol Product from France

A313 Vitamin A Pommade is a pharmaceutical-grade, non-prescription Vitamin A product made in France. It has a cult following and is said to be France’s best-kept skincare secret. It is seen as a replacement for Avibon, which gained popularity in 2012 as a result of Gwyneth Paltrow‘s sharing. I’d never had a chance to try Avibon before it was discontinued. After a batch of products had stability issues and were recalled in 2013, the manufacturer made several attempts to meet the product quality standard, but with no success.

A313 Vitamin A Pommade

I personally don’t think A313 Vitamin A Pommade is a replacement for Avibon. The active ingredient concentration is reduced by an order of magnitude. A313 Vitamin A Pommade is supposed to be gentler and more secure.

Avibon

CosDNA lists Retinyl Acetate, Retinyl Propionate, and Retinyl Palmitate as active ingredients. As shown in the previous conversion table, these derivatives require the most steps to convert into the actual active form of vitamin A, the form that has skincare benefits. The more steps it requires, the less aggressive it becomes.

previous conversion table

Furthermore, the packaging specifies that the active ingredient is 200,000 IU of synthetic vitamin A. It is equivalent to a 0.12% concentration in a 50-gram tube. Most retinol products on the market today begin with a concentration of at least 0.2%, such as the Jordan Samuel Skin’s Retinol Treatment Oil, which many beauty influencers claim will not cause any skin issues even when combined with other active ingredients (not recommended for active ingredients newbies).

Polyethylene glycol is a non-active ingredient that helps to stabilize and penetrate the formula. Some speculate that this is why the product cannot have too high a concentration.

Many people say it looks like Vaseline because of its thick and soft ointment texture. But the colour is lighter and clearer. It should be noted that the tube may leak and become extremely greasy.

Don’t be fooled by the Vaseline appearance. It is as strong and effective as higher concentration products. A313 can treat acne, control oil, remove blackheads, lighten dark spots, reduce pigmentation, remove fine lines and wrinkles, just like most vitamin A/retinol products.

I consider myself to be an experienced retinol user. However, I use A313 every other night and sometimes my face feels dry, stingy, and tight. When this happens, I stop using it for a few days to give my skin a chance to heal.

A313
A313 Vitamin A Pommade

Apply when your skin is dry, as with all other retinoic acid products. It may take some time to adjust to the texture, but I don’t mind it. I believe it is a good idea to finish your normal skincare routine after work and apply retinol products right before bed. The recommended amount is a pea-sized amount applied to the face in a thin layer.

Even with inflation, the price has remained stable at around CAD$22 or less. Given that many retinol products cost $50 or more, it’s definitely worth a shot. Please let me know if you like it.

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *