Alright, so by now, youโ€™ve probably had a lifetimeโ€™s worth of retinol information shoved down your throat (hopefully not literally, though, or you should probs head to the doctor), but do you actually use a retinol? Like, not counting the two random times you slathered one on before forgetting about it for six months, or that other time you tried a retinol and it melted your skin off in sheets of pain, but every single night for years on end? Exactly.

Hey, weโ€™re not judging you โ€“ retinols are kind of a pain in the ass. Only apply a tiny, pea-sized amount to your whole face, wait exactly 15 minutes before moisturizing, use every third day to start, and cross your fingers that your skin doesnโ€™t implode? Yeah, itโ€™s a lot. Which is why weโ€™re so in love with retinol oils, a new breed of anti-aging products that basically caress your skin while pummeling it with retinol, decreasing the irritation and flakes that usually come with retinol.

But this isnโ€™t really a new technology, says Yale dermatologist and all-around skin badass Mona Gohara. โ€œThe retinol itself is the same, itโ€™s just being delivered to your skin in a more cosmetically elegant, consumer-friendly, and less-irritating way,โ€ she says. โ€œIn the hierarchy of moisturizing ingredients, oils are the most hydrating and skin-barrier-repairing ingredients, so a retinol oil could be a great choice for anyone with dry or sensitive skin.โ€