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Comparison

Retin-A vs Renova

Retin-A Micro

TRETINOIN

Approved for skin

Bausch Health US LLCLabel version 23, effective 1 September 2025

Renova

TRETINOIN

Approved for skin

Bausch Health US LLCLabel version 14, effective 24 February 2026

Each stripe is one section of the label, each division in a stripe one entry in that section.

Retin-A Micro and Renova contain the same active ingredient, tretinoin, from the same manufacturer. One is approved for acne, the other for fine facial wrinkles. The wrinkle label is the more interesting of the two, because of how firmly it limits its own claim.

01

Side by side, straight from the labels

From the FDA label

This table is generated from the two source labels, not typed out by hand, so it cannot drift from what the regulator approved.

Label sectionRetin-A MicroTRETINOINRenovaTRETINOIN
Active ingredientTretinoinTopical retinoidTretinoinTopical retinoid
SupplyPrescriptionPrescription
What pharmacies payAcquisition cost, not retail$1.02 per gram, genericnot listed
Boxed warningNoneNone
What the FDA approved it for
  • RETIN-A MICRO ® is indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older.
  • RETIN-A MICRO is a retinoid indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older.
  • RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% is indicated as an adjunctive agent (see second bullet point below) for use in the mitigation (palliation) of fine facial wrinkles in patients who use comprehensive skin care and sunlight avoidance programs. RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% DOES NOT ELIMINATE WRINKLES, REPAIR SUN-DAMAGED SKIN, REVERSE PHOTOAGING, or RESTORE MORE YOUTHFUL or YOUNGER SKIN.
  • RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% has NOT DEMONSTRATED A MITIGATING EFFECT on significant signs of chronic sunlight exposure such as coarse or deep wrinkling, tactile roughness, mottled hyperpigmentation, lentigines, telangiectasia, skin laxity, keratinocytic atypia, melanocytic atypia, or dermal elastosis.
  • RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% should be used under medical supervision as an adjunct to a comprehensive skin care and sunlight avoidance program that includes the use of effective sunscreens (minimum SPF of 15) and protective clothing.
  • Patients with visible actinic keratosis and patients with a history of skin cancer were excluded from clinical trials of RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02%. Thus the effectiveness and safety of RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% in these populations are not known at this time.
  • Neither the safety nor the effectiveness of RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% for the prevention or treatment of actinic keratoses or skin neoplasms has been established.
  • Neither the safety nor the efficacy of using RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% daily for greater than 52 weeks has been established, and daily use beyond 52 weeks has not been systematically and histologically investigated in adequate and well-controlled trials (see WARNINGS).
Forms and strengths
  • 0.1% (1 mg of tretinoin per gram). Gel: 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1%
  • RENOVA ® (tretinoin cream), 0.02% is supplied in 20 g tube (NDC 0187-5150-20), 40 g tube (NDC 0187-5150-40), 60 g tube (NDC 0187-5150-60), 44 g pump (NDC 0187-5150-44).
How the label says it is taken
  • For topical use only. Not for oral, ophthalmic, or intravaginal use.
  • Keep away from eyes, mouth, paranasal creases of the nose, and mucous membranes.
  • Apply a thin layer of RETIN-A MICRO to skin where acne lesions appear (cover the entire affected area) (0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, or 0.1%) once daily in the evening.
  • Do NOT use RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% if the patient is pregnant or is attempting to become pregnant or is at high risk of pregnancy.
  • Do NOT use RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% if the patient is sunburned or if the patient has eczema or other chronic skin conditions of the face.
  • Do NOT use RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% if the patient is inherently sensitive to sunlight.
  • Do NOT use RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% if the patient is also taking drug(s) known to be photosensitizers (e.g., thiazides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, phenothiazines, sulfonamides) because of the possibility of augmented phototoxicity. Patients require detailed instruction to obtain maximal benefits and to understand all the precautions necessary to use this product with greatest safety.
Most common adverse reactions
  • Most common adverse reactions were skin irritation, skin burning, erythema, peeling, dryness, itching, and dermatitis.
  • (See WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS.) In double-blind, vehicle-controlled studies involving 339 patients who applied RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% to their faces, adverse reactions associated with the use of RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% were limited primarily to the skin. Almost all patients reported one or more local reactions such as peeling, dry skin, burning, stinging, erythema, and pruritus.
Warnings and precautions
  • Local Skin Irritation: RETIN-A MICRO can cause local skin irritation, including excessive dryness, redness, swelling, peeling, itching, blistering, burning, or stinging
  • Initial Worsening of Inflammatory Acne Vulgaris: During the early weeks of RETIN-A MICRO treatment, an apparent exacerbation of inflammatory lesions may occur. If RETIN-A MICRO is tolerated, this should not be considered a reason to discontinue therapy.
  • Photosensitivity: RETIN-A MICRO can cause photosensitivity. Advise patients to avoid or minimize unnecessary exposure to UV light, including sunlight and sunlamps. Advise patients to use sunscreen (SPF ≥15) and sun-protective clothing if UV light exposure cannot be avoided. Avoid use on sunburn skin.
  • RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% is a dermal irritant, and the results of continued irritation of the skin for greater than 52 weeks in chronic use with RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% are not known. There is evidence of atypical changes in melanocytes and keratinocytes and of increased dermal elastosis in some patients treated with RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.05% for longer than 48 weeks.
  • RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% should not be administered if the patient is also taking drugs known to be photosensitizers (e.g., thiazides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, phenothiazines, sulfonamides) because of the possibility of augmented phototoxicity.
Contraindications
  • None. The label states that there are no contraindications.
  • This drug is contraindicated in individuals with a history of sensitivity reactions to any of its components.
  • It should be discontinued if hypersensitivity to any of its ingredients is noted.
Drug interactions-
  • Concomitant topical medications, medicated or abrasive soaps, shampoos, cleansers, cosmetics with a strong drying effect, products with high concentrations of alcohol, astringents, spices or lime, permanent wave solutions, electrolysis, hair depilatories or waxes, and products that may irritate the skin should be used with caution in patients being treated with RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02%...
  • RENOVA (tretinoin cream) 0.02% should not be administered if the patient is also taking drugs known to be photosensitizers (e.g., thiazides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, phenothiazines, sulfonamides) because of the possibility of augmented phototoxicity.
Label version1 September 202524 February 2026

Comparison of Retin-A vs Renova taken from the FDA labels.

02

Two approvals, two problems

Written by us

The Retin-A Micro label covers the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in adults and in patients aged 12 and older. The Renova label covers the mitigation of fine facial wrinkles, and only as an adjunct for people who are also using a comprehensive skin care and sun avoidance programme.

That second qualification is part of the approved indication rather than a caveat added afterwards. Renova was approved on trials where both groups used sunscreen and emollients, and the label says so.

03

What the wrinkle label refuses to claim

Written by us

The Renova label states, in capital letters, that the product does not eliminate wrinkles, repair sun-damaged skin, reverse photoaging or restore younger skin. It adds that it has not demonstrated an effect on coarse or deep wrinkling, tactile roughness or mottled pigmentation.

It is rare to find a marketing claim and its own rebuttal inside the same approved document. Anyone reading advertising for tretinoin as an anti-ageing treatment is reading past this paragraph.

04

Strength and vehicle differ

Written by us

Renova is a 0.02 percent cream. Retin-A Micro comes in several gel strengths in a delivery system the label describes in detail. The strengths and forms of each are set out in the table above, from the labels themselves.

05

Common questions

Written by us
Can the acne version be used for wrinkles, or the other way round?
Each label covers its own approved use, and neither mentions the other. What a prescriber decides for a particular person is outside what these documents say and outside what this page reports.
Is one stronger than the other?
They are different strengths in different vehicles, which the labels set out. Strength on its own does not translate into a comparison, because the two were approved for different problems on different evidence.
06

Sources

Every fact above comes from one of these documents. The date is the effective date of the label version this page was built from.

Other comparisons in this category

Page last updated: 5 August 2026

Compiled by the HealthyStudy editorial team from FDA source documents. No medical reviewer is credited on this page, because none reviewed it.