Discussions

3 Retin-A comes as a cream and liquid, and Retin-A Micro comes as a gel. The difference between tretinoin liquid and cream vs. tretinoin gel is that the gel formulation releases the medication more slowly. This is advantageous because it reduces the irritation that the main ingredient can sometimes cause. Retin-A topical gel is only available with 0.025% and 0.01% tretinoin. Another version of retin a micro vs retin a, called Retin-A Micro®, uses a microsphere formula and is available in 0.04%, 0.08%, and 0.1% strengths. Generic tretinoin is sold under a variety of brand names.