A Ret Gel 0.05%

A Ret Gel 0.05% is a tretinoin gel for acne, made in India by Menarini India. Each gram contains 0.5 mg of tretinoin, the same strength as the US tretinoin 0.05% gel sold as Atralin. It comes in 20 g tubes, and we sell it in packs of 3, 6, 12 and 24 tubes, from $4.43 a tube in the largest pack before shipping.

This page covers who it suits, how to apply it, what the trials of tretinoin 0.05% gel found, the side effects to expect in the first weeks, who should not use it, and the price per tube. Clinical figures come from the US labels for tretinoin gel and cream, listed at the end. A Ret Gel itself has not been tested in a published trial.

A Ret Gel 0.05% at a glance

Price per tube

Prices below are as of October 2026. The pack selector above always shows the current price.

Every pack is under the $149 free shipping threshold, so the flat $25 shipping makes the small packs much dearer per tube. How long a tube lasts depends on the area you treat. In the US tretinoin 0.05% gel trials, people applied an average of 0.71 g a day; at that rate a 20 g tube would last about four weeks, so a 3 pack covers about one 12 week course. This is our estimate from the trial average, not a label figure.

Compared with US tretinoin gel

The two contain the same amount of tretinoin, but the other ingredients in the gel are not the same, and no study has compared A Ret Gel with Atralin. Atralin's gel base, for example, contains fish proteins, which A Ret is not known to contain. NADAC is what US pharmacies pay, not a retail price. If you are in the US and have a prescription, compare cash prices for generic tretinoin gel or cream at local pharmacies before you order from abroad.

Which strength to choose

The US labels do not set a ladder of strengths to move through, and none of them says that a higher strength works better for acne. Using more gel or applying it more often does not help: the Atralin label says excessive amounts give no extra benefit, and the patient information says too much can irritate the skin and will not give faster or better results. If you have not used tretinoin before, or have sensitive skin, ask a doctor which strength to start with. Our retinoid strength chart compares tretinoin with adapalene and retinol.

How to apply A Ret Gel

1. Wash the area gently with a mild, non-medicated soap, rinse and pat dry. The Retin-A patient information says to wait 20 to 30 minutes so the skin is completely dry, which helps limit irritation.
2. Once a day at bedtime, apply a thin layer over the whole area where acne appears, not just on single spots. For the face, about a half inch or less squeezed onto a fingertip is usually enough. If the gel is still visible after a minute, or flakes off, you are using too much.
3. Keep it away from the eyes, mouth, the creases beside the nose, mucous membranes and open wounds.
4. A doctor may suggest starting every other night if your skin is sensitive. The Atralin label notes that efficacy at less than once a day has not been established.
5. Use a moisturiser in the day if your skin gets dry. Cosmetics are fine, but clean them off before you apply the gel.
6. Minimise sun exposure and avoid sunlamps and tanning beds. When you cannot avoid the sun, use sunscreen of at least SPF 15 and protective clothing such as a hat over treated skin. If you get sunburned, stop until the skin has healed.
7. Be careful with other acne products. The label advises particular caution with benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol or salicylic acid, and with medicated or abrasive soaps, strongly drying products, and products with a lot of alcohol, astringents, spices or lime. Let the effects of these settle before you start tretinoin. Avoid contact with lime peel.
8. Wind and cold can irritate treated skin more than usual.

What to expect and when

The Retin-A prescribing information says results should be noticed after 2 to 3 weeks, but more than 6 weeks may be needed before a definite benefit is seen. In the early weeks acne can seem to get worse, as deeper spots come to the surface; the label says this should not be taken as a reason to stop. Continued improvement is expected from 6 to 12 weeks if the treatment is going to help you. Our tretinoin purge guide and week by week timeline cover this in detail.

In two 12 week US trials of tretinoin 0.05% gel in mild to moderate acne, total facial lesions fell by 43% and 35% on average, against 22% and 19% with the same gel without tretinoin. Clear or almost clear skin (in the second trial, also with at least a two grade improvement) was reached by 21% and 23% of people, against 12% and 14% on the plain gel. Those trials included people aged 10 to 65.

Side effects

Most side effects are skin reactions where the gel is applied. In the trials they usually started in the first two weeks and peaked around the second and third week; in some people they lasted throughout treatment.

Temporary lightening or darkening of the skin has also been reported with repeated use. If irritation is troublesome, the label says your doctor may reduce how much or how often you apply it, or stop it for a while or for good. Our how to use tretinoin guide explains what the trials show about managing irritation.

When to stop and get help

• Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, difficulty breathing, or widespread hives: get urgent medical help. True allergy to tretinoin is rare, but this applies to any medicine.
• Severe burning, blistering, crusting or swelling where you applied it: stop using it and speak to a doctor. The label says to stop if a reaction suggesting sensitivity occurs.

Who should not use A Ret Gel

• Anyone allergic to tretinoin or any ingredient of the gel. The Retin-A label says to stop the product if hypersensitivity to any ingredient is noted.
• Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. In the UK and EU, topical retinoids are contraindicated in pregnancy and in women planning a pregnancy (European Medicines Agency review, 2018). The US labels say tretinoin should be used in pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus; oral tretinoin causes birth defects in animals, and Atralin gel applied to the skin of pregnant rats at about four times the human dose caused possible birth defects.

Talk to a doctor first if you are breastfeeding (it is not known whether tretinoin passes into breast milk, and the label advises caution), if you have eczema or sunburn (tretinoin has caused severe irritation on this skin), if you have a lot of sun exposure or sensitive skin, or if the user is a child (the Atralin label says safety and effectiveness are not established under 10; the Retin-A label says under 12). Do not apply it to cuts or open wounds. Tretinoin gel is for the skin only; keep it out of reach of children.

Prescription and legal status

Tretinoin for the skin is a prescription medicine in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. A Ret Gel is not licensed by the FDA, the MHRA, the TGA or Health Canada, and in the US the FDA says personal importation of unapproved medicines is illegal in most circumstances. See a doctor before you start, and check the rules where you live. Our guides to tretinoin in the UK and tretinoin prescriptions in Australia explain the local routes.

Buying genuine A Ret Gel

The MHRA warns that any medicine not authorised for sale in the UK can be unsafe or ineffective and that there is no way of knowing what is in it, and it advises UK buyers to use only UK-registered pharmacies. That warning covers A Ret Gel, which is not authorised in the UK. When your order arrives, check that the carton and tube name Menarini and show the strength, a batch number and an expiry date, and that the tube is sealed. These checks cannot prove a tube is genuine, because counterfeiters copy packaging. If a tube causes unusual symptoms, stop using it, seek medical advice, and report it to your medicines regulator (the MHRA Yellow Card scheme in the UK, FDA MedWatch in the US, the TGA in Australia or Health Canada) as well as to us. Store it as the pack directs, with the cap closed.

Delivery

We ship A Ret Gel to the US, UK, Australia and Canada in plain packaging with tracking. Standard delivery takes 7 to 14 business days to most countries. Shipping costs a flat $25 on orders under $149 and is free from $149. See our shipping page and refund policy.

Related guides

• How to use tretinoin: the label's step by step method
• Tretinoin before and after: the week by week timeline
• Tretinoin purge: what it is and why it happens
• Adapalene vs tretinoin: what the head to head trials show
• Switching between adapalene and tretinoin

Other strengths: A Ret Gel 0.025% and A Ret Gel 0.1%. An adapalene alternative: Adaferin.

Sources

• ATRALIN (tretinoin) gel 0.05%, US prescribing information and patient information, sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 14 and 16. DailyMed.
• RETIN-A (tretinoin) gel and cream, US prescribing information and patient information (contraindications, precautions, dosage and administration). DailyMed.
• European Medicines Agency. Retinoid-containing medicinal products, Article 31 referral, European Commission decision 21 June 2018. EMA
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC), tretinoin 0.05% gel, 2026 file, as of 7 October 2026. data.medicaid.gov
• MHRA. 20 million illegal erectile dysfunction pills seized as MHRA warns against risky online buys, 13 February 2026. GOV.UK.
• US Food and Drug Administration. Personal Importation. FDA

This page is for information and is not medical advice. Tretinoin is a prescription medicine; talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using it.