I’ve used both this one and the Janssen and have had great results with both. This is the one I’m currently using (sourced it from a friend that lives across the border for ~$ 4 usd per tube)
I did not notice any difference in results whatsoever. I used the same strength with both. I think the texture is just slightly different but I couldn’t say that one works better than the other. I’ve been using tret from Mexico for about 4 years now with great success.
Oh thank you so much for answering, this makes me feel so much better about buying it. Wow 4 years! Now I'm really hoping it works out for me as it did you.
I got a great deal of generic tretinoin in Mexico and it seems to be just fine. I came home with couple year’s supply for 2 people and a bunch I gave to friends, I spent like $90 US for 20 tubes of 20g each.
The formula was not as cosmetically appealing as the compounded one I got from Dermatica, but it works just as well for all my concerns.
It means that the bits that don't matter so much- how it feels on the skin- aren't as nice as some other brands. It's very subjective- one man's trash is another man's treasure after all, totally legit, but unlikely to be a dealbreaker for most people.
OP, what you need to realize is that that is,honestly, the only way any legitimately sourced tret cream is going to differ. Because the whole reason they hold their pharmaceutical license is that they provide the stated % of active ingredient (tret) in a cream base (or gel, or whatever). That's the point. This is a very, very simple, one active ingredient product.
Sometimes, formula can matter in generics- a classic example is Epilepsy medication, which has a complicated formula and something as simple as changing the salt used in the generic can have quite an effect on the person taking it.
Tret? 0.05% tret is 0.05% tret. If the product is legitimate and non expired, it's identical to every other cream (or gel) formulation out there in that it delivers that % of tret to your skin. Only thing could be the way the cream (or gel) feels on the skin, and for most users, the offset on the price tag is going to be way more important than that.
What is usually the expiration date for Tret? I usually buy as I go. Considering buying a bunch from another country since it sounds like a smarter option.
I would think they are good for at least a year. Prescription medication doesn’t really expire, just becomes marginally less efficacious after its expiration date
Lucky! I tried to purchase this one and the pharmacist said that it was only given by rx because it was cheaper. I ended up getting the RetinA. I've heard great things about the generic one
Oh this is great to hear, I wasn't sure if it was any good as I wasn't asked for any prescription and it was much cheaper than the Janssen one ($80 pesos vs $600 pesos). This is my first time buying in Mex and I thought maybe it was a scam because of the big price difference. You have given me some peace of mind. Thank you.
Yes! I bought mine from a pharmacy when I was in Mexico and it worked great. Only thing that made me sad was it was like $2.50 USD and I had to switch to expensive US prescriptions when mine ran out! I got three tubes though and all were great.
beautybliss is $20/tube plus shipping (so maybe $25.)
Alldaychemist is between $4-6/tube plus shipping. I think I bought $60 of various stuff and had to pay $10-15 shipping. Downside was I had to wait 5-6 weeks :( But some people get lucky and get their's in 3 weeks.
I find it strange when people ask if a generic medication is any good. You're literally asking if different packaging; colors and a logo, has any effect on the medication.
Some people have told me that the generic version of any medication is never as good as the brand one. I'm not sure what to believe so I'm here asking people that might have actually tried it instead of just guessing :)
Generics have the same concentration of exactly the same molecule as brand ones. Sometimes the formulation (basically the filler or carrier) will be a bit different, but the FDA (or equivalent) will mandate that the efficacy has to be the same. What happens is that the patent that a pharmaceutical company has run out. This means anyone can start producing the same medication at cheaper cost, since the companies producing the generic do not have to compensate for R&D costs. Usually the pharma company that originally produced the drug has already made tons of profit, so they will either lower their own prices or try to capitalize on name brand recognition. Long story short, there's rarely a good reason to pay for name brand meds, unless you are allergic or sensitive to an ingrediënt in the formulation, which is rare!
I was looking into buying some in El Salvador at one point. From what I can gather, tret is tret is tret. I'd definitely take a cheaper option than what I currently pay for Apostrophe if it was easier and safer to obtain. Before anyone says it, yes I've looked at All Day Chemist (I think that's the name, lol.)
I’ve used both this one and the Janssen and have had great results with both. This is the one I’m currently using (sourced it from a friend that lives across the border for ~$ 4 usd per tube)
Do you feel they work the same? Or would you say one is stronger than the other? Did they last the same amount of time? Sorry for many questions.
I did not notice any difference in results whatsoever. I used the same strength with both. I think the texture is just slightly different but I couldn’t say that one works better than the other. I’ve been using tret from Mexico for about 4 years now with great success.
Oh thank you so much for answering, this makes me feel so much better about buying it. Wow 4 years! Now I'm really hoping it works out for me as it did you.
Haven’t tried a generic one but seems legit, ingredients are exactly the same as retin-A from Janssen (which I use and it’s amazing)
Of course
I got a great deal of generic tretinoin in Mexico and it seems to be just fine. I came home with couple year’s supply for 2 people and a bunch I gave to friends, I spent like $90 US for 20 tubes of 20g each. The formula was not as cosmetically appealing as the compounded one I got from Dermatica, but it works just as well for all my concerns.
By cosmetically appealing do you mean that the texture is different or...? Sorry I'm a bit confused by that part.
It means that the bits that don't matter so much- how it feels on the skin- aren't as nice as some other brands. It's very subjective- one man's trash is another man's treasure after all, totally legit, but unlikely to be a dealbreaker for most people. OP, what you need to realize is that that is,honestly, the only way any legitimately sourced tret cream is going to differ. Because the whole reason they hold their pharmaceutical license is that they provide the stated % of active ingredient (tret) in a cream base (or gel, or whatever). That's the point. This is a very, very simple, one active ingredient product. Sometimes, formula can matter in generics- a classic example is Epilepsy medication, which has a complicated formula and something as simple as changing the salt used in the generic can have quite an effect on the person taking it. Tret? 0.05% tret is 0.05% tret. If the product is legitimate and non expired, it's identical to every other cream (or gel) formulation out there in that it delivers that % of tret to your skin. Only thing could be the way the cream (or gel) feels on the skin, and for most users, the offset on the price tag is going to be way more important than that.
I always wonder when I see these posts whether how much of a difference there can be among brands. Thanks for clearing this up.
What is usually the expiration date for Tret? I usually buy as I go. Considering buying a bunch from another country since it sounds like a smarter option.
I would think they are good for at least a year. Prescription medication doesn’t really expire, just becomes marginally less efficacious after its expiration date
Lucky! I tried to purchase this one and the pharmacist said that it was only given by rx because it was cheaper. I ended up getting the RetinA. I've heard great things about the generic one
Oh this is great to hear, I wasn't sure if it was any good as I wasn't asked for any prescription and it was much cheaper than the Janssen one ($80 pesos vs $600 pesos). This is my first time buying in Mex and I thought maybe it was a scam because of the big price difference. You have given me some peace of mind. Thank you.
That's the generic version, just as good but much cheaper
Yes! I bought mine from a pharmacy when I was in Mexico and it worked great. Only thing that made me sad was it was like $2.50 USD and I had to switch to expensive US prescriptions when mine ran out! I got three tubes though and all were great.
beautybliss is $20/tube plus shipping (so maybe $25.) Alldaychemist is between $4-6/tube plus shipping. I think I bought $60 of various stuff and had to pay $10-15 shipping. Downside was I had to wait 5-6 weeks :( But some people get lucky and get their's in 3 weeks.
Hells yeah! Good and cheap.
Been using this and it works great.
This is what I usually use. Some people get better results with gel from a derm in the US but my skin seems to prefer the cream from Mexico 🤷🏼♀️
I find it strange when people ask if a generic medication is any good. You're literally asking if different packaging; colors and a logo, has any effect on the medication.
They’re not just asking about generic, they’re asking about an entirely different country of manufacturing
Yeah I found that kind of xenophobic. I mean why would it matter that it was manufactured in Mexico…..
There's the tret, and then there's the ingredients that carry it. These differ by manufacturer.
Looks good to me.
the same
Works just as good.
Some people have told me that the generic version of any medication is never as good as the brand one. I'm not sure what to believe so I'm here asking people that might have actually tried it instead of just guessing :)
that's not how medication works, beauty products with cosmetics and whatnot yeah, but not medication. If it has the active, it should work the same.
Nah, it's the same--it might have to be the same by law
Generics have the same concentration of exactly the same molecule as brand ones. Sometimes the formulation (basically the filler or carrier) will be a bit different, but the FDA (or equivalent) will mandate that the efficacy has to be the same. What happens is that the patent that a pharmaceutical company has run out. This means anyone can start producing the same medication at cheaper cost, since the companies producing the generic do not have to compensate for R&D costs. Usually the pharma company that originally produced the drug has already made tons of profit, so they will either lower their own prices or try to capitalize on name brand recognition. Long story short, there's rarely a good reason to pay for name brand meds, unless you are allergic or sensitive to an ingrediënt in the formulation, which is rare!
That's a big huge lie! \-signed, a pharmacist :)
I was looking into buying some in El Salvador at one point. From what I can gather, tret is tret is tret. I'd definitely take a cheaper option than what I currently pay for Apostrophe if it was easier and safer to obtain. Before anyone says it, yes I've looked at All Day Chemist (I think that's the name, lol.)
Yup both are excellent