Machiavelli said it was better to be feared than loved, but retinoid wants it both ways. People love it because it’s scientifically proved to be the most the most useful anti-aging ingredient around, but before you can start to see the benefits, you often have to make it through the fearsome “retinoid uglies.”

A topic discussed with terror all over Reddit’s skin-care boards, the uglies are a transition period in which skin often looks flaky, itchy, red, or dry as it adapts to retinoid. The effects can often make people want to stop using it altogether, but you must persevere to reach the pearly gates of Good Retinoid Skin.