Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a group of fat-soluble compounds, such as retinol from animal foods. Plants supply carotenoids like beta-carotene that the body can convert to it.
Also listed as retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, tretinoin
Retinol, beta-carotene and the label
Common supplement ingredients include retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate and beta-carotene, sometimes in combination. The preformed share matters when assessing the upper limit. RAE and international units are not universally interchangeable: conversion depends on the form and whether the carotenoid comes from food or a supplement. 1
A vitamin supplement is not a retinoid prescription
Prescription retinoids and nutritional vitamin A have related biology but distinct treatment uses. Acne research on a drug cannot simply be assigned to a multivitamin. Combining oral retinoid medicines with vitamin A supplements can also increase the risk of vitamin A toxicity. 1 2