When they’re not booking appointments at Shani Darden’s Beverly Hills studio, stars are treating their famous faces to her top-rated skincare line.

The star esthetician’s clients include everyone from Shay Mitchell to Jennifer Aniston, the latter of whom swears by her original Retinol Reform serum.

And this month, Darden launched an upgraded version of the formula featuring encapsulated retinol “for even more effectiveness with less irritation,” as she tells Page Six Style exclusively.

“Skincare innovation changes and updates over the years, and I always want to be delivering the best of the best,” says the beauty pro, who also added “wrinkle-reducing” tripeptides and brightening prickly pear extract to her hero formula to “target fine lines, uneven texture, and dullness.”

While the product’s designed to be more gentle than many on the market, Darden still recommends using it once a week at first and adding another night each week to build tolerance — in addition to following it up with hydrating skincare like her lightweight Weightless Oil-Free Moisturizer or richer Hydration Peptide Cream.

As for why so many stars have reached for the original formula? “Because it’s gentle and delivers amazing results,” she says, noting that celebrities “want to be seen in the world with their best skin, not a red and irritated face.”

Adds Darden, “Your skin also feels smooth and hydrated, which is especially great when you have to wear a lot of makeup for work, like many of my clients do.”

The in-demand esthetician has certainly built up an impressive client roster over the years — and scored plenty of rave reviews.

“Shani Darden is a facialist here, and I love her,” Aniston told Byrdie in 2023. “Her retinol is so good, and her serums are fantastic … She has a great lab that she works with, and the packaging is beautiful.”

Darden previously told Page Six Style that the “Friends” star “knows so much about skincare,” saying,
“I’m honored that she loves Retinol Reform.”

Shay Mitchell is also a Darden devotee, even crediting her product line with “completely clearing up” her acne.

“I’m very critical — and I’m obsessed,” she raved of the expert’s skincare last year.

This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Page Six Style. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts Hollywood’s favorite labels to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade.