This retinol has helped my skin texture and acne. I use it every other night and I wake up to smooth and clear skin. it also doesn't dry out my skin. It's the first retinol serum I've used and I highly recommend it for beginners!

This feels like a great way to get into retinols. My skin can be easily irritated and very dry, so I was a little hesitant to get started. However, using it twice a week initially and then every three nights, as well as layering it with plenty of moisture, has already helped my skin. My skin looks brighter and fresher and the skin tone is starting to become more even. Nice product!

Can I start out by saying that this product has been THE MOST EFFECTIVE product I’ve used in the past 7-8 years of having acne prone skin. I’ve had problematic skin since puberty. And at some point I just waited it all out and things got better. But even at the age of 22 I kept having issues with breakouts. Not as bad as when I was 15 but still the kind of breakouts that make you feel shitty. THIS STUFF I cannot stress it enough is amazing!!! It has cleared my skin within 2 weeks.!! I started slowly with the application. Every other day and then built up to everyday. Followed the instructions carefully. As this retinol is not incredibly strong it wasn’t too harsh for my sensitive skin. I would 100% recommend this retinol for people with acne prone/ sensitive/ oily-combination skin. And if it doesn’t do anything for you at least you can sleep at night knowing you didn’t spend your life savings.

I have had crazy bumps form on my cheeks and nothing was helping make them go away. So I researched what I possibly have and it is very likely I have closed comedones, aka whiteheads. I read that retinol can help smooth out texture skin along with salicylic acid. So I ended up buying this with Paula's choice and I have been obsessed. The two together have been working wonders for my skin and it has only been 3 weeks. I will definitely keep repurchasing.

So disappointed that I blindly believed all that influencers reviews about this product and found out what actually inside only after I purchased this. According to the official Inkey List website it's 0.5% of Granactive Retinoid and 1% of Retistar in this product. Translation: 0.5% Granactive Retinoid = 0.025% Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (actual active ingrediant) and 1% Retistar = 0.05% Retinol. Even for me as a beginner with Retinol it feels like nothing and does nothing. Of course, it is, as it's only a tiniest little bit of actives in it. I'll never recommend this to anyone who looks for a product which can help with post-acne and first sights of ageing.

I have combination/dry skin. Before this one, I used the Retinol in squalane from The Ordinairy. This plays so much nicer with my skin! It sinks in better and never leaves any irritated or dry patches on my skin. My skin looks plump and healthy. Any lines I have, seem to be reduced. I use it every other night (I use a BHA on the other night) and I always look forward to it. I’m going to keep using it and would recommend it to anyone!

I don’t love the texture or smell of this serum but it is a good retinol especially for this price point. I have sensitive skin and had no problems with it and also had my mother try it but since she has dry skin it dried her skin too much but that is something that normally happens with retinol. I recommend using this also topically in other problematic areas of the body too.

Lightweight formula that mixes easily with my gel-based moisturiser, which is what I was hoping for. I think it would cause a breakout if I used it more than 1-2 times per week though, but I do have very spot-prone skin.

I have used serums with a higher dose of retinol, this doesn't do it for me.

That's a really good serum! However, the percentage stated is slightly misleading. You see, here they have 1% retistar complex. Which delivers 0.05% of pure retinol. On the other hand, 0.5% of granactive retinoid converts to 0.05% of pure active once in the skin. So the total concentration is not very high. Personally, I enjoy it very much. I have sensitive reactive skin and I do not react on this serum. Once I had a slight side effect, but I just overdid it. If you are rather young and/or have sensitive skin, this is a great choice. In other cases, I think that this serum will be too mild for you.