Retinal 0.2% Emulsion, High-Strength Retinoid Serum for Advanced Anti-Aging Support, 15ml

I’ve previously used tretinoin, but because I have quite sensitive and dry skin due to cancer treatment, I found it difficult to use consistently without irritation. That’s what made me try this retinal instead, and I’m really glad I did. My skin tolerates it much better, which means I’m able to use it far more consistently. Even though retinal is still effective but slightly gentler than tretinoin, I’ve found that consistency makes a big difference. I’d rather use something I can stick to regularly than a stronger product I can only use occasionally, as that’s likely to give better long-term results for me. I’ve been really impressed with how well my skin gets on with this, and it’s also very affordable compared to a lot of similar products. I’ll definitely keep repurchasing.

I love The Ordinary Retinal! The overall appearance of my skin is greatly improved, fewer fine lines and its plumper. I use every other evening and wouldn't be without it now. I've had no adverse reaction and no staining. A little goes a long way! I saw results in a couple of weeks, very impressed!

Great quality Retinal at reasonable price. Seeing results with consistent use.

I love this product. I had been using a retinal that cost £65 and I thought I would give this one a try as it’s a third of the price. It has a nice feel to it and is easy to smooth over the skin. You only need one pump, so it will last quite a long time. I’ve been using it every other day for around 4 weeks. I always follow up with a moisturiser and I haven’t had any problems with sensitivity. My skin looks clear and glowy.

Absorption is amazing, the colour is a little off putting as it’s bright yellow and does stain clothes, it’s definitely working and after 3 months my skin looks and feels amazing! I would recommend a moisturising over the top to seal it but it’s not the driest one I have used. Will definitely be purchasing again and have done a few times.

It’s a good retinal and feels nice to apply, but the strong yellow tint lets it down. I’ve had it transfer onto pillowcases and clothes, which is frustrating. Would be much better without that issue.

The biggest difference to my skin!!! Can’t believe I didn’t find retinol sooner it’s crazy. If I apply this at night it’s like my skin has a full reset in the morning, less redness and a lot smoother. Definitely seems to be the best value one in the game. I pair it with the ordinary squalane cleanser first.

I put this to the test and I can say I absolutely approve. For years, I had used Tretinoin and then Tazarotene. I never got the results everyone else got, despite using ceramides, SPF 50+ and moisturising my skin constantly. Tret made me peel non stop and Taz made my skin ridiculously sensitive. I never noticed any difference in my skin tone or wrinkles, despite using these for years. If anything, I felt things only got worse. I thought to myself that maybe my skin is just too sensitive. For context, I am the palest of the pale on the Fitzpatrick scale and my skin bruises easily and I get stretch marks easily. The retinoids I had tried absolutely did not thicken my skin. So I decided to try this product, The Ordinary Retinal at 0.2%. I only apply it every second night and my golly, I am noticing a difference already, after 2 weeks. I do not have the same irritation and I am really happy with how things are going. I start off by cleansing my face and apply a thin layer of the Olay Beauty Fluid (gorgeous stuff, by the way!) and wait half an hour, then I apply a pea size amount (I can't stress this enough. Retinoids are medication and should be treated as such. Otherwise you will destroy your skin.) and dot it around my face and then rub it in. It absorbs very quickly and don't be alarmed if your face has a yellow tint, it's normal for a retinoid to have this. I then wait another 20-30 mins and apply my second layer of Olay, essentially "sandwiching" the retinoid. Some people use vaseline on top of this to work as an occlusive, but I don't like the feeling of my face being covered in Vaseline. It definitely does help, though! In the morning, be sure to wash it off straight away. You don't want any sunlight to reach your skin when you have a retinoid on it. Apply your lotions and potions and always finish off with an SPF 50+ (La Roche or Tropic are both excellent.) For the price, this is excellent! It's effective and works better for folk who can't tolerate the stronger retinoids. You'll be grateful to try this a it won't be as inflamed as the stronger retinoids. Inflammation breaks down collagen and it's the last thing you need when you are trying to slow down the aging process So get your Retinal from The Ordinary and enjoy ❤️ it is the best magic potion out there.

Ottima emulsione al Retinolo, da usare gradualmente per fare abituare la pelle e soltanto la sera. La pelle appare distesa e il colorito più sano.

Its such good value. I use it twice a week and it does remove little lines and bumps/ issues. Just promise to use sunscreen with all retinol products. I'm sure there's better ones, but for price point, if youre just trying retinol or on a budget, its fabulous. I like skincare but im not obsessed so i think its really good. It has no odour and goes on well and is easily absorbed. I have sensitive skin and as long as i use spf 50 everyday, im not irritated. Try it!

I really like this product it seems to be very effective. However it is extremely small so you literally should buy x2 at least

I was a retinoid latecomer, in fact a latecomer to skincare as a whole, not doing anything special until I was 40. By then some damage had already appeared in the form of noticeably thinning skin (I saw capillaries scattered around my face, and this made me look older than any other sign of aging I was experiencing), fine lines, and discolored spots. I wanted to get on the strongest things I could as soon as possible. I began with The Ordinary's Granactive Retinoid 2% emulsion, because I'd read it was a beginner-friendly gentle option, but I had the goal of jumping to this retinaldehyde emulsion all along. I'm not 28, after all! (I need to emphasize that middle-aged and older women will see more benefits from strong retinoids like this than younger women, like under 35. Y'all have good enough skin that the changes you'll see are less extreme than what we'll see.) My skin is not sensitive, so I was able to upgrade to this retinal just 6 months after using the granactive. I now use it 6 nights out of 7 with no irritation. The 7th night is exfoliation. I'm not saying everyone will be able to do that, but this is gentle enough - in contrast with conventional retinol - that you might. I have somewhat oily skin, which helps; I expect it'd be drying otherwise, and I do have to put on extra moisturizer in the winter. (But don't we all?) I also apply sunscreen to my face every single day without exception. If you use retinoids and you don't do that, you'll regret it and you won't see the benefits of the retinaldehyde because the sun's radiation will undo them. Yes, the product is yellow. Yes, it leaves a faint cast behind. But that's another reason to apply it at night. It may stain your pillows; I haven't really looked at that, but they get stained with sebum, hair product, and sweat anyway... and they're pillows. You rest your head on them for 8 hours. They're not going to be pristine forever. ...In any case, I apply this directly after cleansing, and it takes about a minute to dry on my face. After that I can apply my moisturizer. I have not found that this retinal causes pimples for me at all. I've been a little afraid of TO's squalane retinoid formulations for that reason. This one doesn't cause breakouts for me. In fact, I had a pimple pop up more frequently with the granactive emulsion. I basically have none with this retinal. After not quite a year, it has begun to noticeably smooth the fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes. Honestly, I have to look to even see them now. My skin's texture is smoother, it's thickened enough that I no longer see capillaries scattered on my face, I have hardly any discoloration, it feels silkier, and I can tell the skin is turning over faster, as it should be. If I do develop a bump or blemish of some kind, it's gone within 24 hours, no exceptions. This selfie is what I look like without any makeup, filters, or photo retouching. Yes, I'm 42. Yes, I get unsolicited compliments, for the first time in years. This is a fantastic product, and if you're in the age group of needing it, you have the patience to wait for results, AND you use it correctly (SPF, people, SPF), you should see your face change markedly. I hope The Ordinary never discontinues this, unless it's to introduce a new retinal formula, because I don't want to shell out 5-10 times this price for someone else's retinal.

This is my favourite retinal. I’m so sad that the ordinary doesn’t sell this in Canada anymore. The price on it fluctuates, which is expected I’m glad that I can still get it here. I use this three times a week and I have been using it since October and it’s now February. I have no idea how much is left in the bottle because I can’t see, but it doesn’t feel empty and the pumps still pumping a normal amount of product without spitting. I have a very intense skincare routine, but this helped me get rid of my fine lines and texture. The fine lines aren’t 100% gone hydration also had something to do with it but it did really help. This is my ride or die. I’m really sad. I can’t get in Canada anymore outside of Amazon.