Is Your Retinol Really Retinol? We Checked 6 Formulas.
Is Your Retinol Really Retinol?
One ingredient changes what you’re buying. We compared six formulas—and one uses retinyl palmitate instead of retinol. See the label detail to check before your next jar.
Reveal the ingredient catch ↓Skip to our formula pick ↗
THE SHORTLIST
Find your formula. Read the catch.
YOUN Beauty
The number that earned
our editorial pick.
eb5 Intense Moisture
A full-size moisturizer.
One detail to read first.
NassifMD
Love your moisturizer?
Look at this serum.
The word on the jar.
The detail on the back.
You’re about to buy another retinol. The packaging looks convincing. The price feels like a shortcut: spend more, get more. But what, exactly, are you getting?
We compared the ingredient lists on six formulas. AVYA? A travel-size jar. The eb5 moisturizer? Retinyl palmitate, not retinol. The Clark’s Botanicals splurge? An ingredient list that includes fragrance.
Then we looked for a number you might expect every retinol product to give you: how much active retinol is actually in it. In our ingredient review, only one of the six supplied that figure.
That detail changed our pick. Below, you’ll see which formula earned it—and the catch to check on every other jar before you buy.
The good.
The catch.
Every formula has a selling point.
Read the trade-off before you buy it.
AVYA Retinol Night Moisturizer
A small jar can be an easy temptation. AVYA brings retinol, retinyl palmitate, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid into a travel-size formula. If you want to try it without committing to a full-size jar, that format has an obvious appeal. Just read the size before you add it to your cart.
Before you buy: You’re getting 0.34 oz. That is a travel size, and the formula contains added fragrance. Check the amount you’re getting before you buy.
eb5 Intense Moisture Face & Neck Cream
A rich, full-size moisturizer looks like an easy choice. Then you read the ingredient list: the vitamin A ingredient is retinyl palmitate. This rich face-and-neck moisturizer also includes vitamin E and panthenol. Put it on your shortlist if a moisturizing cream is what you want—but know exactly what you’re buying.
Before you buy: Retinyl palmitate is a different ingredient from retinol. If retinol itself is your must-have, keep reading.
NassifMD Hydro-Screen Serum
Already found a moisturizer you love? You don’t have to shop only for another cream. NassifMD takes the serum route, pairing retinol with ceramides, hyaluronic acid and bakuchiol. It’s the option to inspect if you prefer a serum format and want to keep the rest of your routine in view.
Before you buy: You get 1 oz, and the retinol percentage isn’t disclosed in the product details we reviewed. Check the current directions before working it into your routine.
PERFECT ONE Lifting Gel
If your bathroom shelf is getting crowded, this is the pitch that gets your attention: an all-in-one gel with ceramides, squalane, niacinamide and centella. Retinol appears in the ingredient list, too. The appeal here is the moisturizing lineup and the simpler format. Decide whether that is what you actually came to buy.
Before you buy: There’s no active retinol percentage in the details we reviewed. Its position on the ingredient list won’t tell you the exact amount.
YOUN Beauty Retinol Night Cream
Here’s the number that changed our shortlist: approximately 0.06% active retinol. The product details distinguish that from the 2.5% liposomal complex used to deliver it. Add a fragrance-free formula with vitamin B5 and green tea, and you can see why this became our editorial pick.
Before you buy: The 2.5% figure refers to the liposomal complex. The stated active retinol amount is approximately 0.06%. Keep that distinction in mind when comparing labels.
Clark’s Botanicals Retinol Rescue
With a luxury cream, you want a reason to reach for your card. Clark’s brings retinol, a vitamin C derivative, a peptide and niacinamide to the table. That is a lineup worth reading. But it didn’t take our editorial pick: the product details we reviewed don’t give an active retinol percentage, and the formula includes fragrance.
Before you buy: The ingredient list includes limonene, geraniol and linalool. If fragrance-free is on your checklist, compare it with YOUN before committing to the splurge.
Six labels.
No small print.
Start with the vitamin A column. Then look at the size. Know what’s in the formula before you click through to shop.
| THE FORMULA | VITAMIN A FORM | SIZE | THE DETAIL |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVYA Night Moisturizer ↗ | Retinol + retinyl palmitate | 0.34 oz travel size | Travel size; added fragrance |
| eb5 Intense Moisture ↗ | Retinyl palmitate | 1.7 oz | Retinyl palmitate, not retinol |
| NassifMD Hydro-Screen ↗ | Retinol | 1 oz serum | Serum format; ceramides |
| PERFECT ONE Lifting Gel ↗ | Retinol | 1.76 oz | All-in-one moisturizing gel |
| YOUN Beauty Night Cream ↗ | Retinol; ~0.06% stated | 50 ml | Stated active retinol percentage |
| Clark’s Retinol Rescue ↗ | Retinol | Full-size jar | Includes fragrance |
Ingredient details reflect our ingredient review. Confirm current information with the retailer. Tap a product name to jump to its review.
FORMULA
PICK
The detail
that earned
our pick.
YOUN Beauty puts a number on it: approximately 0.06% active retinol, according to the product details in our review. It’s also fragrance-free. That combination earned our editorial pick. Want the formula that caught our attention? Start here.
See current price and availability on Amazon
Still deciding?
Read this.
Why didn’t the luxury cream get your pick?
For this editorial pick, we valued a disclosed active retinol percentage and a fragrance-free formula. YOUN gave us both in the product details we reviewed. That doesn’t prove it works better than the luxury cream; this is an ingredient comparison, not a clinical head-to-head test.
What’s the catch with the AVYA jar?
Size. AVYA is a 0.34 oz travel jar. The eb5 jar contains 1.7 oz, but uses retinyl palmitate rather than retinol. Compare the size and the vitamin A ingredient before choosing.
Wait—one of these isn’t retinol?
Correct. The eb5 formula uses retinyl palmitate, a different vitamin A derivative. It may still be a moisturizer you want, but buy it knowing that distinction. NassifMD also differs in format: it’s a serum, not a cream.
Where can I see the current prices?
Use the shopping button beside any formula to see its current price on Amazon. Prices and availability can change; the retailer’s listing and checkout show the current offer.