A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum

Editor's Take

If you want retinoid results, this is the serious bottle on the shelf, but its clean-beauty score gets flattened by silicone-heavy gloss.

Four-pillar formula scores

• Efficacy: 8.8 / 10
• Modern Tech: 8.5 / 10
• Clean Beauty: 1.7 / 10
• Sustainability: 6.6 / 10

The Verdict

What's in the bottle is legitimately potent: Retinol and Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate are backed by Dimethyl Isosorbide, phospholipids, and 4-t-Butylcyclohexanol to push performance while keeping sting in check. The catch is the feel: Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-modified silicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, polymers, and Phenoxyethanol make this a poor fit for strict clean-beauty shoppers. Sustainability lands in the middle, because the same synthetic delivery materials that make it elegant are not especially green. Worth it as a high-performance retinoid serum, not as a clean or minimalist one.

Full INCI list

Water, Propanediol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Triheptanoin, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Hexyldecanol, Disiloxane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Diheptyl Succinate, Propylene Carbonate, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, PPG-24-Glycereth-24, Phenyl Trimethicone, Retinol, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Honey Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Algae Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Extract, Opuntia Ficus-indica Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Phospholipids, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Lecithin, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, 1,2-Hexanediol, 4-t- Butylcyclohexanol, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuss (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Polysilicone-11, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Polysorbate, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Stearic Acid, Brassica Campestris Sterols, PVP, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Alcohol, Potassium Phosphate, Decyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol.