The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane 30ml

I love every product from The Ordinary. Affordable and effective skin care. Especially the 0.5 Retinol.

I don't understand why the rating is low. This is the best product for my skin and I receive a lot of compliments for my youthful look. Highly recommend

I started using this product one month ago. I'm 44, have oily skin with large pores and it can look quite uneven. After just one month I can see my skin is more radiant and smoother. I think I will need to use it a little longer to see improvements in dark spots. I have pretty hardy skin, so I use it every day on my face after moisturiser.\n30ml is too much for just the face so I'm trying a few drops on my neck and decolletage to see what happens.

I was struggling with deep cystic pimples on my cheeks and decided to give this a go, and i have been surprised by the results. I havent developed a new cyst since i have started when i would get a new one every week before ! I have also noticed a huge different in my skin texture and i have only been using this for 2 weeks! Try it!

Very oily texture, would not reccomend if you have oily skin like me.

This should be in bold, really. Maybe with a graphic element. Because I completely missed it until reading a recient marketing email.

I loved the 2% emulsion and after 2 bottles, I thought I could up the percentage a bit. Unfortunately, I got clogged pores & milia type bumps on my face from this formula. It took me a while to determine that this was the product causing issues. I have a very fussy skin on my face. I', not a 100% sure but suspect it was jojoba oil causing the issue because I don't have a problem with squalane and use it in fall/winter as the last step in my routine. I'm glad this product was not an expensive purchase like all other TO products. I'm going back to emulsion, as I can't forget how beautiful it made my skin. \r\nDoes anybody have an idea how I can finish the bottle? Can I use it on my body where it's not as sensitive? I'm thinking of using it on my knees, elbows and heels. Maybe decollete as well since it's getting cooler and it won't be exposed to the sun as much.

I have used retinol for a number of years and wanted to try this one. I was really surprised at how cheap it was. At first I though oh no, this is not a serum it's an oil! How on earth is my night cream going to penitrate this? I was also worried as my skin is really oily . But wow! I am so impressed I use a small amount every night then apply my night cream, about an hour later. My skin is so much smoother and more supple. It does feel greasy going onto the skin. But it does not make my skin oily or shiny! In fact during the day it has been less oily. My wrinkles around my eyes are fading. I spend a huge amount of money on skin care usually, but I am going to start slowly swapping things to this brand. I have been so impressed with this retinol. Better than the premium brands!

The retinol serums have been the most effective product I've tried from The Ordinary. I started with the 0.2%, and moved on to this one after finishing that bottle. The .2 didn't cause any irritation or dryness; with this one, I have had some of that, but I can also see it being more effective in fading hyperpigmentation and smoothing wrinkles. It's worked better for my sun spots than all the other products from TO I tried. The only downside is it has to be refrigerated, so can't be used when travelling. I will probably not stop at 3 months but use it till it's used up, like the first one. We'll see how my skin continues tolerating it and whether I move to the 1% or just stay with 0.5.

I bought this product this month ago. And started to apply three times in a week. My skin is very sensitive and acne prone. Before using this product i only used to have one or two pimple. After using this i have pimples all over my face. I thought it was just a reaction and continu to use but it make my skin worst. As well as this retinol is very oily and didn't absorb in my skin. I don't recommend this product who have very sensitive and acne prone skin.

THIS GEM! I am 24yo and started to use Retinol a year ago. What to say... after the FIRST APPLICATION (applied before night), I woke up in the morning with such SMOOTH skin that it blew me away... The closed comedons on my forehead (that I could feel by touch but not see) were gone - my forehead felt sooo smooth under my fingertips. This is the biggest effect I've noticed from using this product. It evens out my skin texture and I am loving it. If I don't use if for just a couple of days, I can feel the small bumps on my forehead again, so I try using Retinol as often as possible. unfortunately, have to alternate it with Glycolic Acid and AHA+BHA, otherwise would be using this one every night!

I'm on my third bottle of this, so clearly I have nothing but good things to say about this product. My acne-prone skin absolutely loves it!\r\n\r\nI'm only deducting a star because I feel like I'm wasting a lot of product. Even though I use a full dropper every night (which is enough for my face, neck, and chest), I barely get through half the bottle in the 3-month shelf life. That being said, it's not a waste of money, given the price point versus effectiveness of this stuff. I still recommend it to anyone wanting to try out a retinol serum.

I've been using this the last couple of weeks and it's made me break out in areas of my face where I didn't even know I could have breakouts. it was probably just to do with it not being compatible with my skin type (combination), and I assume it's more likely to be the squalane than the retinol. I am just disappointed that it's marketed as something non comedogenic for people with oily skin who are prone to breakouts and blackheads etc which I am. And then the squalane just totally clogs up my face. Just be warned if you are buying this then I wouldn't recommend for oily skin.... kind of oxymoronic to put the two together if you ask me but there we go. On the other hand I was previously using the lactic acid solution and loved it so will stick to that.

I've never used retinol before but wanted to try it out because I have lots of post-acne scarring, clogged pores, and have started to notice fine lines (I smile A LOT so my smile lines are especially bad). I was worried since I'd read reviews that retinol will make you break out or irritate the skin. I've had minimal purging, nothing worse than breakouts I would get during my period, and my skin has never been softer. I can tell that my clogged pores are clearing out too. I don't think I've been using long enough to see differences in my fine lines, but if I go to bed with a blemish, I wake up with the softest skin and the breakout is gone! I use it almost every night without any issue and it's a total game changer!

I didn’t realize I was supposed to refrigerate until reading the reviews right now, so that’s a major oversight - I read the box and bottle before using…that said I feel the retinol is helping, but I think the squalane is irritating my skin so I wish there was another option for the retinol. I liked the squalane cleanser when I had the small container but when I invested in the big one my skin quickly started reacting to it and I read the same for people online. So now having the retinol in squalane isn’t great for me. Some days it helps, other it doesn’t so I’m unsure overall.

I have been using this product now for roughly 2 months. While I have some areas on my face that seem smooth, I never really had bad skin before.. now I am covered in breakouts, particularly in the areas that I would usually get spots (which I’ve read is a good sign that the ‘purge’ is happening). However as I am not usually prone to a lot of acne and I feel this should have stoped by now I wonder wether now I should try a different retinol product or stick it out with this one! \r\n\r\nI think what has spooked me is that the this product is described as gentle and many report no purging at all! Why am I, Simone who never really experienced acne purging so dramatically!!? \r\n\r\nI’m now feeling as though I would have just been grateful with the skin I had before! \r\n\r\nIf anyone has any suggestions I’d be very greatful :)

I was afraid to try it, because I had negative experience with the emulsion, and that one is supposed to be much less irritating than the Retinol formulas. I was pleasantly surprised! I got basically 0 irritation from using this product, it is very pleasant to use in the evening (I can use my relatively light moisturized without the need to purchase oils to add to the whole lot of layers I am already smearing on my face).\r\nFor referece I am using:\r\n1. 3 drops of the caffeine serum mixed with a bit of the B3 powder applied on wet skin all over the face and neck;\r\n2. 2 drops EUK134 duluted with 2 sprays of water for easier application on wet skin for the face and neck;\r\n3. Retinol 0.5% on dry skin- 3 drops for the face and 2 for the neck;\r\n4. Gel-type moisturizer (I assume mentioning another company's product is not allowed) and I spray water on top.

So far I’m enjoying this product! Do I need to be refrigerating it? I have seen mixed reviews. Thank you! DECIEM Response: We are happy to hear you are enjoying The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane! We made changes to the existing formulas under the “Retinoids” category of The Ordinary in standing with our commitment to innovation and further improving our formulations. Given that the oxidation of Retinol is an inevitable process, irrespective of the format that it is present in, the oxidation process can be delayed. With that in mind, we’ve changed the period-after-opening (PAO) and included “refrigerate after opening” in the directions alongside the formulation change in efforts to further delay the inevitable oxidation of Retinol and Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR). Hope this helps! Thank you for the lovely review! ❤

I have used this retinol for a couple of weeks but then had to make a pause due to a breakout (not sure it was caused by the retinol, though). Now I would like to continue using but I'm little worried about stability of the solution in an open bottle. The weather is pretty hot now where I live (75-85 deg), and the bottle's stayed open in the bathroom for about 2 months by now (away from sunlight).Is it still safe/effective to use it? DECIEM Response: We have tested stability of all of our products under the same conditions as they are supplied. As long as they are used within the timeframe after opening as shown in the Period-After-Opening symbol on the container, there is no concern about stability of efficacy. ❤