Retinal 0.2% Emulsion
Reviewed by SerumTruth Editorial · Updated July 2026
An unusual amount of well-evidenced retinal for the money, delivered and packaged properly. It is more assertive than the encapsulated retinols, so ease in slowly. On proven active per dollar it is one of the strongest picks on the whole board.
- Evidence30 / 30
Strength of the research behind the key actives
- Retinaldehyde: strong evidence
- Score is the average of the key actives’ evidence grades.
- Potency25 / 25
Dosed at studied levels, not fairy-dusted
- Retinaldehyde (0.2%): dosed at a clinical, high-end level for its category
- Potency tracks how strongly the actives are dosed, led by the strongest, not how many there are.
- Delivery & stability20 / 20
Delivery tech + packaging that protects fragile actives
- Delivery: encapsulated (protects and time-releases the active)
- Packaging: airless, opaque
- Air- or light-sensitive actives (Retinaldehyde), so packaging is scored.
- Formulation8 / 10
Disclosure, active breadth, and ingredient generation
- 1 of 1 actives disclose a concentration
- 1 key active (breadth credit caps at 3)
- Current-generation or synergistic: Retinaldehyde
- Value14 / 15
What a month of use costs vs. the category
- About $9 per month to use
- $14.9 for 15 ml, used about once a day (about 0.3 ml each time), so a bottle lasts about 1.7 months
- Frequency is set by Retinaldehyde, which is used no more than 7x a week, so a bottle stretches further
- Band: $6/month or less earns full marks, $60/month or more hits the floor.
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What’s inside
| Active | Disclosed | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Retinaldehyde | 0.2% | Clinical |
A 0.2% retinaldehyde emulsion, encapsulated for stability and cushioned in a light moisturising base, in an opaque tube. That is a meaningful dose of a potent retinoid at a price that undercuts almost everything else in the category. Retinal oxidises readily, so the opaque tube matters, and the emulsion texture keeps the onset comfortable.
How it’s delivered
Air- and light-sensitive actives (vitamin C, copper peptides) lose potency fast in the wrong packaging, so delivery and the bottle are scored, not just what’s on the label.
The actives, explained
Cosmetic information for general education, not medical advice. The SerumProof score reflects our reading of publicly available research and formulation disclosures. See how scoring works.