Retinal 0.2% Emulsion
Reviewed by SerumTruth Editorial · Price and formula checked 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.
- Built on strong-evidence actives
- Retinaldehyde dosed at a clinical, high-end level
- Every active discloses its concentration
- Encapsulated delivery protects and time-releases the active
- Evidence30 / 30
Strength of the research behind the key actives
- Retinaldehyde: strong evidence
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
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.
Delivery tech plus packaging, and packaging only counts when actives are fragile.
- 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
Disclosure, active breadth, and current-generation or synergistic actives.
- 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
What a month of use costs: full marks at $6 a month or less, the floor at $60 a month or more.
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Ranks #1 of 25 retinoids serums we have scored.
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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
What the research says
Clinical studies using skin replica image analysis suggested topical retinaldehyde supported a better looking appearance of photoaged skin, well tolerated.
Clinical use of topical retinaldehyde on photoaged skin. Dermatology, 1999. PubMed ↗
A study of the active, not this exact product. What matters for the score is whether this serum uses it at a comparable dose.
Revision history
- July 11, 2026Price and formula rechecked
- July 10, 2026Review published
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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.