Oh My, The Purge: The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane review

For me, there are a few absolute musts that I always incorporate in my routine; IE. exfoliant, sunscreen, and antioxidants. I’ve played around with retinol derivatives before (Retinyl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate)  but have never tried it in a true 1% concentration.

Well, I added this 1% Retinol serum into my routine and feel ready to share my positive and negative experience.

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane Claims:

• Water-free solution contains 1% pure Retinol
• Reduces the appearances of fine lines, photo damage and general skin aging

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane Ingredients: Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Retinol, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, BHT.

Thin liquid serum

Application

The retinol serum is a thin liquid that spreads on easily and leaves a shiny finish. Because of that, I prefer to use at night. When I first started using this a few months ago, I made the mistake of applying 3 drops to my face. NO. 2 drops MAX is the way to go because a little goes a long way. My routine would look something like: oil cleanse, cleanse, AHA, serum, retinol, moisturize. In the beginning, I remember applying retinol every day and not experiencing much. But then all of a sudden all hell broke loose by the end of the week.

I think on the fourth day of daily application I noticed tingling and some itchiness. But I didn’t feel concerned because I get the sensation all the time with my AHA and with that product, wake up the next morning looking toned and plump. Yeah, NO. Not with retinol 1%.

At the end of the week I woke up with red, irritated, and bumpy skin all over my face. In some areas it looked like an allergic reaction with these tiny red itchy bumps where I scratched myself during sleep. And throughout the week I grew these random pimples all over my face. It was awful! I was experiencing major purging/irritation and my faced looked F’d up. I was way too extra with all the actives, yikes.

Results

It took me a whole 2.5 weeks to heal and calm down my face. I removed all actives from my routine and just cleansed, serum, moisturized, and spot treated breakouts. Then slowly added back exfoliants and then the retinol.

Well after the purge and irritation was over and I was able to heal my damaged skin, I’ve added retinol back into my routine. I only notice the tiniest warming sensation when I apply 2 drops to my face. But I wake the next morning with my skin looking very bright, plump, and toned. I now use this only 2 to 3 times a week at night. My routine looks like: cleanse > serum > retinol > moisturize.

I think my skin has fully adjusted and I’m just excited to continue using retinol. For me, my main skin concern is acne and PIH but I wanted to try retinol because of it’s anti-aging benefits. I’ll continue to use it and hope the initial purge is worth the long term end result. Because right now I notice my skin looks toned, plump, and bright. I’ll have to see long term what it does for wrinkles.

Pros:

• High concentration of true Retinol 1%
• Stable formula free of water, alcohol, and silicones
• Helps fight wrinkles and hyperpigmentation
• Crazy cheap; other retinol serums are ~$60+

Cons:

• Super irritating; START SLOW!
• Shiny finish

Where to Buy:

• Amazon
• The Ordinary