The Inkey List
Advanced 0.2% Retinal Serum Duo
about $28.50
Retinal
In cosmetic formulas, Retinal leaves skin feeling smoother or better cared for.
Safety status
- PregnancyAvoidSee the pregnancy checker →
Good to know
- Photosensitizingcaution
Can make skin more reactive to UV. Wear sunscreen in the morning when using it.
What does Retinal do in a formula?
Retinal leaves skin feeling smoother or better cared for.
The listed functions explain its role in a formula. They do not establish whether a finished product will suit your skin.
No reviewed benefit claim is available here yet. Compare the complete formula, its directions, and your own skin preferences.
What a CosIng listing meansIn the Journal
- Skincare in Your 20s and 30s: What Actually Matters (and What's Marketing)
The routine that actually moves the needle is smaller than the internet makes it look. Here's what the evidence supports in your 20s and 30s — and what you can skip.
- How Much Skincare Should You Actually Use? Sunscreen Is the One to Get Right
Most of your routine is forgiving on amount — a little more or less barely matters. Sunscreen is the exception: apply too thin (which almost everyone does) and your real protection falls well short of the number on the bottle.
- How to Introduce a New Active Without Wrecking Your Skin
Starting a new active is a small experiment on your own face, and experiments only tell you something if you change one variable at a time. Here's the low-and-slow way to add anything new without losing track of what's actually working.
- Retinol vs retinal vs adapalene: choosing your first retinoid
Three over-the-counter vitamin-A options, three different jobs. A plain map so your first retinoid isn't your last.
Which papers mention Retinal?
The research feed contains 7 linked papers (2025-2026).
Highlights below name the ingredient or a recorded alias in their titles. A mention does not establish a skincare benefit: a paper may study oral use, a combination formula, or a different population. Reviewed ingredient claims, when available, are assessed separately for their stated scope.
- A Single-Center, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Tolerability of Retinal Encapsulated in a Novel Biomimetic Exosome in the Treatment of Mild-To-Moderate Facial Photodamage.
Title mentions Retinal.
Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2026, cited 0× (OpenAlex)
- Preoperative Intravitreal Viscoelastic Injection (PIVOT) for Surgical Optimization in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment With Choroidal Detachment.
Title mentions Retinal.
Ophthalmic surgery, lasers & imaging retina, 2026, cited 0× (OpenAlex)
Where it fits in real formulas
Related ingredients, common formula neighbors, naming, and catalog context. This stays separate from evidence and personal-fit guidance.
Similar ingredients
related by documented function or concern
Vitamin AIn a 24-week randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial in elderly subjects, 0.4% retinol significantly reduced fine wrinkling scores and increased glycosaminoglycan and procollagen I versus vehiclealso for acneVitamin B3Can improve the appearance of redness and uneven tone in some formulasalso for acneBHA exfoliantPromotes shedding of surface scale through keratolytic actionalso for acneVitamin CProvides antioxidant activity in a stable topical formulaalso for agingRetinyl PalmitateFunctions as a skin-conditioning vitamin A esteralso for agingBakuchiolA 12-week head-to-head study found similar improvement in measured wrinkles with bakuchiol and retinolalso for aging
What kinds of products contain Retinal?
Real brands and product categories from the 71 decoded products listing Retinal — an observation of our catalog, not a claim about market share.
71 of 7,133 decoded products list this ingredient. Count calculated on (UTC). Counts describe our recorded labels, which may differ from current packaging; the public product list can be smaller than the decoded catalog.
How we collect ingredient listsBrands
Product categories
eye creams (18), serums (16), exfoliants (13), moisturizers (11), masks (6), toners (3)
Based on those categories, Retinal shows up mostly in leave-on products (49 of 62 classified) — derived from product category, not a label fact.
Commonly appears alongside
How often another ingredient appears in the same decoded products. This does not show routine compatibility.
Bakuchiol21%15 of 71 decoded productsRetinyl Palmitate15%11 of 71 decoded productsVitamin A21%15 of 71 decoded productsTranexamic Acid13%9 of 71 decoded productsAlpha-Arbutin6%4 of 71 decoded productsVitamin C21%15 of 71 decoded productsVitamin B375%53 of 71 decoded productsSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate8%6 of 71 decoded productsSqualane28%20 of 71 decoded products
Which products contain Retinal?
All 70 →70 public products list this ingredient.
Catalog preview
A compact look at the first products in this result set
1–1 / 12
Glow Recipe
Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum 5ml
about $1.50
Beauty of Joseon
Revive Eye Serum : Ginseng + Retinal
about $16.15
Beauty of Joseon
Revive Under Eye Patch: Ginseng + Retinal
about $12.00
Beauty of Joseon
Revive Eye Serum Mini 10ml
about $3.75
Facetheory
Retinal Supreme Eye MultiBalm
about $48.00
The Inkey List
Starter Retinol Serum Duo
about $25.65
The Inkey List
Advanced 0.2% Retinal Serum
about $15.00
Beauty of Joseon
Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Retinal Firming Eye Patches 93g 60ea
about $15.84
K-secret
K-SECRET SEOUL 1988 Serum Retinal Liposome 2% + Black Ginseng 30ml
about $22.80
VT Cosmetics
VT COSMETICS Retinal Pro Cream 0.025 20ml
about $32.67
VT Cosmetics
VT COSMETICS Retinal Pro Cream 0.05 20ml
about $34.65
About the sources
Ingredient lists show presence and order, not concentration, pH, ingredient grade, delivery system, or finished-formula performance.
Sources & methodologyCompiled from the EU CosIng database (ref 59127) · snapshot 16 June 2026. CosIng is an informational, non-legally-binding reference. Inclusion does not mean an ingredient is approved, safe, authorized for cosmetic use, or clinically effective. An INCI list does not reveal concentration, pH, ingredient grade, delivery system, or finished-formula performance.