No BS Beauty has reviewed 47 retinoid products, and her Guru Score sits at 81%. She approved 38, gave 5 mixed takes, and passed on 4. That is a strong lean toward yes, but she is not easy to please: when something missed, she said exactly why.
What does No BS Beauty recommend in retinoids?
What runs through her approved picks is a clean formula with real support built in. She keeps coming back to retinoids paired with calming or barrier-friendly ingredients. She praised Prequel Retinal Renew Retinaldehyde Gel 0.1% for including ectoine, an ingredient that helps skin adjust so the usual peeling and dryness of starting a retinoid does not hit as hard. She liked that The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane pairs its active with squalane, a hydrating, skin-compatible oil, and keeps the list short with no fragrance. She also values layering: on Isntree Hyper Retinol EX 1.0 Serum she pointed out five ceramides, centella, and five peptides alongside the retinoid blend, and said plainly that more peptides in a routine is better. Her enthusiasm for Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1% came down to ease of use: it is clear, scentless, and fits into a routine without friction.
In her words
"If you have sensitive skin and haven't used a lot of retinoids, this is a nice one. It's just got 1% retinol, which is kind of a standard amount, but squalane is a great antioxidant and hydrating and skin identical ingredient. They paired it with that, as well as tomato extract, which is also a good antioxidant. So this one would be a nice nighttime oil. It's got a nice oil texture to it, so it's very hydrating at the same time as fighting wrinkles and fine lines. It's a really nice formula. No fragrance, short ingredient list, very nice product."
"Prequil is absolutely amazing. Their Retinol Renew Retinohyde gel is 29 bucks and comes in two strengths, 0.1 and 0.2. It's wonderful because it has ectoine in it to help soothe skin so you don't experience retinization. Plain tretinoin is full of denatured alcohol and can be very drying and difficult to get started on. This makes it so easy to get into the rhythm of using it without the dryness, flakiness, and peeling."
"I love this stuff. Retinoids are wonderful for anti-aging, for fighting acne, for firming skin, for fighting wrinkles, all of it, and this product is right up there, probably in my top three or four products, maybe my number one. It's tough to say, but I really love this stuff, and it's pretty affordable."
"This one uses 0.3% retinal palmitate, which is a very gentle type of retinol, plus 0.1% retinol and 0.6% bakuchiol, adding up to 1% total. It also has five ceramides, centella, and five additional peptides, which I love. The more peptides I get in my routine, the better, I find them to be a total game changer."
"I would say Adapalene is a great way to go because it's just so easy to fit in your routine. It is clear and it fits in pretty flawlessly and no real ingredients of note and no scent or anything like that. So, this stuff is lovely."
"I still love my Geek and Gorgeous A-Game. It's probably the closest alternative alongside The Ordinary Retinol Emulsion."
How many retinoids has No BS Beauty reviewed?
No BS Beauty has reviewed 47 retinoids, for a Guru Score of 81%. 38 approved, 5 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has No BS Beauty skipped in retinoids?
Fragrance is the clearest deal-breaker for her. She passed on La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum because she found it super irritating and full of fragrance, so anyone whose skin already reacts to scent will want to take that seriously. Price versus what is in the bottle bothers her too: she called Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum overpriced at 65 dollars for what she saw as a basic formula with relatively few ingredients. She also flagged strength as a real concern with Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream, saying it is too strong for most adults, let alone younger skin. Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum got a skip over what she described as an unpleasant smell.
"Their retinol I found to be super irritating, full of fragrance. La Roche-Posay has a lot of amazing stuff, but they also have a handful of stuff that my skin did not tolerate well, and a lot of people probably will not."
"Then they come out with this [niacinamide] serum which in my opinion smells like toilet bowl cleanser"
"It's just a basic squalane-based serum oil. It's got a really oily texture to it. It doesn't have a ton of ingredients. It's got 1.5% encapsulated retinol, squalane, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid as the main ingredients. 65 bucks for this. A little bit overpriced in my opinion, and a brand that most people probably don't want to support any longer."
"The stuff is not good for kids, especially a lot of their [...] products. This is too strong for most adults, and having an 8-year-old, 10-year-old, [...] or 16-year-old use it, their face is going to be even more apt to burn and get damaged."
What should you take from No BS Beauty's picks?
No BS Beauty's retinoid record is generous, but it is not indiscriminate. She consistently rewards products that make retinoids easier to tolerate, pair the active with real skin support, and keep fragrance out. Her skips are specific and practical: fragrance, poor value, and formulas that are simply stronger than most people need. For anyone just starting out with retinoids, her focus on tolerability is probably the most useful thing to take from her.
Watch No BS Beauty say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 SerumSkipped itWatch at 5:03
- Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid SerumSkipped itWatch at 3:25
- Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night SerumSkipped itWatch at 1:25
- Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol CreamSkipped itWatch at 1:22
- The Ordinary Retinol 1% in SqualaneRated itWatch at 5:16
- Prequel Retinal Renew Retinaldehyde Gel 0.1%Rated itWatch at 3:17
- Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 20 RetinolRated itWatch at 2:10
- Isntree Hyper Retinol EX 1.0 SerumRated itWatch at 12:22
- Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%Rated itWatch at 8:49
- Geek & Gorgeous A-Game Retinol 10Rated itWatch at 7:13
- The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% EmulsionRated itWatch at 7:26
- The INKEY List Super Solutions 1% Retinol SerumRated itWatch at 11:01
- Altreno Tretinoin Lotion 0.05%Rated itWatch at 2:56
- Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with RetinolRated itWatch at 7:48
- Geek & Gorgeous A-Game Retinol 5Rated itWatch at 1:00
- e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid SerumRated itWatch at 9:37
- Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinal SerumRated itWatch at 4:10
- Summer Fridays Midnight Ritual Retinol Renewal SerumRated itWatch at 3:04
- Medik8 Crystal Retinal 20Rated itWatch at 26:22
- Hero Cosmetics Rescue Retinol Nighttime Renewing CreamRated itWatch at 3:18
- Anua Nano Retinol 3% Renewing SerumRated itWatch at 8:24
- Kinship Dreamwave 2% Bio-Retinoid Complex Renewal SerumRated itWatch at 9:29
- BYOMA Sensitive Retinol OilRated itWatch at 5:21
- Prequel Retinal Renew Retinaldehyde Gel 0.2%Rated itWatch at 3:48
About this expert
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This guide reflects what No BS Beauty said across their videos about 47 products in retinoids, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.