Is Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro Serum worth it?

Yes. All 4 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro Serum's Guru Score?

Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro Serum holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro Serum best for?

Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro Serum is generally suited to acne-prone skin and mature skin.

Dr Sam's

Dr Sam's Flawless Nightly Pro Serum.

Serums

Scan it in the shopFree iPhone app. Scores in the aisle.

About this product

A nightly retinoid treatment featuring 5% granactive retinoid, niacinamide, and bakuchiol, designed to address signs of aging and breakouts.

Full ingredients

Aqua (Water), Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Bakuchiol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Disodium EDTA, Dehydroacetic Acid, Laureth-7, Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Guru Score

84%

Yay

4 experts · Moderate agreement

4Gurus

4Yay

0Mixed

0Nay

What they liked

Nourishing, hydrated feel on skin
A pea-sized amount goes a long way
Gentle retinoid suitable for breakout-prone skin

What they flagged

Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

What the gurus are saying

The highest-potency granactive retinoid available, this treatment tackles breakouts and aging signs while remaining gentler than tretinoin, a key advantage for those seeking retinoid results without tretinoin's intensity. Reviewers praise its nourishing formula (niacinamide and bakuchiol included), and the one thing to keep in mind: because it's highly concentrated, a pea-sized amount is all you need. Using more risks irritation.

Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take May 2026

Best for

Acne-prone skin Mature skin

Type

SerumsDrops & dropper

Key actives

Retinoid Niacinamide

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Amazon → Google →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Mad About Skin

729k subs

✓Yay

"Dr. Sam always always formulates well and this is just a great great product. Granactive retinoid is a great super gentle but hyper effective option and this is the strongest granactive retinoid you are going to find on the skincare market. If you're breakout prone, please go for this because it will transform your skin in about a month to 6 weeks."

All 12 takes from Mad About Skin

THE END FOR RETINOL - Anti Aging Just Levelled Up (Best Retinoid Serums)

RETINOL GETS BANNED - 5 Better Retinol Alternatives

"My personal favorite is the Dr Sam Flawless Nightly Pro Serum. [...] This has a real high strength and concentration of granactive retinoid alongside some other beneficial anti-aging ingredients. This packs a punch and is a wonderful alternative to retinol if your favorite Retinol Serum is no longer available."

The Big RETINOL LIE - These Work Up To 11x Better ( Retinoids Explained)

"You've got some great calming and soothing ingredients. So they've really thought about offsetting any potential side effects while also dialing up the results you're going to see. I absolutely love this one and it's not the cheapest out there, but I think for people that have very dry skin type, but want to use a retinoid, this is an amazing option. And for people that have acne, but dry skin, so if you've got dehydrated skin, but also acne, this could be your holy grail."

RETINOL HAS DISAPPEARED - Heres What To Use Instead ( Best OTC Retinoid )

"This is the Dr. Sam Flawless Nightly Pro. They do a basic version and a pro version. The pro version has the highest dose of this Granactive Retinoid. So it's the one that I personally would reach for. I love this. Absolutely love it. It's a powerhouse serum that is really like a one and done for your evening routine. Cleanse the skin, put this on, top off with the moisturizer, and you're done. You've got a great routine, and it's all thanks to this comprehensive formula."

SKINCARE LIVESTREAM - Summer Skincare Chat

"I love their nightly serum. It's quality formulations, it's well priced for what you're getting."

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"I absolutely love this serum and whilst it doesn't come with the super cheap price point that say the E.L.F. or the Madabout Skin product does, this definitely packs a punch in terms of the concentration used and is one of my personal favorites. Great for those that have very dryness prone skin and want to be able to use a high strength retinoid without it being too stripping or drying."

Its Official: RETINOL IS OVER - Top 10 Retinoid Serums To Use Instead

"And it's also packed full of a range of other brightening and calming and soothing ingredients. So, it's doing an awful lot in just one tube. And I think this would again be applicable for just about every skin type out there. It doesn't matter what level of sensitivity you have. You can try this one and I think it will work well for you. It's like a foolproof retinoid if you're looking for maximum performance but you don't want to stress about side effects and irritation."

ALTERNATIVES TO RETINOL - 2 X Better Anti-Aging

"This is the Dr Sam Flawless Nightly Pro, this is the highest potency granactive retinoid you can buy on the market so if you want major anti-aging heavy lifting this is a great option to go for. It's also really well formulated, really nourishing, hydrated, feels so good on the skin when you use it in the evening. Granactive retinoid is one of those up-and-coming emerging ingredients and this is definitely proving that the Dr Sam range is kind of streets ahead of a lot of its competitors."

SKINCARE LIVESTREAM - Come And Chat

"I also really like their nightly serum. I like the acid in it that's a great option."

Best OTC RETINOIDS 2023 - Ultimate Anti-Aging Serums

"This is the Dr Sam Flawless Nightly Pro Serum and this definitely isn't the most budget-friendly option, it does come with a high price point but it's worth it when you look at the formulation packed full of hydrating ingredients, calming and soothing ones. [...] You're going to get a little extra potency when it comes to the outcomes you'll see and it's anti-inflammatory too."

NEXT LEVEL RETINOL - Maximum Anti-Aging (2X The Results)

"This is the one by Dr Sam Bunting and her Flawless Nightly Pro Serum. This is the strongest granactive retinoid on the market. Won't give you a whole lot of sensitivity because it's a newer generation retinoid but definitely packs a punch for fighting acne, fine lines, and wrinkles. I love this."

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"This is the Dr Sam Flawless Nightly Pro Serum. This actually contains a 5% concentration of granactive retinoid, this is off the charts through the roof, skyhigh anti-aging. Now, not for the faint of heart. You know, if you're new to retinoids don't go for this, but if you're experienced with retinoids and you've used a high dose retinol and want the equivalent in granactive retinoid, this is as good as it gets. I adore this serum."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.73M subs

✓Yay

"Dr Sam Bunting across the pond in the UK has her Flawless Nightly Pro Serum which is a 10% azelaic acid serum as well. It has 5% niacinamide, it does have an ester form of vitamin C at 2% so it's not going to be the active form of vitamin C but it might be a nice one if you are a rosacea sufferer trying to use vitamin C in the morning wanting to get away with some azelaic acid. I hear beautiful things. I started looking into it because of you guys DMing me about it."

Doctor Anne

56k subs

✓Yay

"For Azelaic Acid I have had good experiences with the Dr Sam's skincare line, the Dr Sam's Nightly Serum for example combines a gentle form of retinoid with Azelaic Acid and Niacinamide."

Dr Sam Bunting

240k subs

✓Yay

"Next I'm going in with Nightly Pro. I alternate between that and tretinoin. My skin is just a little dry from travel recently, so I'm just having a Nightly Pro night, but that's just my personal choice to lower the intensity, so I'm not doing tret every single night. You really don't need more than a pea sized amount, if you're using a cream with Nightly Pro that's one pump, a little goes a long way."

Founder's own brand

All 2 takes from Dr Sam Bunting

Wake Up to Better Skin - My Exact Night Routine | Dr Sam Bunting

Effective Skincare Routine for Closed Comedones | Dr Sam Bunting

"Flawless nightly Pro is excellent, with 5% granactive retinoid in combination with niacinamide and bakuchiol, so it's excellent for those who are perhaps trying to tackle the signs of aging alongside tackling closed comedones."