e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum

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

✓Yay

"Granactive retinoid is one of the best retinoids for reducing acne causing bacteria on the skin. So if you are super breakout prone, then this e.l.f. one will be a wondrous addition to your skincare routine. If you're not breakout prone, it's still a great option if you're looking for something super gentle, but that genuinely delivers a punch when it comes to anti-aging. I absolutely love this one. And of course, in keeping with all of the e.l.f. products, this is super drugstore and affordable."

All 3 takes from Mad About Skin

🏆 BEST DRUGSTORE RETINOLS - Next Level Anti-Aging Skincare

"Buying this e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum, it's beautifully hydrating. That blend is really innovative and it's not something you see an awful lot of, so I definitely applaud them for that. I love the pump action on this bottle. It just dispenses the right amount and the price point is divine. e.l.f. really are knocking it out of the park with their skincare this year and I think this is one of the best launches that they've had."

NEW: Advanced Anti Aging Serums - STRONGER THAN RETINOL

"If you want to start with a multi-retinoid formula, this is a really great one to do. It won't break the bank, but it also won't cause too much sensitivity and irritation. The pump on this product works really, really well, so it's easy to dispense the right amount and it just feels great. If you're completely new to retinoids or you have sensitive skin, this could be a real game changer and one that I would definitely recommend incorporating."

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

"Granactive retinoid is one of the best retinoids for reducing acne causing bacteria on the skin. So if you are super breakout prone, then this e.l.f. one will be a wondrous addition to your skincare routine. If you're not breakout prone, it's still a great option if you're looking for something super gentle, but that genuinely delivers a punch when it comes to anti-aging. I absolutely love this one. And of course, in keeping with all of the e.l.f. products, this is super drugstore and affordable."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.72M subs

✓Yay

"When you're talking about retinols and you're talking about 2023 e.l.f. had a crazy year but the e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum for 22 bucks is pretty amazing. It is a hydroxy pinacolone retinoate, also known as a granactive retinoid, married to retinol and a little bit of antioxidants in there. So it's a good one if you're sensitive and you're looking for something to start with and you don't want to spend an arm and a leg."

All 4 takes from Dr. Shereene Idriss

Best NEW Skincare & Makeup of 2023! | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"When you're talking about retinols and you're talking about 2023 e.l.f. had a crazy year but the e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum for 22 bucks is pretty amazing. It is a hydroxy pinacolone retinoate, also known as a granactive retinoid, married to retinol and a little bit of antioxidants in there. So it's a good one if you're sensitive and you're looking for something to start with and you don't want to spend an arm and a leg."

Skincare for Your 20s: Acne, Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation, Oily Skin | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"I really do like e.l.f. They have their granactive retinoid as well as 0.06% retinal and antioxidants in it. The granactive retinoid is hydroxy pinacolone retinoate, and it is a cousin of the active form of retinol, also known as tretinoin. Studies are saying that it is almost as effective as the active form, although it is not technically the active form, and it is not as irritating. So this is a really nice one for you guys to try. It is not expensive, it is 22 bucks. It is also great for beginners. If you're in your 20s and you've never used a retinol in your teens, definitely I think you need to be sticking to this until you can tolerate it every night of the week without any irritation. Consistency over intensity is the name of the game."

Budget-Friendly Drugstore Skincare Favorites from a Dermatologist! | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"e.l.f. has their Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum which is a mix of Granactive Retinoid, also known as hydroxypinacolone retinoate, which is what you find in Caroline Hirons' retinoid as well as 0.06% retinal and other antioxidants. It's a mix of various different types of retinols on the market. It has a very very light scent to it but nothing crazy or repulsive. It is great for people who are beginners who want to actually grow beyond peptides into the retinol world but cannot fully tolerate stronger retinol or even a prescription active retinoid. Hydroxypinacolone retinoate tends to be gentler on the skin while supposedly delivering as effective results or close to effective results as an active form, which is the prescription. I'd put it on your neck and chest first and start low and go slow, maybe two or three times a week at most, and work your way up from there."

Best Drugstore Anti-Aging Budget Friendly Skincare Under $35! | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"I really do like their Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum. There is some misleading marketing actually. They say one percent Gran active retinoid but one percent active retinoid is like point one percent hydroxypinacolone retinoate. Hydroxypinacolone retinoate is the cousin of tretinoin, the active form of retinol, so it's not exactly one percent, it is 0.1 percent. It's a great beginner's retinol, there's nothing wrong with it. It comes in a pump, it has a very bright orange color to it, that's all you really need for your whole face, and at 22 bucks you might as well give it a try and see if you can tolerate it, especially if you're very sensitive. It's a good one to start with."

Dr Alexis Stephens

581k subs

✓Yay

"The e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum is easily one of the most affordable, high-quality product launches of the year. It's formulated with 0.0% retinal, which is retinaldehyde, plus 1% Granactive Retinoid, antioxidants, and peptides."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"This does do what it claims. It claims to be anti-aging and hydrating and help with evening skin tone, and I think it helps with all of those, which is nice. There's a lot of products that make a lot of claims and they don't follow through on most of them. This is an exception. It does follow through with pretty much everything it claims, and it's got a nice mix of ingredients as well as soothing ingredients to calm skin and prevent the retinization process. If you've ever started out with a strong retinoid and your skin gets flaky, irritated, itchy, cracked, dry, red, retinization is not fun. But if you use a good retinoid with some balancing hydrating ingredients and soothing ingredients, then you can avoid that. And also starting out with something weaker versus something very strong can also stop that from happening. It's pretty friendly to all skin types including dry, oily, sensitive, and acne-prone, so pretty nice product overall and very friendly for almost all skin types. I can't really think of a skin type that it's not going to work for, maybe those super sensitive to retinoids, but again it's still pretty gentle if you use it with a good moisturizer. And the full size is 1 ounce and retails for about $22, so it's a pretty good deal overall, especially when there's a lot of other products out there that are much more expensive."

All 2 takes from No BS Beauty

ELF Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum Review, How to Use, & Dupe for $100+ Retinols!

"This does do what it claims. It claims to be anti-aging and hydrating and help with evening skin tone, and I think it helps with all of those, which is nice. There's a lot of products that make a lot of claims and they don't follow through on most of them. This is an exception. It does follow through with pretty much everything it claims, and it's got a nice mix of ingredients as well as soothing ingredients to calm skin and prevent the retinization process. If you've ever started out with a strong retinoid and your skin gets flaky, irritated, itchy, cracked, dry, red, retinization is not fun. But if you use a good retinoid with some balancing hydrating ingredients and soothing ingredients, then you can avoid that. And also starting out with something weaker versus something very strong can also stop that from happening. It's pretty friendly to all skin types including dry, oily, sensitive, and acne-prone, so pretty nice product overall and very friendly for almost all skin types. I can't really think of a skin type that it's not going to work for, maybe those super sensitive to retinoids, but again it's still pretty gentle if you use it with a good moisturizer. And the full size is 1 ounce and retails for about $22, so it's a pretty good deal overall, especially when there's a lot of other products out there that are much more expensive."

My Current Retinol / Retinoid Skincare Product Favorites - Fragrance Free!

"I've got the elf Youth Boosting Retinol Serum. This one contains one percent Granactive Retinoid and 0.06 percent retinol as well as antioxidants. It's really lovely from Elf. It's very orange, I think there's beta-carotene in here, and no fragrance. It's really affordable. I would say this one's a little bit more gentle on the gentle side of these, so if you're sensitive or new to retinol this might be a good way to start because it's a little gentle and then work your way up to the stronger ones. It's really the most affordable on the list."

Nadine Baggott

164k subs

✓Yay

"Elf have an amazing value for money retinol. I remember putting this on this morning and I was most impressed. I know it's stronger than 0.05, I think it's 0.1 with a granactive as well. It's stronger than the 0.05 and it's got a granactive activity as well."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Retinoids

Retinoids are among the best studied ingredients in dermatology, with solid evidence for acne and for the fine lines and rough texture that come from sun exposure. Dryness and flaking in the first few weeks are common and usually settle.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum?

A lightweight night serum combining retinaldehyde, Granactive Retinoid, antioxidants, and peptides, designed as a gentler introduction to retinoid skincare.

Is e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum worth it?

Yes. All 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum's Guru Score?

e.l.f. Youth Boosting Advanced Night Retinoid Serum holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected.