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Glow Recipe

Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum.

Glow Recipe Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum
Retinoids

About this product

A lightweight retinoid serum formulated with retinol and retinal, designed to target blemishes and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Best for

Acne-prone skinMature skin
Retinoids

The Guru Index verdict

78%

Approved

Approved · 78%
3Reviewers
2Approved
1Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus consistently praise this serum for being gentle and beginner-friendly, with a lightweight texture that layers well. The formula receives particular recognition for supporting sensitive and rosacea-prone skin. The recurring trade-off is that while the product performs well, its premium price and emphasis on packaging mean comparable retinoids exist at lower cost. Fragrance tolerance splits reviewers, though the blackberry scent tends to avoid common irritation triggers.
Synthesized from 3 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

RetinoidVitamin ESqualaneAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Water/​Aqua/​Eau, Glycerin, Squalane, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Ectoin, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Retinyl Linoleate, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/​Leaf/​Stem Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Retinal, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Fruit Extract, Retinol, Tocopherol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Erythritol, Citric Acid, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/​Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Glycine Soja Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance/​Parfum*

Every take, in full

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 Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
~Mixed
"The Glow Recipe Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum is really nice. It's just a gentle retinoid serum, but it does contain ectoin in it. It does have a little bit of fragrance in it, but that's neither here nor there."
All 3 takes from No BS Beauty
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"It feels light enough and played well with the other products I was using it with. I like the combination of different retinoids and retinal. Glow Recipe is interesting because I really don't like fragrance in most of my stuff, but Glow Recipe tends to be an exception because typically with fragrance irritates me, it's usually the minty scent or the floral scent that really bothers me and can give me migraines. But if it's a fruit scent or a vanilla scent, usually I'm just fine with that. Glow Recipe has managed to be an exception to that. Although typically most of their stuff is pretty expensive and they're more about the cutesy packaging and the marketing, so you can probably get something very similar for much less without the fun packaging. But some people love it, and if it works for you, go for it. So far this one fared better than the other retinol I bought recently, which irritated my skin so much."
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"It's lightweight. It's pretty easy to use. And I would say it's a little bit more on the gentle side compared to all of these."
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"The Glow Recipe Blackberry Retinol Blemish Serum is really nice. It's just a gentle retinoid serum, but it does contain ectoin in it. It does have a little bit of fragrance in it, but that's neither here nor there."
Approved
"It's a good formula. I've tested it out, I like to use it, it's very very gentle. Reviews are very good on Sephora. This is a good product, beginner friendly, and this is good if you're in your 20s, early 30s, or you're starting out with retinol."
Approved
"I had literally just picked at my skin and within a week I started to see my post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation fading. Being able to use this once a day in the evening daily as somebody with very easily triggered rosacea, this has been amazing. I'm very happy that I'm able to use this with no issues whatsoever."
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