Medik8

Crystal Retinal 6.

Name: Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
Brand: Medik8
Rating: 76.0 (7 reviews)

Retinoids

About this product

A stabilized retinaldehyde night serum from Medik8 at the 6 strength, designed to smooth, firm, and renew skin faster than retinol with less expected irritation.

Best for

Mature skin

Retinoids

The Guru Index verdict

76%

Approved

✓Approved · 76%

7Reviewers

5Approved

2Mixed

0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus widely praise Crystal Retinal 6 as a powerfully formulated retinoid that delivers results while remaining gentler than prescription-strength options, with particular appreciation for its efficacy around sensitive eye areas. The brand's tiered strength range is frequently cited as a smart way to minimize irritation through gradual introduction. The main friction point is fragrance and potency, with some finding it too strong to use more than twice weekly, though reviewers generally see this as a dosing matter rather than a formulation flaw.

Synthesized from 7 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Vitamin CRetinoidHyaluronic acidVitamin ESPFSqualaneFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Isododecane, Cyclodextrin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinal, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Sodium Polyaspartate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Dipteryx Odorata (Tonka) Bean Extract, BHT, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Titanium Dioxide, Phenoxyethanol, Alumina, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Isostearic Acid, Lecithin, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Stearic Acid, Coumarin, Ci 14700 (Red 4)

Where to buy

Amazon Shop → Google Shopping Shop →

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

The Budget Dermatologist

718k subs · 9k devotees

~Mixed

"It contains retinaldehyde, which is the best type of retinoid you can get without a prescription to give you results the quickest, but with less irritation. This is a good product. I have used it. But this has fragrance. Fragrance doesn't always bother me in skincare, but this fragrance just bothers me a little bit after I use it for a while, so I tend to steer away from this. I don't use this on my face. I have some other more budget-friendly retinaldehyde options for the face that I think work just as well, and I don't necessarily feel like I have to splurge for this one. So it is not in my routine."

Dr. Sam Ellis

849k subs · 143k devotees

✓Approved

"The Medik8 Crystal Retinal is more potent than the average retinoid product that you can get and it's also very well formulated, it's well stabilized. It's fantastic."

All 2 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis

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"The Medik8 Crystal Retinal is more potent than the average retinoid product that you can get and it's also very well formulated, it's well stabilized. It's fantastic."

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"Another topical retinoid that I really love is by Medik8 and it's their Crystal Retinal. The reason I like the Medik8 Crystal Retinal is because one, Medik8 is sort of a pioneer when it comes to formulating really stable effective retinoids that can be accessible to many different people, but I also love that this system incorporates various strengths so it has five different strengths of retinol so you can start with something a lot more gentle and as you see the progress and as your skin begins to tolerate those stronger retinoids you can work your way up in the system."

Mad About Skin

720k subs · 10k devotees

✓Approved

"Previously the only brand that actually did it was Medik8 with their Crystal Retinal collection which I love. The Medik8 one is an old goodie, like the original, which will always have a place in my heart and in my routine."

All 3 takes from Mad About Skin

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"The Medik8 Crystal Retinal collection was the original and some people still say the best when it comes to retinol. Super kind to the skin, very nourishing, very hydrating, won't trigger any sensitivity and irritation if you use it correctly, and just a really really nice retinol product."

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"This is the Medik8 Crystal Retinal, which is phenomenal because they have six different strengths. You start on the lowest and build your way up, and that way you can further minimize the risk of sensitivity by gently introducing this ingredient. It's also less sensitizing on the skin than retinol, so it's one of those few times where you can get better results and less sensitivity out of a product, and that honestly for me is like holy grail territory."

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Lab Muffin Beauty Science

851k subs · 130k devotees

✓Approved

"The Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 is a really nicely formulated retinoid that is a bit on the stronger side."

Beyond50Skin

31k subs · 1k devotees

✓Approved

"My bougie or luxury pick for a retinal would be the Medik8 Crystal Retinal. This is beautiful as a gift; it comes in this beautiful silver packaging with a little red ribbon that would be the perfect gift I would love to see under the tree."

Nadine Baggott

165k subs

✓Approved

"I like this around the eyes because it does not irritate your eyes, especially if a lot of people had really bad experiences with retinoids. Retinaldehyde is actually more potent than retinols but tends to be more gentle on the skin. I like this around the eyes because it's also got the ceramide so it's very kind of soothing. I've had problems with retinols but I've never had any problems with retinaldehydes."

All 2 takes from Nadine Baggott

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MY BACK TO BASICS EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE

"It's a perfectly formulated product in slightly imperfect packaging so you do need to squeeze it down to get the last of it out. Crystal Retinal 20 is the equivalent of a two percent retinaldehyde so we're talking basically 10 times the strength of that, 20 times the strength of that. You need to work up slowly, don't start on the 10 or the 20 like me because I've been using retinals and retinols for years work your way up go three six eight and then up basically."

Susan Yara

316k subs

~Mixed

"I've tried everything to get my skin used to tretinoin and I just cannot tolerate too much of it, it's just too strong for me. I used the Crystal Retinol 3 from this brand and I loved it, I was able to use it like three, four times a week without any issues. Now I've graduated to the sixth version and I can tell you already I tried to bump it to more than two times a week and my skin got really sensitive to it, but it's still less sensitive than I get with tretinoin. So I'm gonna still try to really make my way through this because I want retinaldehyde to work so badly for my skin because it is such an awesome ingredient."

Crystal Retinal 6.

76%

What the gurus are saying.

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