RoC Retinol Capsules: a Guru Score of 81% from 6 experts

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Irritated or reactive skin3 experts

“It's £35 for 30 capsules with 1% retinol in an airless pump plus ceramides that help reduce irritation.”

Dr. Vanita Rattan, watch at 3:39

Rough or uneven texture2 experts

“It is great for beginners for anti-aging and for texture improvement.”

Dr. Vanita Rattan, watch at 7:19

Dark spots and post-acne marks1 expert

“They're going to help reduce the look of post-inflammatory marks and hyperpigmentation.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 13:39

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

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

153k subs

✓Yay

"My two favorites are going to be RoC Retinol and the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum. They're both going to be very affordable, very gentle, accessible. You can find them at your local Target or Walmart. Retinoids work by improving the uneven tone and texture from sun exposure. They're going to help reduce the look of post-inflammatory marks and hyperpigmentation. And they're both gentle enough for beginners."

All 2 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown

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"My two favorites are going to be RoC Retinol and the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum. They're both going to be very affordable, very gentle, accessible. You can find them at your local Target or Walmart. Retinoids work by improving the uneven tone and texture from sun exposure. They're going to help reduce the look of post-inflammatory marks and hyperpigmentation. And they're both gentle enough for beginners."

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"If you start over the counter there's Rock Neutrogena larage py they all have really good retinols"

Dr. Daniel Sugai

723k subs

✓Yay

"Rock was the first retinol that I ever tried and it's very affordable with no fragrance. They've done a great job with the retinol. I've enjoyed alternating retinol with my prescription tretinoin, and for myself personally, especially in the winter time when things start to get dry and sensitive on the face, I'm going to use a retinol. Rock has always been one of my favorite OGs in my routine."

All 6 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai

Dermatologist Explains: How to Treat Neck Wrinkles and Tech Lines

"I like to travel with RoC Retinol Capsules. It's dose for your face, but I also will apply a little extra onto my neck, just a small amount when I travel. It's very durable, you don't have to worry about a fragile glass bottle breaking. [...] The retinol is preserved in these biodegradable capsules."

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"RoC's a great option for beginners because it's not very irritating and a lot of my patients can tolerate it well. The capsules are biodegradable and dosed for your face and neck, which is nice for travel. The jar is quite durable and small, and you just twist off the top for the serum and apply it to your face. RoC is around $35 to $40 and that can last you a while because you're just using a very small amount of the product for it to work."

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"It's dosed appropriately for those areas and put your moisturizer on and you're good to go to sleep after that. This has been really nice for travel, so giving you some options that you can get at your local drugstore if you're traveling. You forgot your retinol, go ahead and grab that at the Target or wherever you are at the moment. A little goes a long way, so you're not going to the store and buying it frequently."

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"Rock makes a really nice one where it's very portable. I like their Retinol Capsules too."

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"RoC, not as expensive as Kiehl's, but I've been using RoC the longest. This is the first retinol I've ever tried as a dermatology resident at Harvard. A nice convenient pump as well. [...] The one in the tube is pretty heavily fragrant, the one in the jar has no fragrance, this one has a little bit of a scent to it, very nice. RoC is just reliable. A lot of my patients use it, and I like the capsules for traveling."

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"Rock was the first retinol that I ever tried and it's very affordable with no fragrance. They've done a great job with the retinol. I've enjoyed alternating retinol with my prescription tretinoin, and for myself personally, especially in the winter time when things start to get dry and sensitive on the face, I'm going to use a retinol. Rock has always been one of my favorite OGs in my routine."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"They've corrected the problems in the capsules with 1% retinol in an airless, very interesting packaging. They've also added ceramides to counter any irritation. It has a [...] silky smooth finish on the skin. It is great for beginners for anti-aging and for texture improvement."

All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan

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"They've corrected the problems in the capsules with 1% retinol in an airless, very interesting packaging. They've also added ceramides to counter any irritation. It has a [...] silky smooth finish on the skin. It is great for beginners for anti-aging and for texture improvement."

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"I recommend these [...] RoC Capsules, not the serum as this contains fragrance. It's £35 for 30 capsules with 1% retinol in an airless pump plus ceramides that help reduce irritation. I love it."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"I like these capsules especially if you are a beginner and you're worried about using too much product that may contribute to irritation. These capsules are great for a couple reasons: number one, it ensures the freshness and the stability of the retinol; two, it helps you to dose the right amount each time so that way you're not using too much that may lead to irritation. These capsules are also biodegradable."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

Retinol for SENSITIVE SKIN | Dermatologist's Guide

"I like these capsules especially if you are a beginner and you're worried about using too much product that may contribute to irritation. These capsules are great for a couple reasons: number one, it ensures the freshness and stability of the retinol; two, it helps you to dose the right amount each time so you're not using too much that may lead to irritation. These capsules are also biodegradable."

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"I like these capsules especially if you are a beginner and you're worried about using too much product that may contribute to irritation. These capsules are great for a couple reasons: number one, it ensures the freshness and the stability of the retinol; two, it helps you to dose the right amount each time so that way you're not using too much that may lead to irritation. These capsules are also biodegradable."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"This particular product I have tried and it's very nice. It's nice and moisturizing and it almost has an immediate skin smoothing and hydrating impact from a cosmetic angle, but it does take time for the retinol to work. What the retinol is going to do is help improve the rate of skin cell turnover. Retinol is not actually exfoliating the skin like an alpha hydroxy acid, but instead it is teaching the cells in the skin to move along at a more reasonable rate."

All 2 takes from Dr Dray

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"This particular product I have tried and it's very nice. It's nice and moisturizing and it almost has an immediate skin smoothing and hydrating impact from a cosmetic angle, but it does take time for the retinol to work. What the retinol is going to do is help improve the rate of skin cell turnover. Retinol is not actually exfoliating the skin like an alpha hydroxy acid, but instead it is teaching the cells in the skin to move along at a more reasonable rate."

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"Roc is another popular retinol on the market. I believe all of their products have fragrance, and fragrance does increase the risk of irritation. Since retinols are already irritating to begin with, adding fragrance increases the risk further. However, many people have no issue with it and it's fine."

Dr. Sam Ellis

902k subs

✓Yay

"One of my favorites for beginners is the RoC Retinol Capsules. RoC is sort of one of the OG brands when it comes to developing a stable retinol that can be incorporated into a variety of products, but they make an excellent face cream that I think is great for beginners. The other thing that I really like about this is that it's formulated in a really rich, moisturizing base, so you're sort of achieving two skincare steps in one, it can act as your topical retinol and your moisturizer."

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

Ceramides

Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is RoC Retinol Capsules?

A retinol skincare product sold as individual capsules from the RoC brand, designed to be applied to the face and neck to help improve the look of skin texture and tone.

Is RoC Retinol Capsules worth it?

Yes. All 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 81%.

What is RoC Retinol Capsules's Guru Score?

RoC Retinol Capsules holds a Guru Score of 81%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.

What is RoC Retinol Capsules good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say RoC Retinol Capsules is good for irritated or reactive skin (3 experts), rough or uneven texture (2 experts) and dark spots and post-acne marks (1 expert).

Is RoC Retinol Capsules good for irritated or reactive skin?

3 experts who reviewed RoC Retinol Capsules say it is. Dr. Vanita Rattan put it this way: “It's £35 for 30 capsules with 1% retinol in an airless pump plus ceramides that help reduce irritation.”