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The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion.

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
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Retinoids
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About this product

A lightweight emulsion retinoid serum containing 2% granactive retinoid (with 0.2% active retinoic acid ester), designed to provide retinoid benefits with reduced irritation.

Full ingredients

Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Ethyl Linoleate, Propanediol, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Bisabolol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinol, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/​Leaf Extract, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carrageenan, Xanthan Gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cetyl Palmitate, Sucrose Laurate, Polysorbate 20, Behentrimonium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Disodium EDTA, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

More from The Ordinary 89 products · Guru Score 84% →

Guru Score

86%

Yay

10 experts · Strong agreement
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus

What the gurus are saying

This emulsion delivers retinoid results with a creamy, comforting texture that most gurus praise for gentleness and ease of use. Granactive retinoid works faster than retinol and closer to prescription strength without the same irritation, making it a solid pick for anyone struggling with stronger retinoids or starting out. The main catch: the packaging isn't airless, so it needs refrigeration and use within three months since vitamin A degrades quickly; also, the active concentration is actually 0.2%, not the full 2%, so it's truly a beginner's retinoid despite the label.
Synthesized from 10 expert reviews · most recent take June 2026

What they liked

  • Hydrating formula, works for dry and oily skin
  • Affordable price point for a granactive retinoid

What they flagged

  • Best applied in evening routine only

Best for

Type

RetinoidsLiquid

Key actives

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

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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.

Breakouts and acne2 experts

“I actually found this worked really really well on my acne prone skin.”

Mad About Skin, watch at 7:59

Clogged or visible pores2 experts

“It's a super lightweight emulsion that glides onto the skin and feels great if you've got particularly oily and acne prone skin because it sinks in and doesn't clog the pores.”

Mad About Skin, watch at 11:54

Excess oil and shine2 experts

“It's a super lightweight emulsion that glides onto the skin and feels great if you've got particularly oily and acne prone skin because it sinks in and doesn't clog the pores.”

Mad About Skin, watch at 11:54

Fine lines and wrinkles2 experts

“but it definitely packs a punch for fighting acne, fine lines, and wrinkles.”

Mad About Skin, watch at 3:52

Calming retinoid irritation2 experts

“Then we go in with our 2% retinoid Emulsion which will increase cell turnover. It comes out quite white, actually penetrates into the skin really easily and there's no irritation.”

Dr. Vanita Rattan, watch at 4:17

Dull skin1 expert

“I notice differences in both the brightness of my skin as well as my acne scars and texture when I use it.”

Cassandra Bankson, watch at 6:16

Rough or uneven texture1 expert

“I notice differences in both the brightness of my skin as well as my acne scars and texture when I use it.”

Cassandra Bankson, watch at 6:16

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
Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert
Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert
55k subs
✓Yay
"The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid is a 2%, and it is another over the counter retinoid I really like for the neck."
All 3 takes from Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert
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"We've got The Ordinary, which is a 1% in squalane, so it's not as irritating."
All of your pressing questions answered in today’s Instagram live show!
"We've got The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion, so it's not as irritating."
Your neck is snitching on you
"The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid is a 2%, and it is another over the counter retinoid I really like for the neck."
No BS Beauty
No BS Beauty
89k subs
✓Yay
"So if you're experienced in retinoids or maybe used things like that, then this is a nice one. Retinoid is stronger. It requires one less conversion into skin to create retinoic acid. So it's proven to be anti-aging superstar, fights wrinkles, smoother skin, firmer skin, more elastic skin. The nice thing with this one is it also contains several soothing ingredients [...] and then also contains the antioxidant vitamin E. It's for about 15 bucks. So this one's nice."
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"In terms of retinoids they have several different retinoids that I've repurchased and the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is one of them. [...] I've repurchased both of these a few times and they're really wonderful. [...] If you're using your evening routine it doesn't become as big of a deal because you're going to sleep usually after you do your evening routine."
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"It's $14.90. It's [...] a Retinol Serum with other hydrating ingredients such as Vitamin E, bisabolol, and oat sterol. So far I've been playing around with it for a little bit and I'm really enjoying it. Really nice product overall. It's kind of tiny how much is in here, half an ounce, so it's a little bit tiny. I guess if you looked at another retinol product that's 1 ounce, it probably looks more expensive than you think when it's only half an ounce, but I like it so it might be worth a try."
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"So if you're experienced in retinoids or maybe used things like that, then this is a nice one. Retinoid is stronger. It requires one less conversion into skin to create retinoic acid. So it's proven to be anti-aging superstar, fights wrinkles, smoother skin, firmer skin, more elastic skin. The nice thing with this one is it also contains several soothing ingredients [...] and then also contains the antioxidant vitamin E. It's for about 15 bucks. So this one's nice."
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"It's got bisulfol and vitamin E. It's really nice. Very similar to the Geek and Gorgeous Agame, [...] but this one's actually if you travel a lot, this might be the preferred packaging because it's pretty compact and small. So airless packaging, but very nice product, nice formula, no issues with dryness or flakiness using it."
Mad About Skin
Mad About Skin
734k subs
✓Yay
"The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is great because that emulsion adds to the hydration of the serum. So this is great if you have very dryness prone skin and it's just a more affordable option. [...] Such a wonderful product and definitely one that I think could be a great budget friendly place to start with granactive retinoid."
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"Am I surprised the Granactive Retinoid in squalane was discontinued? Absolutely not. They were greasy, you didn't have a great application, and I think there's just better products out there. Ultimately I think this fell for the fact that The Ordinary themselves just have a better product, and this is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion, a rich creamy emulsion that sinks in."
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"The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is perfect for people that want granactive retinoid but in a really light emulsion type viscosity. It's not thick. It's not heavy. It's just a really nice emulsion serum. This is also super affordable. So, if you don't want to break the bank and you want a super affordable granactive retinoid, I think the ordinary is where it's at."
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"The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is great because that emulsion adds to the hydration of the serum. So this is great if you have very dryness prone skin and it's just a more affordable option. [...] Such a wonderful product and definitely one that I think could be a great budget friendly place to start with granactive retinoid."
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"It has a very similar texture to The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid Emulsion if you've tried that you'll know exactly what this texture is like. The pink doesn't stain the skin or anything, it disappears without a trace. As you work it in you can see it disappears, there's no tackiness, there's no stickiness, there's no residue, definitely one of those products that just disappears."
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"The Ordinary is a firm favorite of mine. [...] I love the brand, I love the price point, I love their formulations, but I actually think the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is the best of their retinoid collection. It sinks in like that, whereas I think some of their other retinoids are a bit greasy. Not with this one. It adds an element of hydration, and that 2% I think is a really great all-around strength of granactive retinoid."
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"The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is a beautiful rich emulsion that sinks into the skin so well and will give you really good effects. It's less sensitizing than traditional retinols, and early studies into granactive retinoid show it can be much more effective than retinol anyway, so this could be a much less sensitizing and more effective option."
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"The Ordinary do a Granactive Retinoid Emulsion which [...] I think is a really nice affordable option if your budget won't stretch to other options. I don't think it's quite as well formulated but it's a fraction of the cost. Granactive retinoid is very similar to retinol in terms of giving very gentle yet enhanced performance versus retinol."
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"One of my favorite of the granactive retinoids is this one by The Ordinary. This is their 2% Emulsion, great performance, less sensitivity, and I actually found this worked really really well on my acne prone skin."
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"It's a much more basic formulation, doesn't have [...] some of the calming and soothing ingredients, but it's 10 pounds. If you're on a budget, the Ordinary Granactive Retinoid is a great option. You might just have to have a little patience because you will have to wait to see those results a little bit longer than you would with other products, but it's worth it because you're saving some of your hard-earned coin. It's one of my favorites."
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"Granactive retinoid is fabulous at reducing acne-causing bacteria but still giving great anti-aging benefits. It's a newer generation retinoid, so it won't give you a whole lot of sensitivity, [...] but it definitely packs a punch for fighting acne, fine lines, and wrinkles. I love this."
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"It's so good if you use this in your skincare routine you'll definitely notice that everything's smoother"
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"My favorite 2% actually comes from The Ordinary. [...] It's a super lightweight emulsion that glides onto the skin and feels great if you've got particularly oily and acne prone skin because it sinks in and doesn't clog the pores. This I absolutely love, and I think for anyone that's using a 1% retinol and wants an equivalent in granactive retinoid, this 2% Emulsion by The Ordinary is the one that I'd go for."
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"The Ordinary recently launched their [...] retinoid 2%. This is a retinol emulsion. Feels beautiful on the skin. And again, is that super high dose, same concentration as the Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 20. Both that high strength retinol and I think this is delivering something really different available over the counter at an affordable price point for people that really want to kick up their anti-aging game to the maximum strength."
Dr. Vanita Rattan
Dr. Vanita Rattan
1.23M subs
✓Yay
"This is the Granactive Retinoid 2%. And in here, it's airless packaging. [...] It's a new form of vitamin A. It's actually good for more sensitive skin. It doesn't have as much data behind it as retinol. Of course, retinol has been around for a lot longer, but it is one that I would recommend, probably over the other two because of the packaging. I think they did a really good job with this product."
All 3 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan
HYPERPIGMENTATION LAYERING
"I love the 2% granactive retinoid from the ordinary and with this don't forget you have to refrigerate this and you have to use it within 3 months vitamin A is very unstable. I don't love this packaging if I'm completely honest we do want this really in airless packaging but the ordinary right now doesn't do airless packaging it everything tends to be in pump bottles."
ACNE THE ORDINARY AM/PM LAYERING
"Then we go in with our 2% retinoid Emulsion which will increase cell turnover. It comes out quite white, actually penetrates into the skin really easily and there's no irritation."
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"This is the Granactive Retinoid 2%. And in here, it's airless packaging. [...] It's a new form of vitamin A. It's actually good for more sensitive skin. It doesn't have as much data behind it as retinol. Of course, retinol has been around for a lot longer, but it is one that I would recommend, probably over the other two because of the packaging. I think they did a really good job with this product."
Nipun Kapur
Nipun Kapur
413k subs
✓Yay
"This is literally like the ordinary retinol. But it is not retinol. It's squalene. Because it's formulated in a very similar manner. Squalene is an oil. So if your skin is excessively dry like I said you are maybe you have exzema prone skin. Skin is really really dry this pure oil based wonder is something that you will absolutely enjoy."
Translated from the guru's original language.
Doctorly
Doctorly
3.59M subs
✓Yay
"I think it is good. I would not pick granactive retinoid over tretinoin, I might not even pick it over retinol because of the just plethora and abundance of literature on how retinol works, but for someone who struggles with irritation, I think it's great. And because of that I love granactive retinoid, or HPR, high performance retinoid, same thing. For around the eyes, that's probably my favorite place to use it. It doesn't mean you can't use it elsewhere, but I love it there."
Sincerely Miss Ash
Sincerely Miss Ash
196k subs
✓Yay
"I really loved the 2% Emulsion because of that creamy milky consistency it just felt so comforting on the skin it was also very moisturizing and a great step up from the retinol category. With this one this would be more for frequent users this has that moderate strength. [...] Even with the 2% Emulsion you still want to apply this after water-based serums because this has that thicker texture to it."
Dr. Somji Skin
Dr. Somji Skin
361k subs
✓Yay
"You've got the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion, which is more for patients with oily skin. It's creamier in texture, it's better for beginners, that's what I would start as a beginner. [...] Because the Granactive retinoids are more close to retinoic acid, it's much more likely that you will get a better result with the Granactive range than you would with the retinol range, but as I said, not every retinoid is good for each patient, so you have to try each one out."
Cassandra Bankson
Cassandra Bankson
2.46M subs
✓Yay
"This is the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion and with retinoids you can usually find them in creams or as these yellow formulas or in oil but it's hard to find a retinoid that really works for oily skin that absorbs well but is still creamy. [...] This Is The Answer especially for the price. The Ordinary does retinoids really really well and they also give you options on the percentages. [...] This has Granactive Retinoid as well as retinol and look at this creamy texture."
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"Retinoids work deep down in the skin to literally plump up those beautiful juicy skin cells stimulating those fibroblasts getting them to produce more collagen and elastin to literally help plump up your skin and actually help with those fine lines and wrinkles. If you're looking for fine line and wrinkle care retinoids are your best bet. [...] I'm using it on my own skin and I recommend it to others all the time."
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"One of my favorite retinoids if you want a gentle but effective creamy retinoid serum, this is it. It works so well and [...] if it's in stock, get it because it goes out of stock so soon."
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"This is the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion and with retinoids you can usually find them in creams or as these yellow formulas or in oil but it's hard to find a retinoid that really works for oily skin that absorbs well but is still creamy. [...] This Is The Answer especially for the price. The Ordinary does retinoids really really well and they also give you options on the percentages. [...] This has Granactive Retinoid as well as retinol and look at this creamy texture."
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"This is more of a serum, it's super liquidy, it goes onto the skin lightweight. Retinoids work by binding to the RAR and RXR receptors in skin [...] and cause a chain of reactions telling our skin to build more skin cells better, creating EGF which [...] speeds up skin cell turnover, helping with acne, [...] hyperpigmentation, [...] wrinkles and other things as well."
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"This is a two percent emulsion and the Granactive Retinoid is like a patented molecule. [...] Based on the way [...] it works with my active acne, my little blackheads and acne scars, I agree I think this is one of the best formulas especially for the price. [...] This is available over the counter, and [...] it helps with acne, acne scars, blackheads, it regulates sebum control, and it's super inexpensive, super affordable, and relatively non-irritating. [...] This is an absolute winner."
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"This is creamy, this is delightful, this is lovely, and oh my god, this absorbs into skin so well. If you are sensitive, this is also an excellent drugstore option. The reason why is because this is really nourishing to skin and it doesn't cause that retinization that the prescription ones do. You can use this during the day as well. I would recommend it underneath the sunscreen. [...] This is one of my favorite products from The Ordinary."
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"The Granactive Retinoid is one of my favorites. It's a really innovative way to apply a retinoid serum to the skin. It is nice, it absorbs well, and I notice differences in both the brightness of my skin as well as my acne scars and texture when I use it. It's one of those products that I truly fell in love with, and you know that I'll be stocking up."
Dr. Shereene Idriss
Dr. Shereene Idriss
1.73M subs
✓Yay
"Granactive retinoids are a class of retinoic acid, [...] so it's a cousin of the prescription. It's stronger than retinol and it works faster because it automatically works within your cell, but it is less irritating. So it is an interesting one to try if you've never been able to tolerate a retinol or a retinoid or a retinal ester. You may be able to tolerate this one."
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"Granactive retinoids are a class of retinoic acid, [...] so it's a cousin of the prescription. It's stronger than retinol and it works faster because it automatically works within your cell, but it is less irritating. So it is an interesting one to try if you've never been able to tolerate a retinol or a retinoid or a retinal ester. You may be able to tolerate this one."
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"The Ordinary has their Granactive Retinoid and I'm mentioning this one last because when you look at the label on the Granactive Retinoid you are going to think that it comes at 2%, but it doesn't. This is an emulsion at 2% and the active form of the retinoic acid ester in here comes at 0.2%. So it is like a beginner's retinoid."
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"The Ordinary is misleading in how it presents the percentage because 2 percent Granactive retinoid is equal to 0.2 percent hydroxypenicolon retinoate, and 5 is equal to 0.5 percent."
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"For retinoic acid esters, the cousin of retinoic acid also known as hydroxypinacolone retinoate or grand active retinoid, you have The Ordinary one that a lot of people are used to seeing and we were talking about a lot during the pandemic."

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

Frequently asked.

What is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion?

A lightweight emulsion retinoid serum containing 2% granactive retinoid (with 0.2% active retinoic acid ester), designed to provide retinoid benefits with reduced irritation.

Is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion worth it?

Yes. All 10 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 86%.

What is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion's Guru Score?

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion holds a Guru Score of 86%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 10 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion best for?

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is generally suited to mature skin.

What is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion is good for breakouts and acne (2 experts), clogged or visible pores (2 experts), excess oil and shine (2 experts), fine lines and wrinkles (2 experts), calming retinoid irritation (2 experts) and dull skin (1 expert).

Is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion good for breakouts and acne?

2 experts who reviewed The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion say it is. Mad About Skin put it this way: “I actually found this worked really really well on my acne prone skin.”

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