The Ordinary Retinol 0.5%: a Guru Score of 62% from 2 experts

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.

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"It's fragrance-free, no denatured alcohol, which I love, plus they try to protect the retinol with the darker glass. However, it is still a dropper, and that is still a problem when it comes to retinol. This is 0.5% retinol, which actually isn't even allowed in the UK anymore, 0.3% is the maximum, so I recommend if you want to go with The Ordinary, go with their 0.2%. They add in tomato fruit extract, a lycopene-rich antioxidant, and rosemary leaf extract with rosmarinic acid, which helps stabilize the formula. What lets it down is the packaging. Heat accelerates retinol degradation significantly, and being in a warm climate like India isn't really going to be suitable for this, and most of us don't have time to keep it in the fridge. So for India, I think this product is just a no. I love The Ordinary for so many other products, but this isn't going to be one of them. This one unfortunately gets a three out of 10."

Nipun Kapur

407k subs

~Mixed

"The Ordinary starts at 0.5% retinol, it's lovely but it's not absolute beginner friendly"

Translated from the guru's original language.

All 2 takes from Nipun Kapur

The best serums for glow & anti aging | Ordinary vs Minimalist | Nipun Kapur

"The Ordinary starts at 0.5% retinol, it's lovely but it's not absolute beginner friendly"

Translated from the guru's original language.

No retinol in your retinol cream | Best retinol serum for face in India I Strong Retinols

"The Ordinary 0.5% in this is an oil based formula gentle is strong but gentle is not the ordinary 0.5% have never recommended that should be your first retinol because it is an strong formula"

Translated from the guru's original language.

What the evidence says.

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

Frequently asked.

Is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 62%.

What is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5%'s Guru Score?

The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% holds a Guru Score of 62%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.