All scans / Serums / Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum ingredients: is it worth it?
A credible low-strength retinol serum, but not a heavy-hitting anti-aging treatment.
A credible low-strength retinol serum, but not a heavy-hitting anti-aging treatment.
READ MORE
The efficacy score of 4.0/5 reflects the genuinely useful pairing of 0.08% retinol and relatively well-supported bakuchiol, with glycerin and emollients improving tolerability; however, the retinol concentration is modest, bakuchiol's placement does not establish its percentage, and the formula provides no disclosed encapsulation or specialized stabilization system for this oxidation-prone active. The supporting adenosine and ceramide are worthwhile but appear later in the list and cannot carry the treatment claim alone. Retinoids have clinical evidence for improving photoaging, while a randomized study also found 0.5% bakuchiol improved wrinkles and hyperpigmentation comparably to 0.5% retinol over 12 weeks.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Links never influence scores.
DemythSkin rates Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum 4.0/5 for efficacy and 4.3/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (17)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Bakuchiol, C14-22 Alcohols, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract(2,000ppm), Arginine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract(1,000ppm), Disodium EDTA, Retinol(0.08%), Aspergillus Ferment, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Ceramide NP, Dipropylene Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Glucose, Hydroxyacetophenone, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cyclodextrin
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Water
- Formula solvent
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- Light emollient
- Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
- Emollient and skin conditioner
- Glycerin
- Humectant moisturizer
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
- Plant-derived emollient
- 1,2-Hexanediol
- Solvent and humectant
- Bakuchiol
- Retinol-like treatment active
- C14-22 Alcohols
- Fatty alcohol emulsifier
- Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
- Emulsion stabilizer
- C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
- Nonionic emulsifier
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract(2,000ppm)
- Botanical conditioning extract
- Arginine
- Amino acid and pH adjuster
- Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
- Rheology modifier
- Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract(1,000ppm)
- Botanical conditioning extract
- Disodium EDTA
- Chelating agent
- Retinol(0.08%)
- Vitamin A treatment active
- Aspergillus Ferment
- Fermented skin conditioner
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Preservative booster
- Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
- Emulsifier
- Xanthan Gum
- Viscosity control agent
- Adenosine
- Skin conditioning active
- Hydrogenated Lecithin
- Lipid-based emulsifier
- Glyceryl Stearate
- Emollient emulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
- Emulsifier
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Retinol: Topical retinoids have clinical evidence for improving fine wrinkles, skin texture, and hyperpigmentation in photoaged skin.
Bakuchiol: A randomized, double-blind 12-week study reported improvements in wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with topical bakuchiol.
Ceramide NP: Ceramide NP is a skin-identical barrier lipid used to support barrier-forming formulations.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper serum that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (anti-aging) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum: common questions
Is Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum worth it?
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum scores 4.0 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.3 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. A credible low-strength retinol serum, but not a heavy-hitting anti-aging treatment.
What are the key active ingredients in Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum?
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Retinol(0.08%).
Does Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin's analysis found no flagged irritants in Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum. It scores 4.3 out of 5.0 for safety.
How is Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.