All scans / Serums / Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 ingredients: is it worth it?
Excellent beginner retinal serum with crystal encapsulation for stability and gentleness, but fragrance allergens drag down safety.
Excellent beginner retinal serum with crystal encapsulation for stability and gentleness, but fragrance allergens drag down safety.
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Efficacy score of 4.7 reflects 0.03% retinal (potent direct vitamin A form, 11x faster than retinol per studies) stabilized via cyclodextrin encapsulation (positions ~5, high concentration), paired with synergistic vitamin C derivatives (3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate at ~positions 13-14) and barrier support (squalane, vitamin F, HA early in list); no jar packaging issues, ideal leave-on serum pH presumed ~5-6 for retinal efficacy; reserves 5.0 for higher retinal strengths like Crystal Retinal 6+.
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DemythSkin rates Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 4.4/5 for efficacy and 4.1/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Coumarin. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
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⌄
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Isododecane, Cyclodextrin, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Vitamin F (Linoleic/Linolenic Acid Glycerol Ester), Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinal, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Sodium Polyaspartate, 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)
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Aqua (Water)
- Solvent
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- Emollient
- Glycerin
- Humectant
- Isododecane
- Emollient
- Cyclodextrin
- Retinal encapsulator
- Cetearyl Olivate
- Emulsifier
- Sorbitan Olivate
- Emulsifier
- Vitamin F (Linoleic/Linolenic Acid Glycerol Ester)
- Barrier repair
- Squalane
- Emollient
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Humectant
- Tocopheryl Acetate
- Antioxidant
- Retinal
- Anti-aging active
- 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
- Vitamin C derivative
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
- Vitamin C derivative
- Allantoin
- Soothing agent
- Xanthan Gum
- Thickener
- Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- Thickener
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Preservative
- Pentylene Glycol
- Humectant preservative
- Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract
- Fragrance
- Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
- Thickener
- Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil
- Antioxidant
- Sodium Polyaspartate
- Humectant
- Dipteryx Odorata (Tonka) Bean Extract
- Fragrance
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Retinal: Studies show retinal 11x faster than retinol (J Cosmet Dermatol 2007; Br J Dermatol 1990)
Cyclodextrin: Medik8 patented stabilization system for retinal potency
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.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3: common questions
Is Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 worth it?
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 scores 4.4 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.1 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Excellent beginner retinal serum with crystal encapsulation for stability and gentleness, but fragrance allergens drag down safety.
What are the key active ingredients in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3?
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Retinal.
Does Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 as documented irritants: Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Coumarin.
How is Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 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.
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