All scans / Serums / Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum ingredients: is it worth it?
Clinically lean, cleverly formulated retinal serum with strong anti-aging potential but noticeable fragrance baggage.
Clinically lean, cleverly formulated retinal serum with strong anti-aging potential but noticeable fragrance baggage.
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Efficacy is driven by 0.03% encapsulated retinaldehyde (a high-evidence vitamin A active that works faster than standard retinol) supported by humectants and multiple vitamin C and E antioxidants, all in a well-structured emulsion that helps stability and tolerability; however, the lack of barrier lipids and the use of fragrant plant extracts and coumarin prevent this from being a perfect, universally gentle formula.
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DemythSkin rates Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum 4.3/5 for efficacy and 3.9/5 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 (19)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Isododecane, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Cyclodextrin, Squalane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Alumina, Isostearic Acid, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Retinal, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Sodium Polyaspartate, Climbazole, Disodium EDTA, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Dipteryx Odorata (Tonka) Bean Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Decylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, BHT, Coumarin.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Aqua (Water)
- solvent
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- emollient
- Glycerin
- humectant
- Isododecane
- light emollient
- Cetearyl Olivate
- emulsifier
- Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- gel-forming thickener
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol emollient
- PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer
- film-forming polymer
- Sorbitan Olivate
- emulsifier
- Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant vitamin E
- Titanium Dioxide
- Pigment / opacifier in this formula — not acting as a UV filter.
- Eclipta Prostrata Extract
- botanical extract
- Cyclodextrin
- encapsulation carrier
- Squalane
- emollient
- Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- gel-forming thickener
- Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
- Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
- viscosity modifier
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- humectant (hyaluronic acid)
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
- lipid-soluble vitamin C derivative
- Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil
- emollient plant oil
- Alumina
- opacifier / pigment aid
- Isostearic Acid
- emulsifier / surfactant
- Lecithin
- emulsifier
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Retinal (retinaldehyde): Clinical data indicate that retinaldehyde at similar strengths can reduce wrinkles and improve photoaging faster than retinol while maintaining good tolerability, making it a high-evidence anti-aging active.
Sodium Hyaluronate: Sodium hyaluronate acts as a humectant, increasing stratum corneum hydration and supporting skin smoothness, aligning with the product's hydrating claims.
Tocopheryl Acetate: Vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate) provides antioxidant protection and can help stabilise vitamin A derivatives, reinforcing the serum's focus on anti-aging and antioxidant benefits.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid & Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate: These are more stable vitamin C derivatives used for brightening and antioxidant support, commonly included in anti-aging serums though their clinical impact depends on concentration and formulation; here they function as supporting, not primary, actives.
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 Night Serum: common questions
Is Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum worth it?
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum scores 4.3 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 3.9 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Clinically lean, cleverly formulated retinal serum with strong anti-aging potential but noticeable fragrance baggage.
What are the key active ingredients in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum?
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Retinal, Climbazole.
Does Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night Serum as documented irritants: Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Coumarin.
How is Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 Night 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.
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