Retinal 0.2% Emulsion — Reddit Reviews
by The Ordinary
Updated November 10, 2026
0.2% retinal targets lines, texture, and spots; purge and irritation hit hard.
What the community says
A 0.2% retinal emulsion for people ready to move beyond gentler routines, used in a simple nighttime rotation. Start once or twice weekly; dry, reactive skin can become tight, red, or breakout-prone during adjustment.
What this means for you
Backed by 29 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/40plusskincare and 3 more.
Read the threads ↓What people love
- 0.2% retinal — unusually strong OTC step
- Visible texture improvement and softer lines
- Spots visibly lighter after two months
Watch out for
- Purging can be unpleasant before clearing
- Redness, tightness, and barrier damage from overuse
- Can worsen cystic acne or closed comedones
Product details
Use caution
Skin Type
Key Ingredients
Where to buy
What the science says
Retinal, the active ingredient in this emulsion, has some evidence for signs of aging, with studies reporting smoother skin and fewer wrinkles 1. Some studies also reported firmer, thicker skin, and the side effects were generally mild and described as safe 1. Retinol, a closely related form, has strong evidence for wrinkles and uneven tone, though redness and dryness were its most common side effects 2.
- Retinal for anti-aging Some evidence · 9 studies
- Retinol for anti-aging Strong evidence · 23 studies
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
How we grade researchFull ingredient list · 32
The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion ingredients
Aqua (Water), Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyapatite, Retinal, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Ergothioneine, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Bisabolol, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Hexyldecanol, Maltodextrin, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Listed in label order, highest concentration first. Linked ingredients have their own page.
Real Reddit threads — 76 mentions across 29 threads
The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion on Reddit, in one place — 29 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/40plusskincare and 3 more, summarized.
“Today marks the one month anniversary of starting retinol (TO retinal 0.2%) - so happy with the progress so far as I've been really self concious of my (31F) forehead lines!”
Positive
“It's The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion! It's like magic, but the inital purge was... unpleasant 🥲 it cleared up in about 2 weeks though!”
Positive
“Every third day swap out Vit C for The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion.”
Positive
“Prequel, geek and gorgeous, and the ordinary all have good ones.”
Mentioned
“I'd probably suggest retinal.”
Mentioned
“At night you can choose to add a retinoid”
Mentioned
“I'm on 20% azelaic and using over the counter 0.2 retinal from the ordinary”
Positive
“I'm loooving the results too”
Positive
“my skins never been so good”
Positive
“Once per week I'll use the Ordinary Retinal 0.2% (avoiding the mouth and chin area though)”
Cautionary
“✂️cut all actives!! ✂️”
Cautionary
“Ok so this has been happening to me a few weeks now and I’m trying to figure out what it is as well.”
Cautionary
“Retinal i recommend to try OTC first to build up resistance before starting Tretinoin.”
Positive
“The Ordinary do a good one and is very reasonably priced”
Positive
“or Medik8 which is more expensive.”
Positive
“0.2% from The Ordinary (1-2x week)”
Positive
“now slowly I am replacing two of those 6 times with 0.2% retinal”
Positive
“it has been more or less okay”
Positive
