Who wants to age? No one. Hence, inclusion of anti-aging products should be incorporated right from mid-twenties. And Retinoid is one of the most effective ingredient that fights aging. Today, I shall be sharing my thoughts on The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% (now Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion). Keep on reading if you are interested.

What is Retinoid?

Retinoid is a vitamin A derivative. In very simple terms, they act as fillers which help in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. They also act as mild exfoliators which get rid of dead skin cells and encourage production of good-healthy skin cells.

There are 3 types of (over the counter) Retinoids ~ Retinyl palmitate (the weakest), Retinaldehyde (the strongest) and Retinol in between.

Other stronger Retinoids being tretinoin (Retinoic acid) & Tazarotene are available with prescription.

Price: The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% retails for 14.90USD i.e. around Rs.1040. Many Instagram re-sellers stock it at a higher rate, of course!

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Ethyl Linoleate, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Bisabolol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinol, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carrageenan, Xanthan gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cetyl Palmitate, Sucrose Laurate, Polysorbate 20, Isoceteth-20, Behentrimonium Chloride, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Disodium EDTA, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

The star ingredient here is Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate. It is a newer, much gentler (but equally effective) form of Retinoic acid. It binds directly to the retinoid receptors of the skin cells to work its skincare magic.

Packaging: The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% comes in a glass bottle with a pipette mechanism. The dropper perfectly dispenses the product and prevents spillage.

Texture: The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% has a milky runny consistency with a chemical-ish scent. It takes some time to get absorbed into the skin, initially. Though light weight, it feels hydrating enough. You’ll need to top it off with a moisturizer or a lotion. 2 to 3 drops are enough to apply all over the face.

My verdict on The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2%:

I have been using this for more than a year now and the bottle is almost empty. To be honest, I didn’t see any changes initially and at one point, I had lost all hopes of seeing any difference. But one fine day I woke up and noticed that my skin texture had improved a lot and it looked quite firm. Since then, I’ve used this almost every day. Usually, retinoids do make the skin dry and can irritate the skin (in the form of purging) but I didn’t face any issues. My skin happily accepted the combo of The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% & Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%.

This product is not a miracle or an overnight treatment. It takes it own time to show results. I had read somewhere that a wrinkle takes 7 years to appear on the skin. Just imagine how much time and patience will be needed to fix it!

At present, I am using another product with retinol but I am curious to try out other retinol products in the same range by The Ordinary.

Concluding my thoughts here. I hope you liked my review and if you did, do consider subscribing to my blog. Show some love by liking, sharing and commenting your views/thoughts. Until next time, stay beautiful & keep smiling!

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