Circa 2021, the Kbeauty world was already spewing out Korean Retinol products. But in 2022, we’re seeing how the Korean skincare industry, as always, takes it up notch to show how gentle Retinol formulated skincare can be. Been wanting to try Retinol but scared of irritations? Or, want to take a break from Tretinoin but still want some benefits of Retinol? Korean Retinol is your answer.
Here are three gentle Korean Retinol products of 2022 in the form of toner, serum, and cream for daily use.
Mamonde Retinol Ampoule Toner
TLDR — Benefits of Retinol in an ampoule form but diluted to be a toner to make it gentle enough for daily wear.
The Mamonde Retinol Ampoule Toner is backed by 26 years of research on Retinol by Amore Pacific and contains 95% pure Retinol. Don’t let the 95% scare or impress you. This refers to the purity level of Retinol and not the actual strength of Retinol in the formula. Mamonde has not disclosed the actual percentage of Retinol in the toner. I suspect* that it’s something way below 0.001% as it’s mild enough to be used both morning and night.
This toner also contains Vitamin C derivatives, other antioxidant boosters, and Hyaluronic Acid. All in all, this is a well formulated skin firming and brightening toner with added benefits of Retinol in a very mild form.
As with most Mamonde products, this ampoule toner is heavily fragranced/perfumed. Albeit a very pleasant flowery scent, it’s still off putting if you don’t enjoy artificial fragrance in skincare.
Personal Experience:
After using the Mamonde Retinol Ampoule Toner for a few days in a row, day and night as recommended by the brand, my skin started to feel itchy and irritated (FYI-I have easily sensitized skin, and I didn’t spot test).
Off put by the strong artificial scent and irritations, I went back to it after a week when my skin felt calmed. I managed to use this as my nighttime toner daily for over two weeks. However, I felt that the benefits I saw—hydrated moisture, and somewhat visible skin firming and plumping—were not worth the unpleasantness of withstanding my dislike of the strong scent.
Innisfree Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule
Another one from the house of Amore Pacific is the Innisfree Retinol Cica Ampoule. Looks like Amore Paficic is putting their 26 years of Retinol research into good use!
The Innfisfree Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule is also a daily morning and night product that includes what they call “Jeju Cica Liposomlogy.” This is a complex of Centella Asiatica, Hyaluronic Acid, and Ceramides. Innisfree hasn’t officially disclosed the percentage of Retinol in the formula. But as with the Mamonde Retinol Ampoule Toner, my best guesstimate* would be something well below 0.001%
This is probably one of the most “gentle Retinol” I’ve tried. Is it even fair to call this a “Retinol ampoule?” Well, it’s a Retinol CICA Ampoule. Considering one of the reported benefits after first use (according to the the brand) is “relief of temporary redness,” it’s obvious that Centella Asiatica plays a bigger role than Retinol in this ampoule.
This “Retinol ampoule” is designed to help alleviate pore size and skin texture/tone issues for acne-prone and/or oily/combination skin types. FYI this also contains Niacinamide and Salicylic Acid. So even without the Retinol, it’s got what you need to achieve smoother skin.
Personal Experience:
The Innfisfree Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule feels incredibly soothing and calming on the skin. So much so that it was hard to believe there’s even any Retinol in the formula.
However, after forcing myself to use this consistently five days a week, morning and night, for about three weeks, I started to notice smoother skin and less noticeable pores on the center of my face where I usually have enlarged pores. And indirectly, the pore smoothing benefits also had my skin looking a bit firmer and healthier. But, these are benefits I can easily achieve with a mild peeling toner or serum that doesn’t contain any Retinol.
Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream
My mild obsession with trying every Director Pi recommended product led me to try the Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream. Can’t say my skin has been satisfied with all of her recommendations. But we know how personal skin at any given moment can be so I’m not discouraged.
Also, I had high hopes for this one after seeing the formulation details released by the brand—500ppm of Retinal, 500ppm of Bakuchiol, and 0.01ppm of Retinol, along with Niacinamide etc.
Read THIS to learn about the difference between Retinol and Retinal!
The Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream is designed as a skin wrinkle treatment cream to be used before or after a moisturizer.
You can expect to see the most “Retinol benefits” from the Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream out of the three Korean Retinol products in this post. This is because Retinal works faster and is more effective than Retinol. So you’ll get the most benefits, even with 0.01% Retinal in the formula, considering there’s added Bakuchiol and additional Retinol in the formula.
Personal Experience:
The Scinic Cicanoid Retinal Cream feels like a hydrating cream on the skin. It absorbs without much effort or heaviness. I started to see some skin firming benefits when I used it daily for two weeks.
After using this on my entire face for two weeks, I used the rest of the product only around the eyes and mouth areas where I needed the most skin firming benefits.
It works—you will see some nice skin smoothing and firming benefits, but consistency is the key with this product. Don’t expect Tretinoin effects of course. But if you are looking for gentle and easy-to-use Korean Retinol that can offer some targeted skin firming benefits, this one is worth a try.
Interested in more Korean Retinol skincare? Check out Korean Retinol For Sensitive Skin for our favorite Korean Retinol products!
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