Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Retinal is the reason to consider this serum, with THD Ascorbate behind it.
The case for it
- Retinal, moderate evidence for lines and firmness
- THD Ascorbate, moderate evidence for tone and pigment
- No alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Avoid in pregnancy: Retinal
- Evenings only, sunscreen the next morning
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readMedik8 Crystal Retinal 6 is a serum built around Glycerin, Retinal and Squalane. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and normal skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding: it contains retinal, best paused until after.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
15 of the 47 sit above the 1% line. The other 32, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- Retinal sits at position 29 of 47
What it delivers
How it feels A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. Comforting on dry skin, possibly too much for oily skin in summer. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Potent cosmetic retinoid that sits one step away from retinoic acid, often delivering faster results than retinol with a similar or slightly lower irritation profile.
Stable, lightweight emollient that mimics skin’s natural lipids and supports barrier without heavy greasiness for most skin types.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
Oil soluble vitamin C derivative that brightens skin and supports collagen with good tolerability but has fewer long term studies than pure ascorbic acid.
Light emollient ester that improves slip and reduces transepidermal water loss; may be problematic for some fungal-acne-prone users.
How to use it
Night only. Start 2–3 nights a week and build up as your skin adjusts, and always wear sunscreen the next morning, because retinoids make skin more sun-sensitive.
Keep it away from
- Exfoliating acids (AHA / BHA)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Strong vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid)
Where it acts
The same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceridederived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Squalanederived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Retinalestablished, sourced
5 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend. 1 did not, so it is not on the diagram: no source and no honest derivation means no dot.
Sources for the sourced ones: Szymanski et al. 2020: retinoic acid and its derivatives in skin.
Against the average serum
It scores higher than the median serum on brightening and anti-aging.
On hydration, barrier repair and oil control it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 27 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 47 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua (Water)Solvent (base)
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- GlycerinHumectant
- IsododecaneEmollient
- Cetearyl OlivateEmulsifier
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer
- Sorbitan OlivateEmulsifier
- Tocopheryl AcetateAntioxidant
- Titanium DioxideMineral (opacifier)
- Eclipta Prostrata ExtractBotanical extract
- CyclodextrinCarrier
- SqualaneEmollient
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Phenoxyethanol down, these 32 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Melia Azadirachta Leaf ExtractBotanical extract
- Hydroxypropyl MethylcelluloseThickener
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- Tetrahexyldecyl AscorbateVitamin c derivative
- Alumina
- Isostearic Acid
- LecithinEmulsifier
- Polyglyceryl-3 PolyricinoleateEmulsifier
- Polyhydroxystearic Acid
- Stearic Acid
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- RetinalRetinoidpregnancy: avoidmild irritant
- Moringa Oleifera Seed OilPlant oil / butter (emollient)
- Sodium Polyaspartate
- Climbazole
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower ExtractPreservative
- Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed OilPlant oil / butter (emollient)
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic AcidVitamin c derivativemild irritant
- Dipteryx Odorata (Tonka) Bean ExtractBotanical extract
- HydroxyacetophenonePreservative
- Polysorbate 60Emulsifier
- Sorbitan IsostearateEmulsifier
- Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit ExtractBotanical extract
- Decylene Glycol
- 1,2-HexanediolPreservative booster
- BHTAntioxidantmild irritant
- CoumarinFragrance component
Worth knowing: Retinal sits below that line. It is in there, and the label does not tell you how much. That is not the same as saying it is too little to matter.
Copy the raw INCI 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
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Compare it with…
All 15 comparisons
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 10
- Crystal Retinal 6 vs Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
Common questions
Is Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, normal skin. Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 is a serum built around Glycerin, Retinal and Squalane. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and normal skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
How do you use Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6?
Night only. Start 2–3 nights a week and build up as your skin adjusts, and always wear sunscreen the next morning, because retinoids make skin more sun-sensitive.
What are the key ingredients in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Retinal, Squalane, Hyaluronic acid, THD Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Is Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 safe during pregnancy?
Avoid in pregnancy: Retinal. When in doubt, check with your doctor before using it.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 beside a cross-section of skin, with 3 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Glycerin and Squalane in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Retinal in the living epidermis, among the cells that are still dividing. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
Medik8 prints: 0.06% retinal. Read on the brand's own product page, 2026-08-10.
