The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Squalane is the reason to consider this serum, with Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate behind it.
The case for it
- Squalane, strong evidence for the barrier
- Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, emerging evidence for lines and firmness
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Avoid in pregnancy: Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
- 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 readThe Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane is a serum built around Squalane, Jojoba Oil and Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate. It leans strongest on barrier repair, anti-aging. Best suited to dry, normal and combo skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding: it contains hydroxypinacolone retinoate, best paused until after.
What it delivers
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Stable, lightweight emollient that mimics skin’s natural lipids and supports barrier without heavy greasiness for most skin types.
Liquid wax ester closely resembling human sebum that helps balance oil, soften skin and support barrier without heavy greasiness for most.
Next-generation ester retinoid designed to bind retinoid receptors more directly while generating less surface irritation than traditional retinol.
Anti-inflammatory terpene that reduces redness and irritation and helps calm inflamed or reactive skin with a good topical safety profile.
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
- Jojoba Oilderived from what it is
- Squalanederived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Hydroxypinacolone Retinoateestablished, sourced
4 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 lower than the median serum on hydration.
On barrier repair, brightening, oil control and anti-aging 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 9 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 10 ingredients, decoded
- SqualaneEmollient
- C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateEmollient
- BisabololSoothing
- Dimethyl IsosorbideSolvent
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- Hydroxypinacolone RetinoateRetinoidpregnancy: avoid
- Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit ExtractBotanical extract
- mild irritant
- Hydroxymethoxyphenyl DecanoneSoothing
Copy the raw INCI list
Squalane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Bisabolol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone
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 11 comparisons
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
- Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane vs Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
Common questions
Is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, normal, combo skin. The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane is a serum built around Squalane, Jojoba Oil and Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate. It leans strongest on barrier repair, anti-aging. Best suited to dry, normal and combo skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
How do you use The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane?
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 The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane?
The actives that do the work are Squalane, Jojoba Oil, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Bisabolol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Is The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane safe during pregnancy?
Avoid in pregnancy: Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate. When in doubt, check with your doctor before using it.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane beside a cross-section of skin, with 2 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Squalane in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate 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.
