Retinol Serum for Face with Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin E - For Anti-Aging, Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Resurfacing, Acne Marks and Scars, Skin Brightening, Dark Spot Correction Night Serum - 2oz

I’ve been using it for years, as part of my daily routine. My skin looks great. Haven’t noticed any crazy signs of aging, and I think that this product has helped with that. It feels refreshing and cooling on the skin and doesn’t have an odor.

Basic retinol treatment for skin issues. No fragrence, nothing fancy, It just works well and at a fraction of the cost of fancier or prescription medications

Oh boy. I cringed reading some of the reviews, mainly because I've done a lot of research on Retinol and talked extensively with my Dermatologist about it as well. So when I read reviews claiming to see "amazing results" after "just one week", I feel frustrated, because a perfectly good product may be ignored if people are making unrealistic claims. I'm not saying these people are lying, perhaps it's wishful thinking, or perhaps they feel obligated to say something positive because they received the product for free or at a discount. But I have been using this product for exactly ONE MONTH as of today and here's my observations so far, and I warn you, they're honest but not especially exciting.First I should say why I chose THIS brand. I compared tons of Retinol serums (I decided I wanted to use a serum form so that I could continue to use my favorite moisturizer), and I decided on this brand for three pretty simple reasons, all of which are important to me. 1. It was twice the size (2 oz) for "around" the same price as many 1 oz bottles, 2. If offered the stronger 2.5% strength, which is what my Dermatologist recommended for me, and 3. I looked into the company a little bit, checked out their website, watched a few of their promo videos and they strike me as a small, friendly company with a personal touch, and I like that. I believe one of their videos also mentions that because they're a small company, they make small batches, so the chances of a product sitting around on a shelf for years and losing potency is far less likely . So for those reasons, I chose this brand.Now, as I said, I'm exactly one month in of daily use, which believe it or not isn't a lot of time yet. Many articles say "8 weeks" as an average amount of time to expect "noticeable results", but my Dermatologist said and I quote: "Honestly? It could take as much as 6 months to see full results, there's a lot of variables". Either way, that's a matter of months, not days, for full results. I don't want to discourage anyone, but I don't want you to expect instant results either.Here's some listed benefits that I have NOT yet noticed: any change in wrinkles (although I really don't have a major wrinkle problem yet, just some small ones around my eyes, I'm 45 by the way, if that helps anyone). I have not noticed firmer skin really, except when I initially apply it, but I think that's the feeling of the product on my skin in the moment more than the actual results to my skin, if that makes sense. I have not noticed smaller pores either.Here's what benefits I HAVE noticed (so far): My skin has a noticeably more even tone to it, that's the best way I can word it. Not exactly a radiance, it's not like a "glowing" thing, but just an overall *more even color and tone*. I don't generally wear makeup, but here's the best example I can offer that might help: I have a product that I occasionally use that's a "tinted moisturizer". It's a moisturizer with a tint, not a full foundation, it just gives a nice, subtle evenness to your skin. I would compare my bare skin now with when I would use that product. It just looks a little more even, and nice.I also noticed another thing: I'm fair skinned and must wear sunblock on my face any time I'm outside for any length of time. One time I forgot the sunblock and I got awful brown spots and I don't remember how long it lasted but it seemed like forever. I vowed to always wear facial sunblock after that. Well, that was many years ago, but just this last Father's Day (only a week or two before I started using this product) I accidentally sat outside too long with my dad, thinking I was in the shade, only to discover I got a burn on my face. And again, a couple days later I noticed some brown spots. Not as bad as that first time, but still very upsetting. So fast forward and I'm ready to write this review today after one month of use it suddenly dawns on me, "Hey, those brown spots from Father's Day are totally gone!" So either I recovered from the sun damage much quicker than last time by pure coincidence, or this Retinol indeed helped my cells turn over and recover more quickly. I can't help but credit this product because I'm certain last time the discoloration from the sun lasted much longer. So those are two benefits I have definitely noticed: more even skin tone and quicker sun damage recovery. Quick side note: Retinol does cause photo-sensitivity, so be sure to either use it at night (best choice) or at least be sure always use sunblock over it during the day if you go outdoors.Side Effects: I must preface this with saying that I am used to using AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) on my face, and so I'm not sensitive to products that might "sting" on other people. So for me personally, I've noticed no stinging or discomfort whatsoever. What I have noticed since using it though, is that my skin feels dryer than normally (and it's already dry), especially my forehead which feels almost flaky. I've read that this is completely normal and is "usually" temporary, once the skin adjusts, it generally stops. But I should point out one myth here that my Dermatologist told me: Retinol does NOT exfoliate. It's a myth because people see the flaking and assume that means it must be exfoliating but Retinol is just Vitamin A and has no exfoliating properties. It does accelerate cellular turnover, but that's not really the same as exfoliation, but I'll spare us all the science lesson. My point is, you may still need to exfoliate, I know I do. SO: My understanding is that any dryness/flaking like I am experiencing on my forehead is probably temporary, but in the event that it continues long term, then I may need to lower my strength from 2.5% to a lesser 1 or 1.5% (or not use it). So time will tell if the flaky forehead is temporary or not. By the way, using a good moisturizer over the Retinol greatly helps with the dryness; the flakiness isn't visible as long as I moisturize on top of the Retinol. I'm just giving you my honest observations of things that seem different (good, bad or neutral) with the Retinol itself, bare bones to speak.All of this being said, it's only been one month! Maybe others have seen "magical results" in a week, but I know that I need to be patient and give this months before I judge it fully and fairly. So I will absolutely update this review as time progresses as to whether or not I see any other changes. Feel free to comment below if time has passed with no updates and I'll be sure to reply and update.**UPDATE** as of June 2018I am no longer using this product. I still think the brand is excellent and I may try their other products in the future. But the main reason I stopped using this product is because it was simply too drying for my already-dry skin. I began to realize that my regular moisturizers did not seem to moisturize as well as they used to, and that my forehead especially was feeling tight and itchy even after many months of using this product. Only when I stopped using this product did I re-gain full moisturizing effects from my regular moisturizers again. I had hoped the extra dryness would be temporary, but not in my case unfortunately. Also, I did not notice any new benefits happening, so the discomfort/annoyance of the dryness began to outweigh the benefit of the more even skin tone. To be clear; I definitely noticed a mild improvement in my overall skin tone, just not enough to make the dryness worth it.

So, I have sensitive skin prone to bouts of eczema. Yep, eczema ON MY FACE. So I'm very particular about my products and careful to not make too many changes in my skincare or make up because of a potential flare up. I have tried retinol products touted for sensitive skin and I end up looking like I've had a chemical peel, so I figured retinol was not a product I was ever going to be able to reap any benefit from. I came across an ad for Eva Naturals and was drawn to its hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe. I especially liked reading about the retinol in a more natural form. The price is exactly right so I decided to give it a try. Usually when I have attempted using a retinol product I go through a super flaky dry spell and this irritation leads to a flare up for me. I did NOT go through this and was wondering if maybe this form of retinol wouldn't even work. I felt safe enough to use the second night and see how my skin responded. Again, no flakiness or flaring. I continued to use nightly and about the 5th day my skin appeared brighter, clearer and felt smooth. I believe this it's a gentle product that works even better with continued use. I do not use scrubs because they are just too harsh for my facial skin. I feel like this product gently sloughs dead skin cells and that I have finally found an actual retinol product I can use without fear! I have received compliments on how clear my skin looks and I'm grateful my eczema seems to be staying in check. Just ordered my second bottle. Thank you for such an affordable product that works and that I'm comfortable putting on my skin. I'm a satisfied customer!

I do like this serum because it has almost identical ingredients to the retinol serum I was using before grom another brand, but contained double the productfor around the same price. I'm not sure why, but this definitely seems stronger (more potent) with the retinol than the other one I used even though they both claim to contain the same amounts. Seems good but my skin is actually rather sensitive to it, so I can't use it often or it will irritate my skin. This is very common with retinol products, especially if used in conjunction with AHA and/or other exfoliants or skin sensitizing products (which I use all of the above). It is a bargain for the price but make sure you follow the directions and ease your skin into using this product regularly, especially if you have sensitive skin.*update* I'm giving this product an update and unfortunately I gave it one less star. Although it has almost identical ingredients to the serum I used from another brand, for some reason this serum makes me break out with small little whiteheads across my face. I made sure to try it for an extended period of time so i knew it was this product specifically. I'll be returning to the previous brand I used before this and probably give this bottle away.