Head to head
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum vs Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum.
The bottom lineLa Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum and Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum does the same job for less.
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum keeps clear of pregnancy-flagged actives, while Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 carries one that is best paused in pregnancy.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
$0.27 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from $40 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About $0.27 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
€0.57 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €86 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.57 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Per application, La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is the cheaper: $0.27 against €0.57.
Which should you pick?
Pick Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum if
- you want the more affordable option
- your breakouts are the fungal kind (Malassezia): nothing on its label was measured to feed the yeast
- you are pregnant or breastfeeding
Pick Crystal Retinal 6 if
- fine lines and firmness are the goal
What each delivers
Side by side
| Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum | Crystal Retinal 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Serum | Serum |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Pro-vitamin B5, Hyaluronic acid | Glycerin, Retinal, Squalane |
| Texture | A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. | A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. |
| Fragrance | Contains fragrance | Contains fragrance |
| Feeds Malassezia | none measured / none inferred | 4 measured / 3 inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | One caution |
| Ingredients | 32 listed | 47 listed |
| Price | ~$40 | ~€86 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 7 of the 72 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum, The living epidermis, Not established for La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum and The living epidermis, The stratum corneum, Not established for Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
Only in Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 is a different bottle only for: retinal, squalane, thd ascorbate, caprylic/capric triglyceride.
Which keeps longer
a dropper bottle and nothing on this label that light breaks; the period after opening not read yet.
a tube and one light-sensitive active: the packaging is doing work here.
where this comes from
The pack form is read off the packshot; the light-sensitive actives are the base's photostability rows, sourced on each glossary page; the period after opening (not printed) is read off the maker's page, never a reseller's. Catalogue checked September 2026.
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is the one to keep if you use it slowly: a dropper bottle, nothing on this label that light breaks.
Where each label stops telling you the dose
Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
ordered for its first 81%
- 1Aqua/Water/Eau
- 2Glycerin
- 3Alcohol Denat
- 4Propylene Glycol
- 5Panthenol
- 6Pentylene Glycol
- 7Dimethicone
- 8PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
- 9Alpinia Galanga Leaf Extract
- 10Calcium Chloride
- 11Glyceryl Isostearate
- 12Madecassoside
- 13PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30
- 14Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
- 15Sodium Hyaluronate
- 16Algin
- 17Adenosine
- 18Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
- 19Propanediol
- 20Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
- 21Hydroxyacetophenone
- 22Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- 23Caprylyl Glycol
- 24Citric Acid
- 25Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 26Acetyl Glucosamine
- 27Xanthan Gum
- 28Butylene Glycol
- 291,2-Hexanediol
- 30Tocopherol
- 31Phenoxyethanol
- 32Parfum/Fragrance
6 of 32 sit below the line, marked by Xanthan Gum.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
ordered for its first 32%
- 1Aqua (Water)
- 2Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- 3Glycerin
- 4Isododecane
- 5Cetearyl Olivate
- 6Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- 7Cetearyl Alcohol
- 8PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer
- 9Sorbitan Olivate
- 10Tocopheryl Acetate
- 11Titanium Dioxide
- 12Eclipta Prostrata Extract
- 13Cyclodextrin
- 14Squalane
- 15Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
- 16Phenoxyethanol
- 17Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
- 18Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
- 19Sodium Hyaluronate
- 20Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
- 21Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil
- 22Alumina
- 23Isostearic Acid
- 24Lecithin
- 25Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
- 26Polyhydroxystearic Acid
- 27Stearic Acid
- 28Pentylene Glycol
- 29Retinal
- 30Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
- 31Sodium Polyaspartate
- 32Climbazole
- 33Disodium EDTA
- 34Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract
- 35Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract
- 36Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil
- 37Ethylhexylglycerin
- 383-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
- 39Dipteryx Odorata (Tonka) Bean Extract
- 40Hydroxyacetophenone
- 41Polysorbate 60
- 42Sorbitan Isostearate
- 43Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract
- 44Decylene Glycol
- 451,2-Hexanediol
- 46BHT
- 47Coumarin
32 of 47 sit below the line, marked by Phenoxyethanol. Including what it is sold on: Retinal.
Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.
The molecule doing the work
Better for…
- Dark spots & uneven toneEither works
- Fine lines & firmnessCrystal Retinal 6
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
- Sensitive, reactive skinHyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
Who each suits
- La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- dry, sensitive, normal
- Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
- dry, combination, oily, normal · avoid with very sensitive skin, acne-prone skin (at high strength), breastfeeding and compromised barrier
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is the cheaper of the two (~$40 vs ~€86).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum or Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 better for fine lines & firmness?
For fine lines & firmness, Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum and Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum does the same job for less. La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum keeps clear of pregnancy-flagged actives, while Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 carries one that is best paused in pregnancy.
Which is cheaper, La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum or Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6?
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is the cheaper of the two (~$40 vs ~€86).
Can I use La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum and Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 together?
They are both serums, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.
What the scene shows
The cross-section at the top of this page is not decoration and not a diagram of the skin in general: it places the molecules these two are sold on at the layer each is understood to act on. La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Pro-vitamin B5 (the stratum corneum), Hyaluronic acid (the stratum corneum). Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Retinal (the living epidermis), Squalane (the stratum corneum). A layer is where an ingredient does its work, never how deep it travels, and never a claim about how well it works.
Compare it with…
54 duels are built for this serum, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) and Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster among them: type a name, or pick one below.