Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Retinol is the reason to consider this serum, with Bakuchiol behind it.
The case for it
- Retinol, strong evidence for lines and firmness
- Bakuchiol, moderate evidence for lines and firmness
- No fragrance, alcohol or parabens
Mind this
- Avoid in pregnancy: Retinol
- Evenings only, sunscreen the next morning
- Retinol: sits high on irritation, so ease it in
Maya's readPaula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment is a serum built around Glycerin, Retinol and Isononyl Isononanoate. 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 retinol, best paused until after.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
50 of the 67 sit above the 1% line. The other 17, 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
- Retinol sits at position 17 of 67
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
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.
Gold-standard over-the-counter retinoid with strong anti-aging data; can easily irritate and requires careful introduction and good barrier support.
Very light synthetic ester that gives high slip and a silky feel, often used in sunscreens and serums.
Plant derived retinoid like active that improves wrinkles and pigment with less irritation than retinol in studies.
Oil soluble vitamin C derivative that brightens skin and supports collagen with good tolerability but has fewer long term studies than pure ascorbic acid.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
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
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Isononyl Isononanoatederived from what it is
- Willow Bark Extractderived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Retinolestablished, sourced
5 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend. 2 did not, so they are 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 anti-aging, brightening and oil control.
On hydration and barrier repair 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 37 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 67 ingredients, decoded
- AquaSolvent (base)
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- Pentaerythrityl TetraisostearateEmollient (ester)
- Isononyl IsononanoateEmollient
- Butylene GlycolHumectant
- BakuchiolBotanicalmild irritant
- Arachidyl Alcohol
- Glyceryl PolymethacrylateThickener
- Dimethicone CrosspolymerEmollient
- Behenyl AlcoholEmollient
- GlycerinHumectant
- PEG-75 Shea Butter GlyceridesEmulsifier
- Glyceryl StearateEmulsifier
- C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateEmollient
- Polysorbate 20Emulsifiermild irritant
- Tetrahexyldecyl AscorbateVitamin c derivative
- RetinolRetinoidpregnancy: avoidcan irritate
- Ceramide NG
- Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7Signal peptide
- Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- Dipotassium GlycyrrhizateSoothing
- Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root ExtractBotanical extract
- Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel ExtractBotanical extract
- Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root ExtractBotanical extract
- Salix Alba (Willow) Bark ExtractExfoliantmild irritant
- Glycine Soja (Soybean) SterolsAmino acid (NMF)
- LecithinEmulsifier
- AllantoinSoothing
- Tocopheryl AcetateAntioxidant
- Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
- Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1Signal peptide
- Sodium HydroxidePh adjustermild irritant
- Tribehenin
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
- Dipeptide-2
- Polygonum Cuspidatum Root ExtractBotanical extract
- PEG-10 PhytosterolEmulsifier
- PEG-8Emulsifier
- Magnesium Aluminum SilicateTexture
- Arachidyl GlucosideEmulsifier
- Chrysin
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- Sodium Acrylates CopolymerThickener
- Steareth-20Emulsifier
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- Coco-GlucosideSurfactant
- Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
- N-Hydroxysuccinimide
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Disodium EDTA down, these 17 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Benzoic Acid
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- BHAAntioxidant (stabiliser)
- BHTAntioxidantmild irritant
- Biotin
- Chlorohexidine DigluconateMineral
- GlucoseHumectant
- Potassium Bitartrate
- Potassium SorbatePreservative
- Sodium CitratePh adjuster
- Sorbitan IsostearateEmulsifier
- TocopherolAntioxidantmild irritant
- Magnesium Aluminum SilicateTexture
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Lactic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Butylene Glycol, Bakuchiol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Glycerin, PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides, Glyceryl Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polysorbate 20, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Retinol, Ceramide NG, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Lecithin, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sodium Hydroxide, Tribehenin, Caprylyl Glycol, Dipeptide-2, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, PEG-10 Phytosterol, PEG-8, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Chrysin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Steareth-20, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, BHA, BHT, Biotin, Chlorohexidine Digluconate, Glucose, Potassium Bitartrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Citrate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid
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.
Common questions
Is Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, normal skin. Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment is a serum built around Glycerin, Retinol and Isononyl Isononanoate. 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 Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment?
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 Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Retinol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Bakuchiol, THD Ascorbate, Hyaluronic acid. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Is Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment safe during pregnancy?
Avoid in pregnancy: Retinol. When in doubt, check with your doctor before using it.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows Paula's Choice Clinical 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment 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 Isononyl Isononanoate in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Retinol 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.
