The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Retinol is the reason to consider this serum, with Squalane behind it.
The case for it
- Retinol, strong evidence for lines and firmness
- Squalane, strong evidence for the barrier
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones 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 readThe Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane is a serum built around Retinol, Squalane and Jojoba Oil. It leans strongest on barrier repair, anti-aging. Best suited to normal, oily and combo skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding: it contains retinol, 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
Gold-standard over-the-counter retinoid with strong anti-aging data; can easily irritate and requires careful introduction and good barrier support.
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.
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
- Retinolestablished, sourced
4 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
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.
It gives up ground on hydration and brightening.
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 7 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 8 ingredients, decoded
- SqualaneEmollient
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- RetinolRetinoidpregnancy: avoidcan irritate
- Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit ExtractBotanical extract
- mild irritant
- Hydroxymethoxyphenyl DecanoneSoothing
- BHTAntioxidantmild irritant
Copy the raw INCI list
Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Retinol, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, BHT
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 17 comparisons
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs Eucerin Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG Eye Serum
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs Geek & Gorgeous A-Game 10
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs Celimax The Vita A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs Medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum
- Retinol 0.5% in Squalane vs Vichy Minéral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Booster
Common questions
Is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane good for normal skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits normal, oily, combo skin. The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane is a serum built around Retinol, Squalane and Jojoba Oil. It leans strongest on barrier repair, anti-aging. Best suited to normal, oily and combo skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
How do you use The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% 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 Retinol 0.5% in Squalane?
The actives that do the work are Retinol, Squalane, Jojoba Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Is The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane 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 The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% 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; 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.
The Ordinary prints: 0.5% retinol. Read on the brand's own product page, 2026-08-10.
