Medik8 R-Retinoate Day & Night
- Anti-aging
- Anti-oxidation
- Exfoliation
- Evens skin tone
- +2 more
- retinyl retinoate
- 3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid
- tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate
- cetearyl alcohol
- +5 more

Price comparison
Can the product deliver on its promises?
Promise
What does the product description say?WIMJ summary for anti-aging
This product can help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and firmness because it contains retinyl retinoate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate.
Keep in mind that it typically takes at least 6 weeks to notice any results because the changes that are needed to improve fine lines and elasticity happen in the deeper layers of the skin. No topical anti-aging product can “erase” wrinkles or fully reverse signs of aging.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
LOW
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WIMJ summary for anti-blemish
This product can help reduce breakouts and clogged pores because it contains the following ingredient: retinyl retinoate. This ingredient is used for treating acne and can have a noticeable effect.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH |
WIMJ summary for evens skin tone
This product can help reduce hypepigmentation and even out the skin tone because it contains the following effective ingredients: retinyl retinoate.
In addition, this product contains tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. This ingredient (ingredients) might help reduce hyperpigmentation, but the effect, if any, is likely to be small.
The following ingredient (ingredients) in this product might be helpful, but there is no evidence to confirm that it actually can help even out the skin tone: retinyl retinoate.
Keep in mind that you would need to apply any topical skincare targetted at hypigmentation consistently for a couple of months to get a result. No topical skincare product can help get rid of hyperpigmentation (including post-acne marks and age spots) instantly.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
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HIGH | |||
MEDIUM
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MEDIUM
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WIMJ summary for exfoliation
This product can help exfoliate the skin. In other words, it helps break down the bonds between dead cells on the surface of the skin and speed up the skin turnover. Skin often appears softer and brighter after exfoliation, but overdoing it can result in disrupted skin barrier. The following ingredient is doing the exfoliating job in this product: retinyl retinoate.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH | |||
LOW
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WIMJ summary for moisturizing
This product can help improve hydration of the skin with the two types of ingredients.
The first type is called “humectants”:
these ingredients help attract water.
When humectants are on the surface of the skin, they “pull in” the moisture from the outside environment, or from
within deeper layers of the skin. The following ingredients in this product do the job:
glycerin, sodium hyaluronate.
This product also contains ingredients called “occlusives”. They help reduce the speed with which our skin loses moisture to the outside environment. These ingredients also help soften the upper layer of the skin, so it feels less tight and nicer to the touch. The following ingredients in this product do the job: caprylic/capric triglyceride, heptyl undecylenate.
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH | |||
HIGH | |||
HIGH |
WIMJ summary for anti-oxidation
This product contains antioxidants (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate) that can help neutralize free radicals in skin. By doing so, they can lessen the damage the skin gets from the UV light (sun).
Ingredient | Effectiveness | Concentration | Irritancy |
---|---|---|---|
HIGH | |||
MEDIUM
| |||
LOW
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How honest is this product?
Promise | Can it deliver? |
---|---|
Anti-aging |
Potential irritants

Ingredient | Irritancy | Skin Benefit |
---|---|---|
tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate | ||
heptyl undecylenate | ||
caprylic/capric triglyceride |
Ingredients by volume
Ingredient | Estimated concentration |
---|---|
Plain old water
| 45% - 55% |
Being a lipid soluble form of vitamin C. It is more stable than ascorbic acid, but still degrades quickly and needs to be stabilized in a formulation with another ingredient. It is claimed to penetrate skin better than pure vitamin C and have the the similar benefits, but solid studies of its effectiveness are lacking. Is likely to require a higher concentration in a product than pure vitamin C to be effective.
| 8.4% - 10.3% |
Helps soften the upper layer of the skin, reduce water loss from the skin surface over time and create a nice product finish
| 4.8% - 5.8% |
Show more |
Similar products & dupes
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WIMJ similarity score | 71% | 61% | 56% | 56% | 54% | 51% | 49% | 49% | 49% | 47% | |
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Questions
Skincare resources
Scientific Sources
- Double-blind, half-face study comparing topical vitamin C and vehicle for rejuvenation of photodamage
- Application of tetra-isopalmitoyl ascorbic acid in cosmetic formulations: Stability studies and in vivo efficacy
- Safety Assessment of Polyene Group as Used in Cosmetics
- Retinyl retinoate, a novel hybrid vitamin derivative, improves photoaged skin: a double-blind, randomized-controlled trial
- Improvement in skin wrinkles from the use of photostable retinyl retinoate: a randomized controlled trial
- Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions