Mizon 0.3% Retinol Youth Cream

Based on the ingredients included, "Mizon - 0.3% Retinol Youth Cream" works well for moisturizing the skin. To work well, any moisturizer needs to include a combination of water-binding and emollient ingredients. Mizon - 0.3% Retinol Youth Cream ticks this box. Humectants in this product (betaine, glycerin, glucose, butylene glycol and caprylyl glycol) help to increase the water content in the upper layer of the skin. (These ingredients do so by "capturing" water molecules from the outside air or from within the deeper layers of the skin). Cholesterol, jojoba esters, limnanthes alba seed oil, butyrospermum parkii butter and brassica campestris sterols in this product help decrease the water evoporation from the skin, so that it stays hydrated for longer. These ingredients also soften the skin and take away the feeling of tightness and dryness.

Ingredient callouts

• Bakuchiol in this moisturizer (the concentration is about 0.25% - 0.50%). Helps fight photodamage (wrinkles, elasticity loss and pigmentation) and can reduce clogged pores and blemishes. Bakuchiol is a compound extracted from a plant Babchi. It acts similar to retinoids, but with less irritation risk.
• This moisturizer contains an effective form of Retinoids (vitamin A): retinol 0.25% - 0.45%. Retinoids are potent multitasking actives. They work to improve and prevent early signs of aging, reduce hyperpigmentation (age spots and post-acne marks), and prevent inflamed blemishes and clogged pores. The downside of Retinoids is that they can be irritating. If you are not already using a Retinoid in your routine, it is best to start slowly and apply the Retinoid product only a few times per week. If your skin tolerates it well, you can gradually increase the frequency to daily. Because of the irritation risk of Retinoids, we recommend to have another, retinoid-free moisturizer in your routine to use on the alternate days or when your skin feels dry.
• We like that this moisturizer contains peptides (acetyl tetrapeptide-15 0.15% - 0.25% and copper tripeptide-1 0.15% - 0.30%). There are many different kind of Peptides and they are naturally present in our skin. They all are a combination of aminoacids. Some of them work as natural antibiotics, promote wound-healing and production of collagen. The science is still not settled on how effective Peptides are in skincare, but it is very likely that they have a benefit. Peptides might help restore the skin barrier and fight the signs of aging. At the very least, Peptides work as humectants: they attract water to the upper layer of the skin and improve its hydration.
• Adenosine 0.25% - 0.45%. It is a chemical present inside our skin cells. A clinical trial confirmed that topical application of Adenosine in a low concentration can reduce dynamic wrinkles (these are the wrinkles that appear with age in a places where our mimic is the most active, for example, in the corners of the eyes or on the forehead).

Irritation risk

There are some common irritants in this product, including ingredients that do not have benefits for the skin. We assess the overall irritancy of this moisturizer to be high. For a detailed overview of all potential irritants: click here

You can see the detailed formula review with the breakdown of all actives in the product and the full ingredient list with estimated concentrations in the tables below.

Price

The product retails from 44.64$ up to 49.50$ in the United States.

For a detailed price comparison: click here.