Retinol Ampoule 5ml

• A starter dose, on purpose: Retinol appears below the preservative, which puts it low enough that most beginners manage two nights a week.
• Niacinamide sits third, ahead of the retinol: It is there to steady the skin the retinol is working on, not as a headline ingredient.
• A lotion, not a water serum: Cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate and dimethicone give it slip and cushion, so it sits on skin rather than vanishing.
• Nothing in it competes: No fragrance, no acids, no drying alcohol — so the retinol is the only thing your skin has to get used to.
• Texture usually shifts before tone does: Rough patches and fine lines tend to soften first; dark marks are slower and need sun protection alongside.

• Retinol: Your skin converts it in two steps before it does anything, which is why it acts more slowly and gently than a prescription retinoid.
• Niacinamide: Placed high here as a buffer: it steadies the skin while the retinol underneath speeds up turnover. Niacinamide’s other jobs are covered separately.
• Squalane: A light, non-greasy emollient that replaces some of the surface lipids retinol tends to disturb in the first few weeks.
• Panthenol and sunflower seed oil: Both are comfort ingredients — they do not fight ageing, they make the retinol easier to keep applying.
• Sodium hyaluronate: The retinol and hyaluronic acid serum pairing, though in this lotion base it adds finish rather than the tacky film water serums leave.
• Tocopherol and tocopheryl acetate: Two forms of vitamin E in one list: one active on the skin, one a stable ester the skin must convert.

What is not here matters: no acids, no vitamin C, no peptides. Those belong in separate steps, on separate nights, until your skin has settled.

Full ingredient list (INCI) — verbatim from the catalogue

Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Niacinamide, copolymer, Squalane, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl alcohol, Dimethicone, Glyceryl stearate, Retinol, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, Triethyl citrate, Tocopherol, Sorbitan isostearate, Tocopheryl acetate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium hyaluronate, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil.

1. Wash and dry your face completely, then wait a few minutes. Damp skin takes in more retinol and stings more.
2. Two to three drops for the whole face. Stay off the eyelids, the creases beside the nose and the lip line.
3. Follow with a moisturiser. If your skin is dry, put the moisturiser on first, the ampoule next, and moisturiser again on top.
4. Build up slowly. Two nights a week for the first fortnight, three nights in weeks three and four, then alternate nights if comfortable.
5. Wear sun protection every morning while you are using it. Retinol at night and sunscreen by day are one routine, not two.

How to use retinol serum without triggering the peeling stage?

Start at two nights a week and hold there for a fortnight, even if nothing seems to be happening. Apply to completely dry skin, use less than you think, and follow with moisturiser. Most flaking comes from going nightly too soon, or adding an acid on the same night.

Vitamin C serum vs retinol — do I need both?

They do different jobs at different times of day. Vitamin C is an antioxidant you wear in the morning; retinol works overnight. You do not need both to begin with, and starting two new actives at once makes it impossible to tell which one your skin disliked. If you use both, our morning vitamin C ampoule sits at the other end of the day.

What does the first month actually look like?

Usually very little for the first two to three weeks. Around week four most people notice that skin feels smoother rather than looks different. Rough patches and visible pores shift first, and that takes eight to twelve weeks of steady use. Dark marks are slower again, and need daily sun protection to move at all. There is more on how retinol converts on the skin.

Can I use it with a whitening or fairness cream?

Yes, but do not stack them on the same night at first. Use the ampoule on your retinol nights and your cream on the nights in between. Once your skin has settled after a month or two, most people can layer the cream over the ampoule. If stinging appears, separate them again. The rest of the ampoule range follows the same rule.

Do I really need sunscreen with this?

Yes. Retinol speeds up cell turnover, which brings newer skin to the surface and leaves it more reactive to UV. Skip sun protection and you can undo the texture work and deepen the marks you were trying to fade. Gulf UV is high all year, and short walks between buildings add up. Sun exposure is the main driver behind lines, crepiness and loss of firmness.

Is 5ml enough to see a difference?

At two to three drops on retinol nights, a 5ml ampoule lasts roughly six to eight weeks. That is long enough to get through the adjustment period and start seeing texture change, and a sensible amount to test tolerance with before committing to anything bigger.

Can I use it around my eyes or on my lips?

Keep it off the eyelids and the lip border. The skin there is thinner and it is the first place to react. If crow’s feet are the concern, apply along the orbital bone and let it migrate inwards on its own. We would not recommend any retinol on the lips, ours included.

Can I use it while pregnant or breastfeeding?

No. Topical retinoids are routinely advised against during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and that advice covers over-the-counter retinol as well as prescription strengths. Stop and speak to your doctor before restarting. Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid are generally considered fine, so a plain hydrating serum is the safer stand-in.