Madagascar Centella Retinol 0.2 Boosting Ampoule

This is a very good retinol serum. It pairs 0.2% retinol with 0.05% retinal, which is worth understanding: retinol has to convert twice in the skin before it becomes retinoic acid, the form that actually does the work, while retinal converts once. Including both is a way of getting some faster action without going straight to a pure retinal product, which tends to be harsher.

I found it works very well with my mature and "seasoned" skin, without causing me much irritation, although I would imagine this serum isn't for sensitive skin. On a few occasions I've had mild skin peeling but no irritation at all. I've been using this 4 nights per week (two of the nights I use stronger retinoid).

The Centella and panthenol in the base are presumably there to offset the retinoid, and on my skin that seems to work. I used it with a soothing cream (full routine available on Patreon). For its price it does very well, and I would repurchase.