Trader Joe's Retinol Night Serum

Testing this

So if you are on social media and follow any dermatologists or some beauty bloggers retinol is the one thing that can help with fine lines and wrinkles. But, one thing that isn't focused on is how long this will take to see results. According to Harvard Health, it may take somewhere between 6-12 months of regular use to see some actual results. So, my testing of this is going to be somewhat incomplete and based mostly on early impressions of this product.

I've probably had this product for about a month. And I've been using it on and off. A common complaint when starting to use retinol is the drying. Whenever you use retinol follow it with some type of moisturizer. Also, be sure to use sunscreen as well to ensure that no further sun damage is taking place.

Now, this has some interesting ingredients: retinol, salicylic acid, vitamin c, and baobab seed oil. Salicylic acid is often used to treat acne as well as a peeling agent which might explain why some people who have tried this are complaining of dry spots. Vitamin C also helps prevent sun damage and improves the appearance of dark spots and wrinkles. The baobab seed oil can help to reduce redness and irritation.

My initial impressions of this were quite positive. I knew what I was getting myself into with potential dry spots and irritation. And as the saying goes, "beauty is pain" yes, this was a touch drying to my skin. This product went on smoothly and dried rather quickly with very little residue. After it had been absorbed I added my usual nightly moisturizer.

It felt fine the first few times going on. There was no fragrance to speak of and the ingredient list looks pretty good without much in the way of fillers. But the longer I used this I was breaking out around my chin.

So I'm down to using this just 2-3 nights a week. The other nights, I'm back to using Ordinary's Retinol. Not because I love it so much, but because my skin is used to it a bit more.

If you go into this hoping for results instantly, you are guaranteed to be disappointed. But if you are willing to go into it for the long haul, retinol can help with those pesky lines and wrinkles.

So in terms of how good this it, it is still to be determined. I'm having some minor difficulties but I'll see if that continues.

The packaging

The packaging here feels fancy. The box contains a glass pump bottle. The bottle is dark glass so as to not allow light in.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some common product questions you might have

Overall

So this isn't one of those products I can test in a day and say I look 10 years younger the next. That just isn't how this product (or any retinol product works). So temper your expectations here. If you can get through the initial stages of this, it may work for you. However, this is going to be very specific to the person trying this and how they react to it. I'll check back in about 6 months to update you on if I am still using this.

Would I buy this again? Trader Joe's Retinol Night Serum will need to wait a little longer for me to

Did you try it?  Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Product photos

The box:

The ingredients:

Directions:

A quick warning label on this:

Out of the package you get:

Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.

The Bottom Line

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