Retinol Serum

Babaria

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Babaria Retinol Serum is a emulsion. Our analysis of its 21 ingredients (13 low-risk) rates it Great (79/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone skin. Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Emulsion
Ingredients
21
Low-risk
13
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
Spain
Data updated
May 2026

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 1/3
Good for dry skin
Propylene Glycol
Caution for dry skin
Sorbitan Isostearate Polysorbate 20 Polysorbate 80
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Retinol
Sensitive Skin 3/8
Good for sensitive skin
Tocopheryl Acetate BHT BHA
Caution for sensitive skin
Propylene Glycol Citric Acid Phenoxyethanol Homosalate BHT Citral Retinol BHA

Ingredients list

21 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All21 Fragrance8 Skin Conditioning7 Masking4 Chelating Agent3 Antioxidant3 Film Forming3 Surfactant3 Emulsifying3
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
4
Homosalate
(Fragrance, Sunscreen Agent, Uv Absorber, Skin Conditioning, Uv Filter)
3
B
Propylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Humectant, Skin Conditioningagent Miscellaneous, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Tri (Polyglyceryl-3/Lauryl) Hydrogenated Trilinoleate
(Surfactant Cleansing, Surfactant Emulsifying)
3
B
Polysorbate 80
(Denaturant, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
2
Polyacrylate-13
(Film Forming)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
1
A
Polyisobutene
(Binding Agent, Film Forming, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Viscosity Controlling)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
2
A
Tetrasodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent)
3
B
Polysorbate 20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Sorbitan Isostearate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
6
A
BHT
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Masking)
3
CI 16035
(Cosmetic Colorant)
5
7
BHA
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
7
Citral
(Flavoring Agent, Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Homosalate
Uv Absorber, Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning
BHT
Antioxidant

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — higher EWG
BHA — higher EWG
Citral — higher EWG
May not suit dry skin
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Homosalate
Fragrance, Sunscreen agent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 FragranceSunscreen agentUv absorberSkin conditioningUv filter
Tri (Polyglyceryl-3/Lauryl) Hydrogenated Trilinoleate
Surfactant cleansing, Surfactant emulsifying
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Surfactant cleansingSurfactant emulsifying
Polyacrylate-13
Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 Film forming
Polyisobutene
Binding agent, Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentFilm formingViscosity increasing agentBindingViscosity controlling
PARFUM
Fragrance, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragrancePerfuming
Tetrasodium EDTA
Chelating agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Deodorant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A DeodorantSkin conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmulsifyingSurfactant
CI 16035
Cosmetic colorant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 Cosmetic colorant
Disodium EDTA
Chelating agent, Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agentViscosity controlling
Propylene Glycol
Fragrance, Humectant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B FragranceHumectantSkin-conditioningagent - miscellaneousSolventViscosity decreasing agentSkin conditioningViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Polysorbate 80
Denaturant, Emulsifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B DenaturantEmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
BHT
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 CIR A AntioxidantFragranceMasking
BHA
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5–7 AntioxidantFragranceMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Citral
Flavoring agent, Fragrance
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 Flavoring agentFragranceMasking Allergens

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Morning only: Apply as the last step of your AM routine, after moisturiser, and reapply every ~2 hours of sun exposure.
  • 2 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Officially notified as a cosmetic in Malaysia (NPRA). Government registration record.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Often avoided
Retinoids (Vitamin A) (Retinol)

Topical retinoids (retinol, retinaldehyde, retinyl esters) are widely advised against in pregnancy as a precaution. The strongest evidence is for ORAL retinoids; topical absorption is low, but most clinicians err on the side of caution.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Retinoids (Vitamin A) 0.01–1%

Most studied between 0.1% and 1%. Higher is not automatically better — irritation climbs with dose, so a well-formulated lower strength is often the sweet spot.

Retinol

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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