Renew Retinol Bakuchiol Face Serum

Fourth Ray Beauty

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Fourth Ray Beauty Renew Retinol Bakuchiol Face Serum is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 28 ingredients (24 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Serums, Essence, Ampoules
Ingredients
28
Low-risk
24
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
United States

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 6/7
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer Sucrose Laurate Isododecane Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Caprylyl Glycol Glycerin
Caution for dry skin
Dimethicone Crosspolymer Sucrose Laurate Inulin Lauryl Carbamate Xanthan Gum Glycerin Hexylene Glycol Polysorbate 20
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Retinol
Sensitive Skin 1/9
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Isododecane Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Glycerin Hexylene Glycol Citric Acid Benzoic Acid Potassium Sorbate Phenoxyethanol Retinol

Ingredients list

28 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All28 Skin Conditioning13 Fragrance8 Emulsion Stabilising6 Viscosity Controlling6 Solvent6 Preservative5 Humectant4 Perfuming4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
B
Polysorbate 20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
B
Isododecane
(Fragrance, Solvent, Emollient, Perfuming)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
Bakuchiol
(Cosmetic Biocide, Antimicrobial)
CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA FLOWER EXTRACT
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
1
Sucrose Laurate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11
(Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
A
Trisodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent)
1
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
(Humectant, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
(Emulsion Stabilising, Surfactant)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
3
B
Behentrimonium Chloride
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Preservative)
3
A
Potassium Sorbate
(Fragrance, Preservative)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Benzoic Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Preservative, Bulking Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Dehydroacetic Acid
(Preservative)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Hexylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Emulsifying, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant)
1
A
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Hair Fixing, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Viscosity Increasingagent Nonaqueous, Viscosity Controlling)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
3
CI 60730
(Cosmetic Colorant)
3
CI 14700
(Cosmetic Colorant)

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

Retinoid
Visibly reduces the signs of aging.
Bakuchiol
Encourages gentle skin renewal and boosts firmness.
Antioxidants
Shields skin from free radical damage.

Benefits

Barrier RepairStrengthen and restore your skin's natural barrier.
HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
Scar HealingImproves the look of marks and scars.
Anti-AgingSoftens lines and helps skin look youthful.
BrighteningRestores radiance to dull, tired skin.
Reduces IrritationEases discomfort and supports skin resilience.
Good For Oily SkinBalances oil and helps reduce shine.
Redness ReducingSoothes visible redness and calms irritation.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — 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
Isododecane
Fragrance, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B FragranceSolventEmollientPerfuming
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Bakuchiol
Cosmetic biocide, Antimicrobial
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Cosmetic biocideAntimicrobial
CHAMOMILLA RECUTITA FLOWER EXTRACT
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragranceSkin conditioning
Sucrose Laurate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningEmollientEmulsifyingSurfactant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11
Emulsion stabilising, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Emulsion stabilisingSkin conditioningViscosity controlling
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientMaskingPerfumingSkin conditioningSolvent
Trisodium EDTA
Chelating agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agent
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Humectant, Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 HumectantViscosity controlling
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion stabilising, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Emulsion stabilisingSurfactant
Behentrimonium Chloride
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Antistatic agentHair conditioningPreservative
Potassium Sorbate
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePreservative
Xanthan Gum
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingSkin conditioningSurfactant -emulsifying agentViscosity increasing agentBindingGel formingViscosity controlling
+ 7 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
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
Benzoic Acid
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePh adjusterPreservativeBulking agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Apply after toner and before moisturiser — thinnest to thickest.
  • 2 Evening: Use at night — start 2–3× a week and build up as your skin tolerates it.
  • 3 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

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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