Retinol Fast-Release Wrinkle Reducing Night Serum

Kiehl's

Retinol Fast-Release Wrinkle Reducing Night Serum

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About this product

The Kiehl's Retinol Fast-Release Wrinkle Reducing Night Serum is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 29 ingredients (26 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Serums, Essence, Ampoules
Ingredients
29
Low-risk
26
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 10/6
Good for dry skin
Glycereth-26 Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer Magnesium Stearate Betaine Silica Silylate Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Glycerin Tricaprylin Polyglycerin-3
Caution for dry skin
C12-14 Pareth-12 Silica Silylate Xanthan Gum Glycerin t-Butyl Alcohol Silica
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Retinol
Sensitive Skin 2/7
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Caution for sensitive skin
Butylene Glycol Glycerin Tricaprylin t-Butyl Alcohol Tromethamine Phenoxyethanol Retinol

Ingredients list

29 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All29 Skin Conditioning19 Viscosity Controlling10 Humectant9 Solvent8 Fragrance7 Emulsion Stabilising5 Hair Conditioning4 Viscosity Increasing Agent3
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
A
Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
(Film Forming)
1
A
Tricaprylin
(Fragrance, Emollient, Masking, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
(Antioxidant)
1
B
Silica Silylate
(Antifoaming Agent, Bulking Agent, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Anticaking Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
1
2
A
Silica
(Abrasive, Absorbent, Anticaking Agent, Bulking Agent, Opacifying, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Magnesium Stearate
(Anticaking Agent, Bulking Agent, Colorant, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Cosmetic Colorant, Moisturising)
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
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
Glycereth-26
(Humectant, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Solvent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
1,2-Hexanediol
(Solvent)
1
Polyglycerin-3
(Humectant)
1
B
C12-14 Pareth-12
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
(Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Betaine
(Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Antistatic Agent, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
Adenosine
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
(Humectant, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Tromethamine
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
1
Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying)
2
A
t-Butyl Alcohol
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Solvent, Perfuming)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)

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

Antioxidants
Shields skin from free radical damage.
Retinoid
Visibly reduces the signs of aging.
Vitamin E
Protects skin and soothes irritation.
Exfoliators
Removes dead skin cells to smoothe texture.

Benefits

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

Concerns

Contains paraben
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — higher EWG
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

Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Film forming
Tricaprylin
Fragrance, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceEmollientMaskingSkin conditioningSolvent
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antioxidant
Silica Silylate
Antifoaming agent, Bulking agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Antifoaming agentBulking agentSkin conditioningEmollientSuspending agent -nonsurfactantAnticaking agentEmulsion stabilisingViscosity controlling
Silica
Abrasive, Absorbent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–2 CIR A AbrasiveAbsorbentAnticaking agentBulking agentOpacifyingViscosity controlling
Magnesium Stearate
Anticaking agent, Bulking agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Anticaking agentBulking agentColorantViscosity increasing agentCosmetic colorantMoisturising
Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Glycereth-26
Humectant, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 HumectantViscosity decreasing agentSolventViscosity controlling
1,2-Hexanediol
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Solvent
Polyglycerin-3
Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Humectant
C12-14 Pareth-12
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Viscosity controlling
Betaine
Hair conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningHumectantAntistatic agentSkin conditioningViscosity controlling
+ 9 more — see the full ingredients list above
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
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
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Panthenol
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioning Good for Dry 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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