Moonlight Retinal Super Serum

Maelove

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Maelove Moonlight Retinal Super Serum is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 32 ingredients (21 low-risk) rates it Excellent (97/100). 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
32
Low-risk
21
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 5/9
Good for dry skin
Gluconolactone Squalane Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Sodium Hyaluronate Glycerin
Caution for dry skin
Maltodextrin Cyclodextrin Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract Xanthan Gum Glycerin Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract Alcohol Polysorbate 20 Alcohol Denat.
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 4/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract Alcohol Alcohol Denat.
Sensitive Skin 3/7
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin Tocopheryl Acetate Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Caution for sensitive skin
Gluconolactone Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Glycerin Michelia Alba Flower Oil Alcohol Sodium Benzoate Alcohol Denat.

Ingredients list

32 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (6)
All32 Skin Conditioning29 Fragrance8 Solvent7 Hair Conditioning6 Astringent5 Masking5 Perfuming5 Humectant4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
B
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
(Skin Conditioning)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
1
A
Cyclodextrin
(Absorbent, Chelating Agent)
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
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
Gluconolactone
(Fragrance, Humectant, Solvent)
1
A
Squalane
(Emollient, Hair Conditioning, Refatting, Skin Conditioning)
Bisabolol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Soothing)
1
Ceramide NP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
Michelia Alba Flower Oil
(Fragrance, Masking)
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
(Astringent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Soothing)
1
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
(Astringent, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Sodium Hyaluronate
(Skin Conditioning, Humectant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
(Astringent)
5
6
Retinal
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract
(Cosmetic Astringent, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
A
Maltodextrin
(Absorbent, Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Binding)
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
(Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
1
A
Sodium Gluconate
(Chelating Agent, Skin Conditioning)
3
B
Polysorbate 20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
citrus grandis peel oil
(Fragrance, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
citrus aurantium dulcis peel oil
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
2
Alcohol
(Antifoaming Agent, Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking, Solvent, Viscosity Controlling)
Bad for Dry Skin
Bad for Dry Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
4
Alcohol Denat.
(Antifoaming Agent, Antimicrobial, Astringent, Masking, Solvent, Viscosity Controlling)
Bad for Dry Skin
Bad for Dry Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin

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

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
May not suit dry skin
May not suit sensitive skin

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Cyclodextrin
Absorbent, Chelating agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A AbsorbentChelating agent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientMaskingPerfumingSkin conditioningSolvent
Gluconolactone
Fragrance, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 FragranceHumectantSolvent
Squalane
Emollient, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientHair conditioningRefattingSkin conditioning
Bisabolol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragranceSkin conditioningSoothing
Ceramide NP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Michelia Alba Flower Oil
Fragrance, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 FragranceMasking
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent, Hair conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AstringentHair conditioningSkin conditioningSoothing
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
Astringent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AstringentSkin conditioning
Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioning
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
Astringent
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Astringent
Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract
Cosmetic astringent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Cosmetic astringentSkin conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin conditioning, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningSolvent
+ 9 more — see the full ingredients list above
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A CIR B Skin conditioning Good 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
Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningHumectant Good for Dry Skin
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Retinal
Skin conditioning
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5–6 Skin conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Alcohol
Antifoaming agent, Antimicrobial
Causes moisture evaporation - prone to dry out skinRead moreShow less
EWG 2 Antifoaming agentAntimicrobialAstringentMaskingSolventViscosity controlling Bad for Dry SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Alcohol Denat.
Antifoaming agent, Antimicrobial
Causes moisture evaporation - prone to dry out skinRead moreShow less
EWG 4 Antifoaming agentAntimicrobialAstringentMaskingSolventViscosity controlling Bad for Dry SkinBad for Sensitive Skin

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) (Retinal)

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.

Retinal

Niacinamide 2–5% (up to 10%)

Most research uses 2–5%; some formulas go to 10%. Very high levels can cause flushing in sensitive skin.

Niacinamide

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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