R-Retinoate Intense

Medik8

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Medik8 R-Retinoate Intense is a treatment. Our analysis of its 68 ingredients (51 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to dry 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
Treatments
Ingredients
68
Low-risk
51
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
United Kingdom

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 20/16
Good for dry skin
C12-16 Alcohols Glyceryl Caprylate Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil Linoleic Acid Cetearyl Alcohol Sodium Polyaspartate Squalane Isododecane Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Caprylyl Glycol Canola Oil Butylene Glycol Sodium Hyaluronate Glycerin Cholesterol Cholesteryl Nonanoate Palmitic Acid PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer Dimethicone Lecithin
Caution for dry skin
Glyceryl Caprylate Linoleic Acid Cyclodextrin Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer Sorbitan Olivate Stearic Acid Isostearic Acid Xanthan Gum Glycerin Palmitic Acid Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate Polyhydroxystearic Acid Alumina Hydrogenated Lecithin Lecithin
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 6/15
Good for sensitive skin
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract Glycerin Dimethicone Tocopheryl Acetate BHT
Caution for sensitive skin
Linoleic Acid Stearic Acid Isododecane Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Glycerin Palmitic Acid Phenethyl Alcohol Phenylpropanol Citric Acid Phenoxyethanol Linalool Limonene BHT Citral

Ingredients list

68 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All68 Skin Conditioning50 Emollient16 Fragrance14 Emulsifying11 Emulsion Stabilising11 Hair Conditioning11 Masking9 Viscosity Controlling9
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, 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
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
B
Isododecane
(Fragrance, Solvent, Emollient, Perfuming)
1
A
Squalane
(Emollient, Hair Conditioning, Refatting, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Cetearyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Opacifying, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasingagent Aqueous, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
1
B
Cetearyl Olivate
(Hair Conditioning)
1
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
(Anticaking Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Opacifying, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Viscosity Increasing Agent)
1
Polylactic Acid
(Abrasive)
1
A
Cyclodextrin
(Absorbent, Chelating Agent)
1
PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer
(Emollient, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Sorbitan Olivate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
3
Titanium Dioxide
(Cosmetic Colorant, Opacifying, Sunscreen Agent, Uv Absorber)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
1
Eclipta Prostrata Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
B
Phenethyl Alcohol
(Fragrance, Preservative, Masking)
1
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
(Antimicrobial, Skin Protecting)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
1
A
Cholesteryl Nonanoate
(Emollient)
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
1
A
Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Canola Oil
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
5
6
Retinal
(Skin Conditioning)
Retinyl Retinoate
(Skin Conditioning)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
2
A
Alumina
(Abrasive, Absorbent, Anticaking Agent, Bulking Agent, Opacifying, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Isostearic Acid
(Binding Agent, Sufactantsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Isostearic Acid., Binding, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
2
3
Lecithin
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Antistatic Agent, Emollient)
1
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant, Viscosity Increasing Agent)
1
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
(Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Emulsifying)
1
A
Stearic Acid
(Fragrance, Sufactant, Emulsifying, Surfactantsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Stearic Acid., Emulsion Stabilising, Masking, Refatting)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
Ceramide AP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
1
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Smoothing)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
Linoleic Acid
(Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Sufactantsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Linoleic Acid., Antistatic Agent, Emollient)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Palmitic Acid
(Fragrance, Opacifying, Sufactant, Surfactant Emulsifying Agentsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Palmitic Acid., Emollient)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Ceramide NP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
daucus carota sativa seed oil
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Phytosterols
(Skin Conditioning)
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
3-O-ETHYL ASCORBIC ACID
(Skin Conditioning)
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
(Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
1
Sodium Polyaspartate
(Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Skin Conditioning)
1
Phytosphingosine
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14
(Skin Conditioning)
Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate
(Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide EOP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Cholesterol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
1
C12-16 Alcohols
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Antistatic Agent, Emollient, Hair Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Hydrogenated Lecithin
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant)
1
A
Glyceryl Caprylate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Polyvinyl Alcohol
(Binding Agent, Film Forming, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Phenylpropanol
(Masking, Perfuming, Solvent)
6
A
BHT
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Masking)
6
Limonene
(Deodorant, Perfuming, Solvent)
Allergens
Allergens
5
Linalool
(Fragrance, Deodorant, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
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

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Butylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning, Humectant
Isododecane
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient

Benefits

Good for dry skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains silicone
Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Citral — 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

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientMaskingPerfumingSkin conditioningSolvent
Isododecane
Fragrance, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B FragranceSolventEmollientPerfuming
Squalane
Emollient, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientHair conditioningRefattingSkin conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Opacifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingOpacifyingFoam boostingViscosity increasingagent - aqueousViscosity increasing agentEmollientEmulsifyingViscosity controlling
Cetearyl Olivate
Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioning
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Anticaking agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Anticaking agentEmulsion stabilisingOpacifyingSuspending agent - nonsurfactantViscosity increasing agent
Polylactic Acid
Abrasive
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Abrasive
Cyclodextrin
Absorbent, Chelating agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A AbsorbentChelating agent
PPG-12/SMDI Copolymer
Emollient, Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 EmollientFilm formingHair fixingSkin conditioning
Eclipta Prostrata Extract
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B FragrancePreservativeMasking
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial, Skin protecting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AntimicrobialSkin protecting
Cholesteryl Nonanoate
Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emollient
Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioning
+ 35 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
Butylene Glycol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSkin conditioningSolventViscositydecreasing agentHumectantMaskingViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Dimethicone
Antifoaming agent, Skin protecting
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin protectingEmollientSkin conditioning Silicone
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic colorant, Opacifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–3 Cosmetic colorantOpacifyingSunscreen agentUv absorber Good for Sensitive Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
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
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
Isostearic Acid
Binding agent, Sufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of isostearic acid.
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentSufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of isostearic acid.BindingEmulsifying Fungal-acne trigger
Stearic Acid
Fragrance, Sufactant
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSufactantEmulsifyingSurfactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of stearic acid.Emulsion stabilisingMaskingRefatting Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
Linoleic Acid
Fragrance, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 FragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningSufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of linoleic acid.Antistatic agentEmollient Fungal-acne trigger
Palmitic Acid
Fragrance, Opacifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceOpacifyingSufactantSurfactant -emulsifying agentsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of palmitic acid.Emollient Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
BHT
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 CIR A AntioxidantFragranceMasking
+ 3 more — see the full ingredients list above

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Where it fits: Apply after toner and before moisturiser — thinnest to thickest.
  • 2 Morning only: Apply as the last step of your AM routine, after moisturiser, and reapply every ~2 hours of sun exposure.
  • 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, Retinyl Retinoate)

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, Retinyl Retinoate

Vitamin C (ascorbic) 5–20%

L-ascorbic acid is usually used at 5–20% (around 10–15% is common). Above ~20% adds little and tends to irritate more; it also needs a low pH to work.

3-O-ETHYL ASCORBIC ACID

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer

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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