Retinol24 Max Night Serum

Olay

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Olay Retinol24 Max Night Serum is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 20 ingredients (14 low-risk) rates it Excellent (81/100). 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
20
Low-risk
14
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 4/5
Good for dry skin
C13-14 Isoparaffin Dimethiconol Glycerin Dimethicone
Caution for dry skin
Dimethicone Crosspolymer Glycerin Laureth-7 Polysorbate 20 Laureth-4
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Retinol
Sensitive Skin 2/5
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin Dimethicone
Caution for sensitive skin
Glycerin DMDM Hydantoin Retinol Retinyl Propionate Laureth-4

Ingredients list

20 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All20 Skin Conditioning8 Hair Fixing3 Surfactant3 Emulsifying3 Emollient3 Solvent3 Skin Protecting3 Preservative2
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
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
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
9
Retinyl Propionate
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Dimethiconol
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Moisturising)
Silicone
Silicone
2
3
B
Laureth-4
(Antistatic Agent, Emulsifying, Masking, Surfactant)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
3
B
Polysorbate 20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
B
Laureth-7
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Hair Fixing, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Viscosity Increasingagent Nonaqueous, Viscosity Controlling)
4
B
Polyacrylamide
(Binding Agent, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Antistatic Agent, Binding)
1
3
Titanium Dioxide
(Cosmetic Colorant, Opacifying, Sunscreen Agent, Uv Absorber)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
2
Mica
(Cosmetic Colorant, Opacifying)
1
B
C13-14 Isoparaffin
(Emollient, Solvent)
7
A
DMDM Hydantoin
(Preservative)
4
6
B
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
(Preservative)

My Ingredient Notes

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

Browse similar serums, essence, ampoule
No close formula match yet — browse other products like this

Key ingredients

Dimethicone
Skin Protecting, Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Retinyl Propionate
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Skin Conditioning
Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains silicone
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — higher EWG
Retinyl Propionate — higher EWG
DMDM Hydantoin — 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
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Laureth-7
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant
Disodium EDTA
Chelating agent, Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agentViscosity controlling
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion stabilising, Hair fixing
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingHair fixingSuspending agent - nonsurfactantViscosity increasingagent - nonaqueousViscosity controlling
Polyacrylamide
Binding agent, Film forming
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Binding agentFilm formingHair fixingAntistatic agentBinding
Mica
Cosmetic colorant, Opacifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 Cosmetic colorantOpacifying
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B EmollientSolvent
Dimethicone
Antifoaming agent, Skin protecting
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin protectingEmollientSkin conditioning Silicone
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
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
Retinyl Propionate
Skin conditioning
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 9 Skin conditioning
Dimethiconol
Antifoaming agent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin conditioningEmollientMoisturising Silicone
Laureth-4
Antistatic agent, Emulsifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 2–3 CIR B Antistatic agentEmulsifyingMaskingSurfactant Bad for Oily Skin
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B 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
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 CIR A Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 4–6 CIR B Preservative

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) (Retinol, Retinyl Propionate)

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, Retinyl Propionate

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.

From the community

0
Reviews
0
Saved by users
0
In collections

Ratings & reviews

Write a Review
0.0
from 0 ratings

Used this product? Rate it in 10 seconds

Alternatives