Retinal 0.16% Skin Renewal Booster

Pai Skincare

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Pai Skincare Retinal 0.16% Skin Renewal Booster is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 18 ingredients (11 low-risk) rates it Excellent (95/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Serums, Essence, Ampoules
Ingredients
18
Low-risk
11
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 6/3
Good for dry skin
Inulin Glycerin Coconut Alkanes Triisostearin Fructose Lactic Acid
Caution for dry skin
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate Xanthan Gum Glycerin
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 1/3
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Algin Glycerin Lactic Acid

Ingredients list

18 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (6)
All18 Skin Conditioning14 Humectant6 Solvent5 Fragrance5 Viscosity Increasing Agent4 Viscosity Controlling3 Binding2 Emulsion Stabilising2
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
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
Coconut Alkanes
(Emollient, Solvent)
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
(Fragrance, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Triisostearin
(Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, 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
Inulin
(Humectant, Skin Conditioning)
1
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
VITIS VINIFERA SEED OIL
(Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract
(Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Tapioca Starch
(Viscosity Increasing Agent)
5
6
Retinal
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Fructose
(Flavoring Agent, Humectant)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Algin
(Binding Agent, Fragrance, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Xanthophylls
(Skin Conditioning)
4
B
Lactic Acid
(Exfoliant, Fragrance, Humectant, Ph Adjuster, Skin Conditioning Agent Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Buffering Agent)
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

Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Triisostearin
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for dry skin

Concerns

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

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin conditioning, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningSolvent
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 EmollientSolvent
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Fragrance, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragrancePerfumingSkin conditioning
Triisostearin
Viscosity increasing agent, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Viscosity increasing agentEmollientSkin conditioningSolventViscosity controlling
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
Inulin
Humectant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A HumectantSkin conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 EmulsifyingSurfactant
VITIS VINIFERA SEED OIL
Skin conditioning, Skin conditioning emollient
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract
Antimicrobial, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntimicrobialSkin conditioning
Tapioca Starch
Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Viscosity increasing agent
Fructose
Flavoring agent, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Flavoring agentHumectant
TOCOPHEROL
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntioxidantFragranceSkin conditioning
Xanthophylls
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
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
Retinal
Skin conditioning
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5–6 Skin conditioning
Algin
Binding agent, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentFragranceViscosity increasing agentBindingMaskingViscosity controlling Bad for Sensitive SkinBad for Oily Skin
Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantFragranceHumectantPh adjusterSkin-conditioning agent -humectantSkin conditioningBuffering agent Bad 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

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

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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