Pro Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment

Paula's Choice

Pro Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment

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About this product

The Paula's Choice Pro Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment is a treatment. Our analysis of its 35 ingredients (26 low-risk) rates it Excellent (99/100). 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
Treatments
Ingredients
35
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 12/9
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Stearate Stearyl Alcohol Oleyl Oleate Isopropyl Myristate Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Glycerin Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate Dimethicone Sodium Polyacrylate
Caution for dry skin
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate Sorbitan Oleate Stearyl Alcohol Xanthan Gum Glycerin Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate Hydroxystearic Acid Sodium Polyacrylate
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 5/7
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin Hydroxyacetophenone Dimethicone Tocopheryl Acetate Naringin
Caution for sensitive skin
Sorbitan Oleate Stearyl Alcohol Isopropyl Myristate Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Butylene Glycol Glycerin Citric Acid

Ingredients list

35 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (6)
All35 Skin Conditioning25 Emollient8 Fragrance8 Emulsion Stabilising7 Emulsifying7 Solvent7 Hair Conditioning5 Humectant5
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
1
B
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
B
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Cleansingagent, Emulsifying)
5
6
Retinal
(Skin Conditioning)
1
B
Oleyl Oleate
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
(Humectant)
Albatrellus Confluens Extract
(Humectant, Skin Conditioning)
Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Glyceryl Stearate
(Emollient, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Stearyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Fragrance, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Foambooster, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Foam Boosting, Masking, Opacifying, Refatting, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Hydroxyapatite
(Abrasive, Bulking Agent, Oral Care Agent, Emulsion Stabilising)
1
A
Butylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Solvent, Viscositydecreasing Agent, Humectant, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Cetyl Glyceryl Ether
(Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
(Fragrance, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
3
B
Sodium Polyacrylate
(Absorbent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Skin Conditioning Agent Emollient, Viscosity Controlling Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Skin Conditioning)
1
B
Isopropyl Myristate
(Binding Agent, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Binding, Perfuming, Solvent)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Hydroxyacetophenone
(Antioxidant)
1
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
(Chelating Agent)
1
Sodium Phytate
(Chelating Agent, Oral Care Agent)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
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
Hydroxystearic Acid
(Cleansing, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Ceramide AP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
1,2-Hexanediol
(Solvent)
1
A
Sorbitan Oleate
(Fragrance, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
Naringin
(Skin Protecting)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
3
Titanium Dioxide
(Cosmetic Colorant, Opacifying, Sunscreen Agent, Uv Absorber)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good 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

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Skin Protecting, Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for dry skin

Concerns

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

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
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmollientEmulsifyingSurfactant
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSurfactant - cleansingagentEmulsifying
Oleyl Oleate
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollient
TOCOPHEROL
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntioxidantFragranceSkin conditioning
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Humectant
Albatrellus Confluens Extract
Humectant, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A HumectantSkin conditioning
Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingFragranceEmulsifyingSurfactant- foamboosterViscosity increasing agentEmollientFoam boostingMaskingOpacifyingRefattingViscosity controlling
Hydroxyapatite
Abrasive, Bulking agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AbrasiveBulking agentOral care agentEmulsion stabilising
Cetyl Glyceryl Ether
Skin conditioning, Skin conditioning emollient
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Fragrance, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragrancePerfumingSkin conditioning
+ 9 more — see the full ingredients list above
Dimethicone
Antifoaming agent, Skin protecting
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Antifoaming agentSkin protectingEmollientSkin conditioning Silicone
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmollientEmulsifyingSurfactant Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
Retinal
Skin conditioning
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5–6 Skin conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientEmulsifying Fungal-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
Isopropyl Myristate
Binding agent, Fragrance
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Binding agentFragranceSkin conditioningEmollientBindingPerfumingSolvent Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
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
Sorbitan Oleate
Fragrance, Emulsifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceEmulsifyingSurfactant Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
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
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic colorant, Opacifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–3 Cosmetic colorantOpacifyingSunscreen agentUv absorber Good for Sensitive Skin

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)

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

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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