Intensive Brightening Treatment 0.5 Pure Retinol Night

PCA Skin

Intensive Brightening Treatment 0.5 Pure Retinol Night

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About this product

The PCA Skin Intensive Brightening Treatment 0.5 Pure Retinol Night is a treatment. Our analysis of its 34 ingredients (30 low-risk) rates it Excellent (96/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Treatments
Ingredients
34
Low-risk
30
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 11/8
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Stearate Cetearyl Alcohol Ethylhexyl Stearate Isododecane Caprylyl Glycol Butylene Glycol Glycerin Coco-Caprylate/Caprate Dimethicone Cyclopentasiloxane Sodium Polyacrylate
Caution for dry skin
Decyl Glucoside Xanthan Gum Glycerin Trideceth-6 Sodium Polyacrylate Polysorbate 20 PEG-100 Stearate Tapioca Starch Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Retinol
Sensitive Skin 4/6
Good for sensitive skin
Resveratrol Glycerin Dimethicone Tocopheryl Acetate
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Citrate Isododecane Butylene Glycol Glycerin Phenoxyethanol Retinol

Ingredients list

34 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All34 Skin Conditioning20 Emollient8 Solvent7 Emulsion Stabilising7 Viscosity Controlling7 Skin Protecting5 Surfactant4 Film Forming4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
B
Isododecane
(Fragrance, Solvent, Emollient, Perfuming)
3
A
Cyclopentasiloxane
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Solvent)
Silicone
Silicone
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Dimethicone
(Antifoaming Agent, Skin Protecting, Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
Silicone
Silicone
3
PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate
(Skin Conditioning)
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
Tapioca Starch Polymethylsilsesquioxane
(Absorbent, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Cetearyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Opacifying, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasingagent Aqueous, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Viscosity Controlling)
Hydroxyphenoxy Propionic Acid
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
Polysilicone-11
(Film Forming)
1
A
Glyceryl Stearate
(Emollient, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
A
PEG-100 Stearate
(Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Hexylresorcinol
(Antimicrobial Agent, Cosmetic Biocide)
1
B
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
1
Resveratrol
(Antioxidant, Skin Protecting)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
3
B
Polysorbate 20
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
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
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
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
B
Ethylhexyl Stearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
1
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer
(Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Chlorphenesin
(Cosmetic Biocide, Antimicrobial, Preservative)
1
A
Sodium Citrate
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Chelating, Masking)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
B
Trideceth-6
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Decyl Glucoside
(Cleansing, Emulsion Stabilising, Surfactant)
3
A
Aminomethyl Propanol
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)

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

Isododecane
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Niacinamide
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Skin Protecting, Emollient
PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting

Benefits

Good for dry skin
Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains silicone
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — 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
Isododecane
Fragrance, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B FragranceSolventEmollientPerfuming
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
PEG-12 Glyceryl Dimyristate
Skin conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 Skin conditioning
Tapioca Starch Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Absorbent, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AbsorbentSkin conditioningViscosity controlling
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Opacifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingOpacifyingFoam boostingViscosity increasingagent - aqueousViscosity increasing agentEmollientEmulsifyingViscosity controlling
Hydroxyphenoxy Propionic Acid
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin conditioning, Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningSolvent
Polysilicone-11
Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Film forming
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial agent, Cosmetic biocide
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antimicrobial agentCosmetic biocide
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B EmollientSkin conditioning
Resveratrol
Antioxidant, Skin protecting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AntioxidantSkin protecting
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B AbsorbentEmulsion stabilisingFilm formingHair fixingSkin-conditioning agent -emollientViscosity controlling agentViscosity increasing agentBindingSkin conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
+ 9 more — see the full ingredients list above
Cyclopentasiloxane
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientSolvent Silicone
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
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientEmulsifying Fungal-acne trigger
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A Surfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant 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
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily 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) (Retinol)

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

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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