Retinol Eye Cream

Q + A

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Q + A Retinol Eye Cream is a emulsion. Our analysis of its 32 ingredients (23 low-risk) rates it Excellent (97/100). 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
Emulsion
Ingredients
32
Low-risk
23
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
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 6/10
Good for dry skin
Glucose Cetyl Alcohol Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Caprylyl Glycol Glycerin Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Caution for dry skin
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside Cetyl Alcohol Sorbitan Isostearate Euphrasia Officinalis Extract Xanthan Gum Glycerin Phosphatidylcholine Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate Sodium Hydroxide Polysorbate 60
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 2/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract Retinol
Sensitive Skin 3/7
Good for sensitive skin
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract Glycerin Tocopheryl Acetate
Caution for sensitive skin
Cetyl Alcohol Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Glycerin Citric Acid Sodium Benzoate Potassium Sorbate Retinol

Ingredients list

32 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All32 Skin Conditioning22 Emulsion Stabilising7 Fragrance7 Surfactant6 Emulsifying6 Humectant5 Viscosity Controlling5 Solvent5
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, 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
C14-22 Alcohols
(Emulsion Stabilising)
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
(Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Codium Fragile Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
glycyrrhiza glabra root extract
(Bleaching, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient, Smoothing, Soothing)
1
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract
(Antimicrobial, Astringent, Skin Conditioning, Soothing, Tonic)
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Phosphatidylcholine
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
1
A
Sorbitan Isostearate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
(Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Glucose
(Flavoring Agent, Humectant, Skin Conditioning Agent Miscellaneous)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
A
Pentylene Glycol
(Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
B
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
(Emollient, Skin Conditioning)
3
B
Polysorbate 60
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
B
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Cetyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Fragrance, Opacifying, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Masking, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Potassium Sorbate
(Fragrance, Preservative)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
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

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Codium Fragile Extract
Skin Conditioning
glycyrrhiza glabra root extract
Skin Conditioning, Soothing

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Retinol — 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
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientMaskingPerfumingSkin conditioningSolvent
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Emulsion stabilising
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin conditioning, Viscosity controlling
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioningViscosity controlling
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity controlling
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Emulsion stabilisingViscosity controlling
Codium Fragile Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
glycyrrhiza glabra root extract
Bleaching, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A BleachingPerfumingSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollientSmoothingSoothing
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial, Astringent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AntimicrobialAstringentSkin conditioningSoothingTonic
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
TOCOPHEROL
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntioxidantFragranceSkin conditioning
Phosphatidylcholine
Skin conditioning, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningEmulsifyingSurfactant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragranceSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmulsifyingSurfactant
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
+ 12 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
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-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

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Evening: Use at night — start 2–3× a week and build up as your skin tolerates it.
  • 2 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

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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