Retinol Sleep Serum

Skin Physics

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Skin Physics Retinol Sleep Serum is a serums, essence, ampoule. Our analysis of its 25 ingredients (15 low-risk) rates it Excellent (91/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone and dry skin. Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Serums, Essence, Ampoules
Ingredients
25
Low-risk
15
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
Australia

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 8/4
Good for dry skin
Glyceryl Stearate Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Sodium Hyaluronate Glycerin Coco-Caprylate/Caprate Hydrogenated Polyisobutene Lactic Acid Lecithin
Caution for dry skin
Glycerin Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate PEG-100 Stearate Lecithin
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Retinol
Sensitive Skin 2/6
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin BHT
Caution for sensitive skin
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride Glycerin Lactic Acid Phenoxyethanol BHT Retinol

Ingredients list

25 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (9)
All25 Skin Conditioning23 Fragrance8 Emollient5 Solvent4 Humectant4 Viscosity Controlling4 Surfactant3 Emulsifying3
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
B
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
(Emollient, 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
1
Dimethyl Isosorbide
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
3
B
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
(Binding Agent, Film Forming, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Opacifying, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Croton Lechleri Resin Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Glyceryl Stearate
(Emollient, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
2
3
Lecithin
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Antistatic Agent, Emollient)
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
(Skin Conditioning)
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
(Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
PEG-100 Stearate
(Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Sodium Hyaluronate
(Skin Conditioning, Humectant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Bisabolol
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Soothing)
1
A
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, 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
1
A
Phospholipids
(Skin Conditioning)
1
B
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
(Skin Conditioning, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
9
A
Retinol
(Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
(Fragrance, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
1
A
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
(Emollient, Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Solvent)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
6
A
BHT
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Masking)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)

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

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient, Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Croton Lechleri Resin Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Lecithin
Skin Conditioning, Emollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

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

Concerns

Contains paraben
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
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B EmollientSkin conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Binding agent, Film forming
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Binding agentFilm formingViscosity increasing agentBindingOpacifyingViscosity controlling
Croton Lechleri Resin Extract
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Lecithin
Skin conditioning, Emulsifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 2–3 Skin conditioningEmulsifyingSurfactantAntistatic agentEmollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin conditioning, Viscosity controlling
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioningViscosity controlling
Bisabolol
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragranceSkin conditioningSoothing
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningEmollientViscosity increasing agentViscosity controlling
Ethylhexylglycerin
Deodorant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A DeodorantSkin conditioning
Phospholipids
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin conditioning, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioningEmulsifyingSurfactant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Fragrance, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragranceSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Emollient, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A EmollientMaskingPerfumingSkin conditioningSolvent
+ 2 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
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
Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningHumectant Good for Dry 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
Retinol
Skin conditioning
Potentially a skin irritantRead moreShow less
EWG 9 CIR A Skin conditioning Bad for Sensitive Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
BHT
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 CIR A AntioxidantFragranceMasking

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) (Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, 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.

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinol

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.

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