I have suffered with acne for over 10 years now which has recently started to clear up. This means I've been left with post-acne scarring so I have been trialling retinol in the hopes of improving it.
I've tried retinol from the ordinary, quite liked the emulsion but hated the oil! I do not like oil on my face, so I was luckily selected for this trial team.
First off, the packaging is a bit excessive, the cardboard box is way too big for the actual pot. Aside from that, the product itself is a beautiful white cream that spreads super easily and leaves a velvety/silky finish. It says fragrance-free but there's definitely a whiff of something fruity, like berries or grape? But it shouldn't interact with those who are allergic to fragrance.
It's such a light texture and I find a little goes a long way. I've been using it every second-third night in the first week of the trial and now that my skin is more used to be I've been using it about 5 times a week.
I wake up with such soft, glowing, bright, plump skin! I can't tell if my scars have actually reduced much as I've only had about 2 weeks to test this but I love how good my skin looks in the morning. It's also well hydrated too. I used to have a couple dry patches around my face but they're all gone now.
I was worried about sensitivity but I needn't worry! My skin looks amazing and it's even kept my maskne at bay (I work in healthcare so wear a mask during the whole shift).
Would definitely repurchase - finally found a retinol texture I like!
WOW okay I need to contain myself to stop making typos. So, I have rosacea right, and it sucks. Every new product I get has to be tested on my double chin first to make sure it doesn't burn. I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS USE RETINOL but I thought why not give it a try. I was pretty darn nervous to tell you the truth. I watched lots of YT videos and reviews first to make sure my face wouldn't burn off leaving me looking like Freddy Kruger. Night number 1, I first put moisturizer on, then I put a recovery oil, THEN I put this olay retinol on...I wanted to have a big barrier between this stuff and my skin, just incase. Well it was fine and I just figured I may have been a bit OTT with the barrier. I waited a couple of nights as you shouldn't ever use retinol twice in a row for your first time. Night number 2... I just used moisturizer first and then the olay retinol. Again, no reaction. Woke up in the morning with the silkiest most lovely skin. Even went as far as wondering if my incurable rosacea was cured but no, alas, it did come back after cleansing. Well I was impressed and became a wee bit cocky. Only had waited one night before I did attempt number 3. This time, naked skin straight after cleansing. I started with a dot. Then after a few mins I dunked my whole face in it. YOLO. What happened...IS AMAZING! When I got into bed I told my partner to touch my face and he was just as shocked as me. I realized that this stuff could actually be helping the pustules (which is rosacea talk for acne). My skin was so smooth the texture is unlike I have had in years. Next morning I woke with no spots and relatively pale face compared to beetroot red. I have since been using this product every second night for almost 3 weeks and I HAVENT HAD A SINGLE PIMPLE! This could be just a coincidence however I haven't been pimple free since I was on Doxy which is an acne/rosacea antibiotic. I will absolutely continue using and buying this stuff. It must have just the right amount of retinol to be calming on sensitive skin. As you can tell, I'm very impressed and I would not spend this long writing a review on something that isn't worth it. OLAY, you nailed it.
Tips: DO NOT USE TWICE IN A ROW UNTIL A FEW WEEKS INTO IT JUST INCASE