We Have Celeb Facialists on Speed Dial—These Are the Retinol Serums They Love

Pros: Addresses wrinkles, fine lines, and uneven texture; contains brightening vitamin C; infused with antioxidants and hydrating ingredients.

Cons: Formula may be too strong for some.

"I love this retinol serum because it's extremely gentle and packed with antioxidants and vitamin C," Hernandez says.

Customer Review: "I'm not usually one to leave reviews, but this serum is worth it. It goes on as an oil and dries like a rich cream. AMAZING!"

Pros: Great for beginners, encapsulated technology helps mitigate potential irritation, contains AHAs to further smooth and exfoliate skin.

Cons: May be too strong for hypersensitive skin, expensive.

"This is a great retinol that combines with fan-favorite lactic acid for major brightening and is stabilized at a low PH for even deeper exfoliation," Lee says. "Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid that helps with brightening the skin as well as preventing acne, so pairing this with retinol is a winning combo."

"Retinol Reform was the first product I ever released," Darden notes. "I created Retinol Reform to provide all of the benefits of a prescription retinol without any of the drawbacks. It features lactic acid to provide immediate brightening benefits and retinol for more long-term results."

Customer Review: "I absolutely love, love, love this product. It's now my go-to brand for retinol. My skin is clearer and more radiant."

Pros: Contains encapsulated retinol to mitigate irritation, licorice root for additional brightening benefits, and three essential skin barrier–protecting ceramides.

Cons: Takes a while to see results for some.

CeraVe's retinol is encapsulated for a slow delivery that won't irritate the skin as much. We also love that it contains skin barrier–restoring ceramides to help protect the skin against pollutants and skin-irritating bacteria.

Customer Review: "My face sweats a lot at work for hours, and I get more sun than my fair skin needs. When I sweat, I break out pretty much guaranteed. Washing my face more wasn't helping and I think I was drying out my skin, so I couldn't win whatever I did. I put this on in the morning now and I don't see new zits after work even with the sweat. I just pat the sweat off with a paper towel rather than wash constantly so this product stays on. No bad reactions either, it's simply improving my skin and preventing new clogged pores. I use less than a Tic Tac size and spread it on. I see no reason not to use this daily."

Pros: Great for beginners and sensitive skin, encapsulated in hyaluronic acid spheres for extra hydration, contains an additional antioxidant complex to enhance texture and mitigate irritation.

Cons: Expensive.

"My fave by far," Hernandez raves. "This retinol is encapsulated in spheres of hyaluronic acid, making it gentle yet hydrating. It's formulated to time-release over eight hours, meaning it's penetrating more evenly into the skin, thus giving better results."

Customer Review: "I've tried different retinol brands, but this is my favorite. It goes on smoothly and is well absorbed by my dry/psoriasis patchy skin. I feel like it even improves those patches. This one is a keeper. "

Pros: Contains a 6.5% advanced retinoid complex, hydrating honey, and youth-enhancing CoQ10.

Cons: Expensive.

"This retinol serum has a combination of CoQ10, which helps UV-exposed skin, and Hawaiian white honey, which is rich in phytonutrients to help protect the skin while exfoliating," Lee tells us.

Customer Review: "This is a great retinol formula. I like to switch between this and Retin-A and the combination has done wonders on my skin. It's good for my sensitive skin and effective enough that I see visible results. I’ve tried several retinols, and this is by far one of my favorites."

Pros: Budget-friendly, contains a retinoid complex designed to help reduce irritation and sensitivity. 

Cons: Doesn't work as well for dark spots.

The Ordinary (the internet's budget-friendly skincare fave) offers this granactive retinoid emulsion designed to help even the skin tone and improve the appearance of wrinkles without irritation.

Customer Review: "I have been using this product for two months now. I have been very happy with the results. My skin tone and wrinkles [have] radically improved. I followed the CTTM routine (Cleanse, toner, treat, moisturize). It is working well."

Pros: Contains niacinamide and stabilized vitamin C for additional anti-aging benefits, helps lighten hyperpigmentation, magnolia-bark extract soothes and calms redness, minimizes dryness, adds hydration to the skin.

Cons: Expensive.

"This retinol serum is a luxe option that combines pure retinol with magnolia bark, vitamin C, and coffee for extra firming and brightening," says Lee. "Chantecaille is known for its pure, botanical-based ingredients in skincare and makeup, and this retinol is not to be skipped."

Customer Review: "This product saved my skin. In just two weeks my skin went from acne-scarred, discolored, and, frankly, ugly to smooth and even-toned. My makeup goes on like a dream but I barely need any foundation after years of wearing layers and layers. I can't recommend this product enough."

Pros: Budget-friendly, helps reduce the appearance of deep wrinkles, gentle enough for daily use.

Cons: May be too strong for hypersensitive skin.

RoC offers another great budget retinol that's perfect for mature skin types. It's designed to help improve the appearance of deep wrinkles but is gentle enough for daily use.

Customer Review: "I used this as my night cream and I think it's helped keep my skin smooth. This is a mostly gentle formula, but get the half-strength version first and use that one for a little while before you use this one. I sometimes get a tiny bit of sensitivity around my eye and that was the advice that Roc gave me and I think it's accurate. Love it."

Pros: Minimizes the appearance of fine lines and discoloration around the eye area, great for sensitive eyes, boosts hydration, brightens.

Cons: Expensive.

"This eye gel has retinyl palmitate along with vitamins C and E to minimize the appearance of fine lines and boost hydration," Darden explains.

Customer Review: "So far the best eye product for my dark circles. Fully recommend. Very gentle and good for sensitive eyes."

Pros: Improves the appearance of fine lines, pores, and blemishes; noncomedogenic formula; helps minimize breakouts.

Cons: Expensive, not the best option for beginners.

"This retinol is the next step up for someone who's been using a gentle retinol .25 or less and is ready to up their anti-aging game," says Hernandez.

Pros: Gentle botanical complex with vitamin A–rich ingredients, targets visible signs of aging, contains six sources of vitamins and minerals to smooth skin's texture.

Cons: Expensive.

"This clean, nourishing face oil has 18 highly concentrated performance botanicals, vitamins, and minerals," Hernandez tells us. "It's gentle and restorative."

Customer Review: "Amazing and natural. I use it at night and my skin just absorbs it. The scent is also a plus!"

Pros: Contains both retinol and retinal for maximum efficacy; squalane to deliver retinoids more deeply into the skin and hydrate; and antioxidants to support skin health and stabilize the retinoids.

Cons: Expensive.

This innovative formula with an encapsulated duo of time-release retinol and retinal is clinically shown to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, discoloration, and texture with minimal irritation.

Customer Review: "I was hesitant to try this at first because I have very sensitive skin. At first, I was using it twice a week; now I'm using it every night and my skin has never looked better! It looks and feels healthier, glowier, and fresher."