Updated on June 19, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 2 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain retinoid
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens, silicones or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain oils
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.
Ingredient Info
Pixi Beauty Retinol Tonic 28 ingredients
COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil 10 ingredients
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Pixi Beauty Retinol Tonic 28 ingredients
COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil 10 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Ingredients Side-by-side
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is derived from castor oil and polyethylene glycol (PEG). It is used as a emollient and emulsifier.
Methyl Gluceth-20 is a humectant. Humectants help draw moisture from the air to your skin.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It can be found naturally in our skin and hair.
Antioxidant 5 Benefits
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a form of Vitamin C and is an antioxidant. It can help to reduce redness, improve skin texture, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, and brighten skin.
Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.
Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of fatty acids. These fatty acids usually are a mixture of phosphoric acid's choline ester connected to stearic, oleic, and palmitic acids. Most lecithins are created from plant ingredients scuh as sunflower.
Polysorbate 20 is made by combining ethoxylation of sorbitan, ethylene oxide, and lauric acid. It is a mild cleansing agent, surfactant, and emulsifier.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-28 isn't fungal acne safe and is a peptide.
8 Benefits 3 Concerns
Retinol is a gold-standard ingredient for anti-aging. It is a form of Vitamin A and belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes tretinoin.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
Jasmine flower and leaf has perfuming, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.
Sodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
4 Benefits 2 Concerns
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
Water, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methyl Gluceth-20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Peg-8, Panthenol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Polysorbate 20, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-28, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Retinol, Phenoxyethanol, Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin
Squalane is an emollient that helps the skin hold onto moisture. It's an oily liquid that occurs naturally in certain types of fish and plant oils.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Glycine Soja Oil comes from the soybean. Glycine Soja is native to eastern Asia.
8 Benefits 3 Concerns
Retinol is a gold-standard ingredient for anti-aging. It is a form of Vitamin A and belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes tretinoin.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
BHT is a synthetic antioxidant. As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
Antioxidant 4 Benefits May cause irritation
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Not safe for Fungal Acne
Elaeis Guineensis Oil comes from the African Palm tree. This tree is native to Western and Southwestern Africa.
Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone is a synthetically created molecule made to mimic ginger extract.
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
Within a product, Caprylic Triglyceride can thicken the product and make spreadability easier by dissolving clumping compounds. An added benefit of Caprylic Triglyceride is its antioxidant properties.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Caprylic Triglyceride has not been found to be toxic for human use in concentrations under 50%.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideRetinol is a gold-standard ingredient for anti-aging. It is a form of Vitamin A and belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes tretinoin.
Why is retinol famous?
It has the most scientific studies backing up its skin benefits out of all the non-prescription ingredients.
Retinol is proven to:
This is why retinol is effective at removing wrinkles, fading dark spots, treating acne, and reducing the appearance of pores.
Studies show retinol is less effective when exposed to UV. Be sure to look for appropriate packaging to keep your retinol potent (similar to Vitamin C).
Using retinol or any retinoids will increase sun-sensitivity in the first few months. Though studies show retinoids increase your skin's natural SPF with continuous use, it is best to always wear sunscreen and sun-protection.
We recommend speaking with a medical professional about using this ingredient during pregnancy.
Retinol may cause irritation in some people, so be sure to patch test. Experts recommend 'ramping up' retinol use: start using this ingredient once a week and work up to using it daily.
Read about Tretinoin
Learn more about RetinolIngredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
When to use
Pixi Beauty Retinol Tonic 28 ingredients
COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil 10 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Pixi Beauty Retinol Tonic 28 ingredients
starstellastar_407
Excellent. Most retinol are super comedogenic or have squalene, which breaks me out. This has none of that and the bottle is huge! You get a lot of...
Excellent. Most retinol are super comedogenic or have squalene, which breaks me out. This has none of that and the bottle is huge! You get a lot of product for the price and it doesn't irritate me. I know the retinol works too, as I made the mistake of putting it on my lips, and they peeled so much. Don't do that, that was just me being stupid. Has a pleasant light scent and has helped with my acne a lot. Give it a try if you want a retinol and you have acne.
Sara
I have mixed feelings about this products. The experience of using it is great: It is super lightweight, perfect for oily skin, has a very pleasant...
I have mixed feelings about this products. The experience of using it is great: It is super lightweight, perfect for oily skin, has a very pleasant and light herbal scent (although be careful if you are allergic to fragrance), and it does hydrate and preps your skin properly for the rest of your routine. It's also really inexpensive as many other Pixi's tonics and you will get a very good amount of product if you buy the full version.
On the other hand: It does have retinol as it claims, but the concentration is really low, like it doesn't even make a difference. I already guessed the concentration of retinol would be irrelevant since the bottle is completely transparent and exposes the product to the light, which it might deactivate the product and lower its effectiveness even more. So there's probably not much of it on the formula if they don't even care to preserve it properly.
So if you're trying to incorporate a retinoid in your routine, I suggest you to use a serum with a reasonable concentration, not necessarily a high dose, but something that's at least effective.
COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil 10 ingredients
JohnnyLeeZongHeng_352
Broke me out
I have oily and acne prone skin and my face was on the road to recovery. I thought adding a retinol was a good idea and they marketed...
Broke me out
I have oily and acne prone skin and my face was on the road to recovery. I thought adding a retinol was a good idea and they marketed that this retinol oil is good for any skin type even though it is oily. It broke me out and gave me a scar within a week. It gave me an acne that was deep inside of my skin. I wouldnt recommend it to oily and acne prone skin people.
