Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum versus Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 .
Last updated on August 14, 2023. Published on September 24, 2023
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free serums. They have a total of 6 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain hyaluronic acid, retinoid and Vitamin E
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 parabens or sulfates
What's Inside
They both contain fragrances and oils
We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.
Price
Ingredient Info
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 41 ingredients
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
Contains Silicon
Ingredients in this product that are types of silicon:
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Contains Fragrance
Ingredients in this product that are forms of fragrance:
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Contains Oils
Ingredients in this product that are types of oil:
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Not Reef Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not reef safe:
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 41 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
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Concerns
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 6 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Benefits
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 41 ingredients
Water • Propanediol • Dimethyl Isosorbide • Triheptanoin • Dimethicone • Glycerin • Pentylene Glycol • Hexyldecanol • Disiloxane • Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone • Diheptyl Succinate • Propylene Carbonate • Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate • Ppg-24-Glycereth-24 • Phenyl Trimethicone • Retinol • Ubiquinone • Honey Extract • Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer • Algae Extract • Zingiber Officinale Extract • Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract • Bisabolol • Butyrospermum Parkii Butter • Phospholipids • Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract • Lecithin • Sodium Acrylates Copolymer • Hydrogenated Polyisobutene • 1,2-Hexanediol • 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol • Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate • Caprylyl Glycol • Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil • Sorbitol • Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide • Polysilicone-11 • Benzoic Acid • Dehydroacetic Acid • Sodium Phytate • Glyceryl Polyacrylate • Polysorbate 80 • Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid • Stearic Acid • Brassica Campestris Sterols • Pvp • Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer • Sodium Benzoate • Alcohol • Potassium Phosphate • Decyl Glucoside • Phenoxyethanol • Hexylene Glycol • Potassium Sorbate • Tocopherol
Water • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride • Glycerin • Isododecane • Cetearyl Olivate • Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Cyclodextrin • Cetearyl Alcohol • Sorbitan Olivate • Tocopheryl Acetate • Squalane • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Hydroxyacetophenone • 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid • Phenoxyethanol • Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose • Sodium Hyaluronate • Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate • Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil • Pentylene Glycol • Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil • Retinal • Alumina • Isostearic Acid • Lecithin • Sodium Polyaspartate • Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate • Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract • Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract • Polyhydroxystearic Acid • Disodium EDTA • Ethylhexylglycerin • Stearic Acid • Polysorbate 60 • Sorbitan Isostearate • BHT • Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract • Dipteryx Odorata Bean Extract • Coumarin • CI 14700 • Titanium Dioxide
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterSunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 contains this as ingredient number 1.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinSunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 contains this as ingredient number 3.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 contains this as ingredient number 20.
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.
Lecithin is an emollient. Emollients help soften the skin and creates a barrier to keep moisture in.
As an emulsifier, it also helps prevent water and oil ingredients from separating. Lecithin can help ingredients be better absorbed by the skin. The phospholipids in Lecithin can produce liposomes. Liposomes help other ingredients get through the skin barrier.
Learn more about LecithinSunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 27.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 contains this as ingredient number 25.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.
As an emollient, stearic acid helps soften skin. It aids the skin's protective barrier by preventing water loss. It also provides a gentle cleansing effect without stripping away natural oils.
Stearic acid may also be used to enhance the texture of products. It can add volume and stabilize ingredients such as water and oil. This can help water and oil ingredients from separating.
Sources of stearic acid include animal or vegetable fats/oils such as coconut or shea. It can be naturally found in butter, cocoa butter, shea butter, vegetable fats, and animal tallow.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidSunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 44.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 contains this as ingredient number 33.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 52.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 contains this as ingredient number 15.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 41 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 41 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients
reneelovesherskin
Definitely high-dose retinol!
This is a powerful retinol serum that is no joke. I tried easing into it by going every other night, then moved to...
Definitely high-dose retinol!
This is a powerful retinol serum that is no joke. I tried easing into it by going every other night, then moved to every night. I ended up with signs of a damaged skin barrier (redness) on my chin. I'm going to lay off this on my chin for a couple weeks, then try again, but stick to every other night. I like that I'm getting a strong dose of an excellent skincare ingredient, but I need to take care not to overdo it.
Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 41 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 9 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum.
See 9 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 8 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6.
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