Versus

Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum Versus Naturium Retinoid Face Oil

Serum
Oil
American Brand United States
American Brand United States

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe . They have a total of 4 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain 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 common allergens, parabens 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

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum

Water

Skin Conditioning

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Solvent

Triheptanoin

Skin Conditioning

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning

Hexyldecanol

Emollient

Disiloxane

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone

Emulsifying
Silicon Icon

Diheptyl Succinate

Emollient

Propylene Carbonate

Solvent

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate

Skin Conditioning
Retinoid IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin Icon

PPG-24-Glycereth-24

Emulsifying

Phenyl Trimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Retinol

Skin Conditioning
Retinoid IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Scar Healing IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Ubiquinone

Antioxidant
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Honey Extract

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Algae Extract

Emollient
May worsen Oily Skin Icon

Zingiber Officinale Extract

Skin Conditioning

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

Bisabolol

Masking
Helps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Phospholipids

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract

Skin Conditioning

Lecithin

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Sodium Acrylates Copolymer

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Emollient
1 / 2

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

4-T-Butylcyclohexanol

Masking
Fragrance IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Emollient
0 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sorbitol

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide

Skin Conditioning

Polysilicone-11

Benzoic Acid

Masking
Preservative IconMay worsen Eczema Icon

Dehydroacetic Acid

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Sodium Phytate

Glyceryl Polyacrylate

Polysorbate 80

Emulsifying
0 / 0 May worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid

Skin Conditioning

Stearic Acid

Cleansing
2-3 / 0 May worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Brassica Campestris Sterols

Emollient
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Pvp

Emulsion Stabilising
0 / 0

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Skin Conditioning

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Alcohol

Antimicrobial
Alcohol IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Potassium Phosphate

Buffering

Decyl Glucoside

Cleansing

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Hexylene Glycol

Emulsifying
0-2 / 0-1

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Dimethyl Isosorbide is a solvent and helps deliver actives into your skin. It is created from sorbitol.

As a solvent, dimethyl isosorbide helps dissolve other ingredients. This helps ensure even distribution of an ingredient. It may also be used to decrease the thickness of a product.

Studies show dimethyl isosorbide is able to penetrate skin to deliver other ingredients into the skin, making them more effective.

Learn more about Dimethyl Isosorbide
Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is a retinoid. It usually goes by a more common name: "Granactive".

Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes retinol and tretinoin.

Retinoids have been proven to:

So what is the difference between all the retinoids? Most retinoids need to go through a conversion line to become effective on skin. The ending product is retinoic acid. Retinoic acid is AKA tretinoin.

HPR is an ester of tretinoin. Emerging studies suggest HPR to have an added benefit that other retinoids don't have: Low irritation.

A study from 2021 found HPR to have the greatest stability when exposed to light and temperature out of all the commercial retinoids.

A note about naming: The name "Granactive" is the trade name and the name most commonly used on packages.

Granactive is the name of the mixture - about 90% solvent and 10% HPR. A product with 5% granactive has 0.5% HPR.

Learn more about Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Emollient, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is the oil derived from the seeds of a Sunflower. Sunflower seed oil is non-fragrant. It is an emollient, meaning it helps to soften the skin.

Sunflower seed oil contains many fatty acids. The fatty acids found in sunflower seeds include (from highest amount to least): linoleic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, and linolenic acid.

These fatty acids help the skin create ceramides. Ceramides play a role in repairing the skin barrier.

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil helps moisturize the skin. This in turn helps the skin look more rejuvenated and smoother.

Sunflowers are rich in vitamin E.

Historians believe Indigenous cultures of North America domesticated sunflowers before corn. Thus they relied on sunflower oil for a variety of uses. One such use is moisturizing skin and hair.

Sunflower seed oil may not be fungal acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

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.

Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.

Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.

You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.

There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.

Learn more about Tocopherol

When to use

160 Routines
4% use in am
96% use in pm
69% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
4 Routines
50% use in am
50% use in pm
75% use every day

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum 55 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
reneelovesherskin's avatar

reneelovesherskin

2 years ago
Review

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 Show more

Naturium Retinoid Face Oil 14 ingredients

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