Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum versus COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum .
Last updated on July 20, 2023. Published on January 26, 2022
Overview
What they are
These products are both cruelty-free and reef safe serums. They have a total of 6 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 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 need an update? Let us know.
Ingredient Info
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum 24 ingredients
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum 23 ingredients
Contains Alcohol
Ingredients in this product that are types of alcohol:
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:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
Contains EU Allergens
Ingredients in this product that are EU allergens:
Vegan
This product is vegan 🎉
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Contains Silicon
Ingredients in this product that are types of silicon:
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
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 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum 24 ingredients
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum 23 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
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Benefits
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Concerns
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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:
Benefits
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient 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 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
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.
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum 24 ingredients
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum 23 ingredients
Water • Glycerin • Prunus Armeniaca Juice • Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil • Persea Gratissima Oil • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride • Squalane • Cetearyl Alcohol • Glyceryl Stearate Se • Retinol • Phenoxyethanol • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Benzyl Alcohol • Phospholipids • Tocopherol • Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 • Glycine Soja Oil • Ethylhexylglycerin • Glycolipids • Dehydroacetic Acid • Polysorbate 60 • Sorbitan Isostearate • Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate • Glycine Soja Sterols
Calendula Officinalis Extract • Butylene Glycol • Glycerin • Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil • 1,2-Hexanediol • Polysorbate 60 • Betaine • Dimethicone • Cetearyl Alcohol • Retinyl Palmitate • Cetearyl Olivate • Panthenol • Arachis Hypogaea Oil • Sorbitan Olivate • Allantoin • Tocopheryl Acetate • Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer • Hydroxyethylcellulose • Xanthan Gum • Juniperus Mexicana Oil • Ethylhexylglycerin • Adenosine • Tocopherol
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.
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 GlycerinThe INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.
Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.
Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Studies show Cetearyl alcohol is non-toxic and non-irritating. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is usually derived from plant oils such as palm, vegetable, or coconut oils. There is debate on whether this ingredient will cause acne.
Due to the fatty acid base, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholThe INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 8.
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 9.
This is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 12.
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 17.
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 TocopherolThe INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 15.
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 23.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 18.
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.
Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 21.
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum 24 ingredients
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum 23 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum 24 ingredients
COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum 23 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 35 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to The INKEY List 1% Retinol Serum.
See 35 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 30 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to COSRX Real Fit Retinol Serum.
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