If you have been trying to buy Crystal Retinal lately and finding it unavailable everywhere you look, you are not imagining it. Every strength of Medik8's retinaldehyde range, including the Ceramide Eye, is currently out of stock across Australia because of a supply shortage, and at the time of writing nobody, including Medik8, can say when it will return. The good news is that you do not have to stop your routine while you wait. If you would like to stay with Medik8, Intelligent Retinol in the strength one step above your Crystal Retinal is the closest match on our shelf, and if you would rather keep using the same molecule, we stock two retinaldehyde products from other brands that step in very naturally. Both options are laid out below, strength by strength, with current prices.
Why you cannot buy Crystal Retinal right now
This is not a case of one retailer running low. The retinaldehyde range is short nationwide and Medik8 has not given its stockists a restock date, so we would rather tell you that plainly than guess at a week. We have a back-in-stock notification on every Crystal Retinal page and will email you the moment it lands, before it goes on the shelf. In the meantime we would gently steer you away from marketplace sellers. Retinaldehyde is a delicate molecule that degrades with heat and light, and a tube that has sat in a warehouse or the back of a car for months is rarely the product you think you are paying for.
Staying with Medik8: the swap, strength by strength
Crystal Retinal is built on retinaldehyde, while Intelligent Retinol uses retinol in a time-release form. Retinaldehyde sits one step closer to the active form of vitamin A that your skin actually uses, which is why a given percentage of retinal feels stronger than the same percentage of retinol. That is also why the swap below moves you up a strength rather than straight across, so that the result you were getting is roughly matched rather than quietly diluted.
| If you were using | Switch to | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Retinal 1 (beginner) | Retinol 3TR | 0.3% retinol, time-release, the gentlest retinol in the range | $79 |
| Crystal Retinal 3 | Intelligent Retinol 3TR | 0.3% retinol with Medik8's stabilised, time-release delivery | $89 |
| Crystal Retinal 6 | Intelligent Retinol 6TR | 0.6% retinol, the closest match for most Crystal Retinal 6 users | $102 |
| Crystal Retinal 10 or 20 | Intelligent Retinol 10TR | 1% retinol, the strongest retinol Medik8 makes | $119 |
| Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye | Intelligent Retinol Eye TR | Retinol formulated for the eye area at a lower concentration | $53 |
| Any strength, if you prefer a cream to a serum | Night Ritual Vitamin A | Retinol in a night cream with squalane and hyaluronic acid, suited to drier skin | $115 |
| Any strength, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding | Bakuchiol Peptides | No vitamin A at all, with peptides for the look of firmness | $110 |
Prices shown are full price, and any offer running at the time is applied automatically at checkout.
If you would rather move brands
Medik8 is far from the only retinoid we stock, and two of the products below are actually closer to Crystal Retinal than any retinol can be, because they contain retinaldehyde themselves. These are the alternatives our clinical team has matched to each Crystal Retinal strength, and the same principle applies as above: you are looking for the product that keeps the result you have built, not simply the nearest bottle.
| If you were using | Alternative | Brand | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Retinal 1 | Retinol 0.3 Anti-Ageing Night Cream | SkinCeuticals | Entry-strength retinol in a comfort-first cream, the gentlest cross-brand option | $137 |
| Crystal Retinal 1 | Refine | Cosmedix | Retinol in an emollient base, for texture and tone | $116 |
| Crystal Retinal 3 | Retinol Brulee | Aspect | A buffered, emollient retinol serum designed as an introduction to vitamin A | $146 |
| Crystal Retinal 3 | Retinol Skin Brightener 0.3% | ZO Skin Health | Retinol and bakuchiol with stabilised vitamin C, for anyone whose main concern is the look of uneven tone | $265 |
| Crystal Retinal 6 | Serum 16 | Cosmedix | Contains retinaldehyde. A paired retinal and retinol complex, and the closest match to Crystal Retinal 6 in our range | $158 |
| Crystal Retinal 6 | Wrinkle + Texture 0.3% Retinol | ZO Skin Health | 0.3% retinol with bakuchiol and a renewal peptide, for the look of lines and texture | $265 |
| Crystal Retinal 6 | Retinol 0.5 Anti-Ageing Night Cream | SkinCeuticals | 0.5% retinol in the same comfort-first cream as the 0.3 | $147 |
| Crystal Retinal 10 or 20 | Retinal LGS+ | Aspect | Contains retinaldehyde. Retinal with lactic and glycolic acids, for experienced retinoid users | $169 |
| Crystal Retinal 10 or 20 | Wrinkle + Texture Repair 0.5% | ZO Skin Health | High-potency 0.5% retinol in a microemulsion, best suited to skin already used to retinoids | $268 |
| Crystal Retinal 10 | Define | Cosmedix | Retinol with exfoliating acids, for experienced users | $142 |
| Crystal Retinal 20 | Exfol A Plus | Aspect Dr | Retinol with lactic acid, for experienced users | $156 |
Two of these deserve a closer look. Cosmedix Serum 16 and Aspect Retinal LGS+ both use retinaldehyde, the same molecule as Crystal Retinal, which makes them the only true like-for-like swaps on this page. Serum 16 sits comfortably around the Crystal Retinal 6 level and is the one we would point most people to. Retinal LGS+ also carries exfoliating acids, which makes it stronger in practice than its percentage suggests, so it suits someone who was happily settled on Crystal Retinal 10 or 20 rather than anyone still working their way up.
The treatments that combine retinol with acids, Define, Exfol A Plus and ZO's Wrinkle + Texture Repair, are products we would normally recommend after a short conversation about what else is in your routine. If you are unsure which way to go, send us a message through the site with what you were using and we will point you to the right one.
How to switch without the irritation
Whichever product you choose, the first fortnight matters more than the label does. Even if you were using Crystal Retinal every night, a different retinoid is a different molecule as far as your skin is concerned, so start on alternate nights for two weeks and let it settle in. Apply a pea-sized amount to clean, dry skin and give it a few minutes before your moisturiser goes on. Keep your vitamin C in the morning and your retinoid at night, and resist the temptation to introduce a new acid at the same time, because two new actives at once make it impossible to tell which one is causing what.
If you notice some flaking or a little redness, that is your skin adjusting rather than reacting, but it is still a reason to slow down. Drop to every third night for a week and buffer with a layer of moisturiser underneath. And wear sunscreen every morning, which was true when you were on Crystal Retinal and is just as true now.
Should you simply wait for Crystal Retinal to return?
If you have more than a month left in your current tube, then yes, keep going and sign up for the restock alert, and with any luck it will be back before you need it. If you are about to run out, we would encourage you not to take a break from vitamin A altogether. The progress you have made on the look of fine lines and texture holds while you are using a retinoid and slowly reverses once you stop, so a month on Intelligent Retinol or Serum 16 is a far better outcome than a month on nothing. You can always move back to Crystal Retinal when it returns, and your skin will be in a better place for having kept going.
Frequently asked questions
Is Crystal Retinal discontinued?
No. Medik8 has not discontinued it. This is a supply shortage affecting Australian stockists, and we fully expect it to return, although no date has been given.
Is Intelligent Retinol as good as Crystal Retinal?
They are different molecules doing the same job. Retinaldehyde works faster at a given percentage, while time-release retinol is gentler per dose, and most people who move up one strength as the table suggests see a comparable result over the same eight to twelve weeks.
Is there another retinaldehyde product I can use instead?
Yes, two. Cosmedix Serum 16 pairs retinaldehyde with retinol and sits around the Crystal Retinal 6 level, while Aspect Retinal LGS+ combines retinaldehyde with lactic and glycolic acids and suits people who were comfortably on Crystal Retinal 10 or 20. Both are in stock.
Can I use two retinoid products to make up the difference?
We would not recommend it. One retinoid at night is enough, and doubling up tends to add irritation without adding results.
Will you email me when Crystal Retinal is back?
Yes. Use the notify-me button on any Crystal Retinal product page and you will receive a single email when stock lands, before it goes on the shelf.
Is Epios Skin an authorised Medik8 stockist?
Yes. Epios Skin is an authorised Australian stockist of Medik8, and everything we sell is supplied directly by the brand's Australian distributor and shipped from Sydney.
Written by Dr Adina Blaj, founder of Epios Skin. Dr Adina has practised cosmetic medicine in Australia for over 20 years and personally selects every brand Epios Skin stocks.
