Retinol 0.5 Anti-Ageing Night Cream

The step up

0.5% retinol in the same comfort-engineered cream base as the 0.3%, for skin that has built tolerance and is ready for more. The formula logic stays the same, slow-release encapsulation over a buffering base, just dosed higher.

The comfort bench, carried over

Boswellia serrata gum and bisabolol do the same calming work here as in the 0.3%, which matters more, not less, at the higher strength.

The finish

The same silicone-forward, fast-absorbing texture, so moving up a strength does not mean moving to a heavier cream.

Skin that has run 0.3% retinol without issue and is ready for the next strength; established retinol users wanting a measured step before a full-strength retinoid; and anyone whose skin has plateaued on a lower dose.

Worth knowing

Fragrance-free. Increases sun sensitivity: daily SPF is non-negotiable during use. Not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If skin has never used retinol before, start with the 0.3% rather than here.

Evenings on cleansed, dry skin: a pea-sized amount over face and neck, avoiding the eye area. If moving up from the 0.3%, reintroduce gradually, two to three nights a week, before building back to nightly.

A richer moisturiser can follow once the cream has settled, on nights skin needs the extra cushioning.

Use alongside

Mornings continue with an antioxidant serum and SPF, C E Ferulic being the house pairing. Leave-on exfoliating acids stay off retinol nights; alternate them instead.