Review: The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane

I’ve had this serum for a while, but I never used it on my face. I was just using it on my body to finish it up. Well, that all changed when I decided to use it on my face instead and see if my skin would benefit from it. I’m not blown away with the results I’m getting from my other acne skin care products, so I thought I would give this serum a try before I eliminate it from my life. This is the Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane from The Ordinary. The purpose of this serum is to target textural irregularities and signs of aging. It helps to improve the appearance of fine lines and dynamic lines that arise from loss of collagen and elastin while evening out the skin texture and skin tone. It’s suited for dry skin and comes in an anhydrous formula. The key ingredients in this product are Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate and Squalane. Now on to my experience!

My Experience with The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane:

Texture & Application

The texture of the serum is oily. The first ingredient in this product is squalane. It also contains jojoba seed oil. I was aware that the serum would be oily on the skin, but I wanted to try it out anyways. With this serum, I used only a few drops for the whole face including the neck and chest area. It’s not necessary to use that much product. The serum is easy to spread across the skin due to the oils in the product. The serum made my skin feel moisturized, but it left my skin feeling greasy. My skin appeared shiny after application. I didn’t like the way it felt or looked on my skin. It seems like it didn’t fully absorb into my skin. The product just sat on top of my skin. Sleeping with this serum on my face at night was uncomfortable. I dreaded every single second of it. On the bright side, my skin didn’t feel dry using this serum at all even when it contains 5% granactive retinoid. I didn’t have to moisturize my skin with another product afterwards. This serum alone provided my skin with enough moisture.

Results…

I only used this product for 1 night. I tried using it the next night, but I had to rinse it off my face (more on this in the breakouts section). This serum is very gentle on the skin. I didn’t have any type of irritation or even redness. My skin tolerated the active ingredient in this product. No itchiness or burning. Nothing. And that’s a good thing. As for results, I noticed an immediate brightening effect in my skin after applying it. My skin glowed. It looked more even. Am I just seeing things? No, it’s really this serum. My skin appeared brighter instantly. I wasn’t able to use it for too long, so it’s very difficult for me to say if it helped with fine lines or other wrinkles. I wished I was able to use it, but let’s move on to why I stopped using it.

Breakouts?

After using it the first night, my skin was more even and bright. I was so surprised how good my skin looked. By the second night, I applied the serum as usual. But, I noticed my skin felt like it was clogging up. I had hard sebum plugs in my skin. I was able to pick them out easily. That’s when I knew I was breaking out from this serum. *sigh* It’s not a purge. I’m actually breaking out from this product. I think it’s the oily texture of the product that’s damaging my skin. Squalane? Jojoba seed oil? Possibly other ingredients clogging my pores? Yep, loved how it brightened up my skin instantly and moisturized my skin, but this serum triggered my acne. Acne is what caused me to drop this serum. Here goes another The Ordinary serum that doesn’t work on my face. It’s the last from what I have.

Final Thoughts

I was so excited to try this serum out. It’s a gentle, non-irritating form of retinoid. It’s available over the counter. It’s always sold out! I just purchased it because I wanted to try different formulations of retinol/retinoid out. It was a gamble. I loved how it brightened my skin. My skin appeared smoother and glowy. But once again, another serum that my skin dislikes. Acne, acne, and more acne when I used it. Maybe my skin just doesn’t like squalane and oily skin care products. I really thought this could be different, but I guess not. What to do with it now? Use the rest of it on my body. It’s not a terrible product. It just didn’t work for my skin type (oily). I think this would work better for someone with sensitive, dry skin. If you have oily skin, it just adds on top of the oils that the skin naturally produces. Oh, well. It’s time to move on…

Here are the ingredients in this product if you’re interested:

Squalane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Bisabolol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone.

1 Month Update: The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG

Here’s my update on The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG. It’s been a total of 1 month using this product again. I used this product for years before and decided to give it another chance due to how affordable it is. Here are my thoughts on it this time around!

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG comes in a glass dropper bottle. The texture of the product is a gel-serum. I only needed one drop of product for both eyes. The serum glides over the under eyes smoothly and easily. It feels soothing and cooling when applied to the skin. This is not a fast absorbing eye serum. It takes a while to absorb into the skin. I started off using it in the morning and at night. Since it takes a good amount of time to absorb in the morning and felt a little too drying on my skin, I switched to using it at night only. I didn’t have the time to let the serum absorb in the morning. For mornings, I prefer skin care products that sink into the skin quick without pilling. This serum pilled underneath my sunscreen. That made it difficult for my sunscreen to sit right on my skin to get the proper sun protection. I could see my sunscreen balling up and just not staying in place. Years before this, I used the serum twice a day (morning and night). Not sure how I managed to keep up with using this serum, haha!

The purpose of The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG is to reduce the appearance of eye contour pigmentation and puffiness. After a month of using this product once again, I was hoping to see a difference in my under eyes in terms of dark under circles and puffiness, but I didn’t see any changes in my skin whatsoever. No results just like before with religious application. Seems like getting more sleep and eating well would be the better choice (which I’m already doing) to help with dark under eye circles and puffy eyes than this caffeine eye serum. It didn’t work after trying it out again.

So I stopped using this product once again after being disappointed with the results. No results, lol. But also, I thought the product was too drying for my under eyes (as mentioned earlier). It made the skin around my eyes feel super tight (it does as it dries on the skin too) and dry. I applied heavier eye creams and moisturizers on top to keep the skin around my eyes moisturized, but my skin still felt tight and dry afterwards. I noticed that the serum accentuated some of my under eye fine lines and wrinkles. That’s not something I want from a product. I’m trying to diminish those signs of aging as much as possible. I don’t want them to become more prominent. I wish this product did something positive for my skin. It just didn’t. I kept trying for years and picked up using it again. If it worked, it would’ve worked already. This product didn’t work for me once again. I’m officially removing it from my skin care routine once again (lol). It could work for someone else. It’s not for my skin, and I have no reason to keep it in my routine after this experience.

More posts on The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG:

Review: The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG (10 months!)

Update on The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG & Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

Hellooooo! My skin care update! What I’m doing now. 🙂

Hello everyone! I’m back with an update on my skin care routine — what I’m doing, what I’m using, just what’s happening! 😁 Let’s begin with where we left off last time. If you missed out on my latest post, don’t forget to check it out here! 👉🏻 2 Weeks Tret Experience! Is It Working?? What I’m Doing Now!

Alright! Let’s start off with this burning question! Am I still using tret? Only 1-2 times a week or at least once. I actually stopped using tret for a while to see if my skin would do better without it. Turns out, once or twice a week is the most I can use tret. Any more than that, my skin gets dry, scaly, and wrinkled. Is it just my skin? As for acne, it’s not doing any favors for blemishes. Nothing at all. So I decided to keep using tret but not much. It’s not the center of my skin care routine anymore. I’ve moved on to other skin care products that’s more suitable for my skin and works much better for me. Dun, dun, dun! Guess what?? I brought back a previous acne-fighting product that I’ve been using for MANY YEARS. If you’ve been following my blog, you should probably know what it is.

….

YEP! It’s benzoyl peroxide. I was getting large blemishes all over my forehead at one point. I’ve been stressing with so many things to get done. So! I decided to try benzoyl peroxide again. And it worked! I’ve been using BP since! I only use BP a few times a week at night when my skin gets really oily or if I see blemishes popping up out of nowhere. BP nips it in the bud and I’m really happy that it’s very effective against pimples from small annoying ones to large cystic, nodular acne. It’s amazing stuff. I don’t think I’ll ever go without it ever again. Now I’m thinking, what was I thinking?!?? Spot treating with BP is just simply amazing. All I know is that it works on my skin.

I’m still moisturizing as usual. Since I’ve been so busy, it was difficult to apply that many serums, lotions, creams, or whatever products. I started mixing specific products together and applying them at once. That helped saved a ton of time. I really don’t have the time to layer each product one at a time anymore. I just can’t do it anymore. I’m literally half asleep by night. If I want to continue on with this skin care routine (which I do), I need to find other ways to apply. Mixing them together seems to help speed up the process at night but also in the morning. Now let’s talk about some of my moisturizers!

Wow, looking at my posts, I have a ton of moisturizing (skin care products in general) in my routine, lol. Lots of moisturizers everywhere! haha. You can check out my posts on moisturizers right here to catch up:

Finding the Perfect Moisturizer & What I Use!

Update on My Moisturizers 🙂

Another Update on My Moisturizers. What I’m Using Now.

Yeah, I know, I’m a skin care freak. I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. But, fortunately (Yes! Awesome!), I haven’t purchased any new skin care product in the past month. I’m so proud of myself! I’m trying to save some money and cutting down on buying new skin care products has helped so much. Yay! But let’s get back on track! Moisturizers! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

With moisturizing, I try to moisturize every morning and night. Sometimes my skin gets really oily from moisturizers and I have to stop using some of them to decrease the oiliness in my skin. I have really oily skin and when there’s too much moisture my skin starts breaking out. I have to gauge if my skin can tolerate the moisture or not to prevent breakouts. My moisturizing routine is pretty much the same minus some products. I did remove some skin care products due to breakouts or I just stopped liking them. They are…

Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream:

What’s funny about this face cream is that I praised so much about it in the past months or so. I eventually started noticing that it was too rich and oily on my facial skin. I started breaking out in random areas on my face. I wonder if this cream was the cause the breakouts on my forehead. Even though it does a wonderful job at moisturizing my skin, it didn’t work out in the end. This face cream is just too much for my skin type. I wished it worked out, since I was searching for something much heavier than what I’m used too (lightweight moisturizers). But, it’s unfortunate that it didn’t work out. It is what it is. So I started using Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream as an eye cream and neck cream. It works very well on those delicate skin areas. Just not my my facial skin. 😔 I think I’m going to keep using it for those purposes.

Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask:

I stopped using this moisturizer on my face. I think I’m over it. It doesn’t work on my skin. I’m currently trying to use it up. I’m not sure if I’ll purchase it again. It’s pretty affordable and does work well to moisturize the skin if your skin can tolerate some plant oils. I don’t think it’s that bad. It’s just not suitable for my skin type. I tried it many times too, and it seems like I get the same results each time, which is moisturized skin that comes along with breakouts along the way.

Some skin care products I really like right now:

The Ordinary skin care products! 🙌🏻

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% and The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% are my favorites right now. I must stay, I really do love these serums. They’re super affordable, and I’m amazed how much they have transformed my skin! It’s like night and day. I can tell a huge difference in my skin after a few days of using it. There were times where I stopped using them and picked up on using them again…and wow…I’m just amazed how effective these serums are! Also, these serums tend to be on the oily side, so I can’t use them everyday. I try to since I love how they make my skin look, but there are days where I have to take a break due to how moisturizing they are. I get clogged pores, and my skin starts to retaliate against the excess moisture. Overall, while using these serums, I’ve noticed a huge change in my skin texture. It looks more refined, softer, and more supple. I couldn’t believe it either. I can’t tell if it helps with brightening/fading of acne scars/hyperpigmentation or not. One of the serums (The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%) contains ascorbic acid so it should. But, I haven’t noticed. I just noticed a smoother complexion, which is better than nothing. I’m really happy with the results so far. With The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid, I can’t tell if it’s doing anything. It is an antioxidant. I’d much prefer to keep using it just because it seems like a good serum to have. It’s super affordable and seems to last forever like all of the other The Ordinary serums I have used. So far, it’s been great. Love these serums so much! I’m going to continue to use them! I highly recommend them! 👍🏻

There are other skin care products I would love to talk about, but these are the ones that popped up in my mind right now. Stay tuned for my next update on products I’m using! I feel like there’s so many skin care products to go over. A lot of things have happened since. See everyone in the next post! I hope everyone enjoyed my update! Have a wonderful day! 🙂

I’m Hooked on The Ordinary. 😲 What I’m Using…

So I’ve been using The Ordinary skin care products for so many years. I recently, well not too recent, but I’ve been adding my leftover The Ordinary skin care products back into my routine. It started off with The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA and The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%. Next, The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5. Now I’m also using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%, The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%, and The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%. I have a couple of others that I’m using too. It’s unstoppable at this point. These serums are amazing and are doing wonders for my skin as we speak. I hope what I’m saying won’t backfire, and the products stop working, lol. But, I like what I’m seeing when I use The Ordinary serums. It’s amazing how effective they are for the price. Super, super affordable compared to the higher end stuff I used to use YEARS ago. This is so awesome! Now let’s do a quick recap on these serums and how it’s going for my skin.

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA:

This is a lightweight serum that comes out in blobs. Don’t be alarmed how it’s not a runny liquid or serum-textured serum. It feels like it’s in between a serum and a gel. It doesn’t feel sticky on the skin. Doesn’t leave any residue on the skin after application. The serum just absorbs into the skin nicely and leaves the skin feeling like there’s nothing on it. I’m nearing a month using this serum, and I can’t believe how well it’s working on my skin. I think it’s doing something because my skin does look a lot better after a few days of using it. It’s supposed to be good for fine line and wrinkles, so I’m going to keep using it for that. I like it so far! No breakouts from it either. Love it!

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%:

This is another anti-aging serum that’s supposed to be like botox-in-a-bottle. It’s supposed to help with fine lines and wrinkles too. Using the Argireline Solution 10% in combination with the Matrixyl + HA has been amazing. My skin looked pretty good after using these two together. I noticed a softer, smoother, and more youthful complexion. It took a week or two to see some results with the Argireline Solution 10%. Since I’m nearing a month soon of using this serum, I can see some changes in my skin. It’s another good serum from The Ordinary that feels lightweight and absorbs into the skin well. It doesn’t leave any stickiness behind. It just sinks into the skin and works well with my other skin care products. I’ve had zero issues with this serum so far. Awesome stuff! But is it like botox? I’ve never had botox done before, but I will have to say no just by looking at people who have had botox. It’s a skin care product. I mean, it’s a good alternative that’s not invasive if that’s what you’re looking for. The results won’t be the same as botox, obviously.

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5:

This is a lightweight, runny, liquid serum. It absorbs into the skin very well. It feels like I’m applying water to my skin. 💦 I guess it hydrates my skin a little bit. Not too much. With this serum, I can’t tell if it has done anything, but it doesn’t hurt to keep it in my routine. It hasn’t clogged my pores at all like I thought it did before. It’s been pretty good using it daily. No harm done. I just hope it does something positive for my skin in the long run. I’ll keep using it for the time being.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%:

I thought I would never use The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% ever again. Now here I am using it every single day without any issues. This vitamin c serum with alpha arbutin has not cause my skin to breakout. No irritation. Nothing bad at all. Since it has an oily feel to it, it leaves my skin feeling moisturized and silky. I’m not a huge fan of the serum feeling oily, but it hasn’t done any harm. I’m nearing 2 weeks on using it. So far, everything is going well. I hope everything goes smoothly as I keep using it. I can’t wait to see results! I’m definitely a fan of vitamin c serums. I feel like this might be staple in my routine soon!

The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3%:

Just like The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%, The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% Ferulic Acid 3% has that oily feel to it too, but it hasn’t done anything bad to my skin. It hasn’t clogged my pores, no irritation, nothing. Everything is going well. With this serum, I just can’t tell if it’s doing anything. I’m just using it because it’s an antioxidant serum with resveratrol and ferulic acid. And ferulic acid and ascorbic acid go very well together. This is something I’ll keep using just because. Let’s go for it!

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%:

Here goes to another serum that I can’t tell if it’s doing anything for my skin. It also has a oily feel to it. Hasn’t clogged my pores either. No skin irritations. No redness. All is good! But does it work? Who knows. I have a couple of bottles of The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% to use up. I’ll continue to use it just because too. I have it, so why not? Let’s see what it can do. If I can ever visually see the effects it has on my skin, lol.

That’s my update on my The Ordinary skin care products/serums! Look forward to a new update on them soon! I’m very excited for the results, since my skin has improved so much since! 🙂

I Used The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% This Morning! 🌞

I used The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% this morning! I didn’t think I would try this serum again due to what it did to my skin. I remember it being oily on my skin, and I simply did not like the product overall. So why am I using The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% again?? Currently I’m using other The Ordinary skin care products without any issues, such as…

The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA

The Ordinary Amino Acids + B5 (new update coming soon!)

It seems like The Ordinary may not be the problem. Well, the ones I’m using are not. I haven’t noticed any clogged pores or blackheads. I’m using them with success, and I’m loving the results, especially for the price of the products. It’s pretty amazing!

Now back to my update on The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%!!

This serum still feels oily. I was put off by it, but I used it anyways, haha. Who knows what might happen! I just hope my skin doesn’t break out from it. *fingers crossed* So this serum took a few minutes to absorb into the skin. I waited for it to sink into the skin, which it semi did, lol. But fortunately it worked well with my other skin care products. I didn’t experience products rolling off of my face. Everything layered on just fine. I was able to go throughout the day without any pilling. Everything worked out well. As for results, I can’t tell yet. I just started using it. So how the product feels and goes on the skin is all I can say. Nothing else happened by night. My skin didn’t feel dry from the serum. It seems to be working well with my skin so far. I’m going to start using it in the morning and night to help fade some acne marks I’ve been battling for quite some time. They’re really stubborn. I hope The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2% does something for them. It also contains alpha arbutin along with ascorbic acid to help with discolored skin and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Hopefully it helps to brighten up my complexion too!

That’s all for tonight! Stay tuned for my updated review on The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%! I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. After experiencing positive effects and results from other The Ordinary skin care products, I’m looking forward to and ecstatic to see results! See everyone in the next update! 😃