This retinol serum has hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon—and I can confirm that it’s one of the best I’ve ever tried

While I tend to take trending beauty products with a pinch of salt, I pride myself on testing and trialling all of them in order to work out which ones live up to the hype. And while every so often a trending tool or cult lipstick turns out to be worth the buzz, I often need a little more convincing when it comes to skincare. Now that I’m in my mid-30s, I’ve definitely noticed some changes in my skin which mean that I’m starting to seek out products that can work a little harder for me. I’ve always dealt with spots—and feel like I’ve got my routine for acne-prone skin down—but these days I’ve noticed that my skin looks less bright, feels less plump, and I’m starting to see the emergence of my first fine lines too.

So, when I noticed that there was a serum being raved about online, with hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon, I was intrigued. Especially when I spotted that it was a retinol serum, which is considered to be a gold standard ingredient when it comes to minimising lines and wrinkles, improving skin texture and supporting collagen and elastin production in the skin. The product in question? L'Oréal Paris Pure Retinol Revitalift Laser Night Serum.

In line with the new retinol rules that are coming into play this year which will limit over-the-counter retinol products for the face to a maximum concentration of 0.3%, the L'Oréal Paris Pure Retinol Revitalift Laser Night Serum contains an impressively potent dose of 0.2% pure retinol—the highest concentration that L'Oréal Paris has offered to date. But while the reviews are glowing and the ingredients list looks impressive, does it actually live up to the hype? Keep scrolling for my honest review.

First impressions

The first thing to note about the L'Oréal Paris Pure Retinol Revitalift Laser Night Serum is the price. At first glance, £41 might sound expensive for a high-street skincare product, but hear me out. I have tried my fair share of retinol serums over the years, with one of my favourite products (the Shani Darden Retinol Reform) costing £82 for the same amount of product and with no explicit breakdown of the concentration of pure retinol in the formula. I’ve also tried retinol serums with three-figure price tags and less potency than this one. Of course, stronger doesn’t always mean better, but it is good to know that this offers both affordability and efficacy as a starting point.

How to use it

If you are new to using retinol products then expert advice tends to be the same—start slowly, just once or twice a week, and then build up to more regular use as your skin learns to tolerate the product. I was impressed that there is a clear schedule of use on the L'Oréal Paris Pure Retinol Revitalift Laser Night Serum packaging as many brands are a bit unclear around usage guidelines with their retinol products.

The brand suggests using it for two nights during week one, every other night during week two, and nightly in week three as long as your skin is tolerating it. Plus, most importantly, they state that you should use a minimum of SPF20 the morning after as using retinol increases your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. I’m an SPF50 kind of girl, so I stuck to my usual sunscreen routine on the days following.

The texture

As for the serum itself, I have to say that I love the texture of this product. More of a milky consistency than the gel textures that I tend to gravitate towards for dealing with breakouts, it feels delightfully hydrating on the skin and helped to quench some of the dehydration that I’ve been dealing with. The addition of hyaluronic acid is key here and really helps to combat some of the dryness and irritation that can come with using a strong retinol at first.(Have a look at this guide to retinol purge if you find yourself experiencing any side effects.) I have been truly impressed with how quickly it sinks into the skin, leaving it velvety-smooth, soft and with no hint of sticky residue. The only thing I wasn’t sure about is that the serum has quite a strong, almost floral, scent. It fades quickly once the product has sunk in, but if you aren’t a fan of fragranced products or are particularly sensitive to scent then you may not like this.

The results

I mentioned earlier that I already have a retinol serum that I adore, and I’ve been lucky enough to try some incredible retinol products over the years with really impressive results, so I really wasn’t expecting to be bowled over by this serum. However, I have to admit that this is a really really good retinol serum—and when you take the price into account, I think it’s one of the best I’ve used. After a couple of weeks of regular use I definitely think my skin looks brighter, fresher and more even in tone. My face looks a whole lot healthier than it did before I started using it.

I do think that the texture and the concentration of retinol means that it is probably best suited to slightly more mature skin than mine—or those that are starting to pick up on more deep-set wrinkles and a more noticeable loss of elasticity—and I can’t really say that I’ve noticed a huge change in the fluttering of fine lines around my eyes just yet. However, I would continue using it thanks to how soft my skin feels and how much more luminous it looks when I wake up in the morning.