Medik8 Crystal Retinal Review: Fast Results, No Irritation?

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I love tretinoin… but it doesn’t love me. As much as I try to persist with it – the glowy skin is too good to give up(!!) – I still end up with dryness and flakiness which stops me from using it as much as I’d like.

So I decided to put tret on pause and drop down to retinal, a slightly less potent form of retinoid.

Don’t be thrown off by the ‘a’ in retinal. It’s not a misspelling, there is actually a difference between retinol and retinal!

It’s ok to be confused. The world of retinoids is not easy to navigate!

Luckily, Medik8’s Crystal Retinal line makes it easy to figure out what strength you should be using for your skin. They’ve even got a handy little tool to help you find your match!

I managed to pick up a couple of these serums in one of Medik8’s sales – the discount was too good to miss! And after a good few months of use I thought it was about time to review them.

I’ve got the Crystal Retinal 3 and Crystal Retinal 6 serums (which aren’t significantly different from each other) so I’ll be reviewing them together.

Let’s jump in!

What Is Medik8 Crystal Retinal?

Medik8 Crystal Retinal is a Vitamin A night serum which is powered by retinaldehyde (aka. retinal) – a retinoid which is slightly more potent than retinol, but not quite as strong as retinoic acid (e.g. tretinoin, isotretinoin, etc.).

Because retinal is one step closer to retinoic acid, and requires fewer conversions to get there, it delivers faster results than retinol. In fact, Medik8 claims retinal works 11x faster than its more well-known sibling.

But not all retinals are made equal, and the speed of your results will likely depend on the strength you go for.

Medik8 offers six different strengths for skincare lovers at all stages of their retinal journey:

• Crystal Retinal 1 – for very sensitive skin
• Crystal Retinal 3 – for Vitamin A newbies
• Crystal Retinal 6 – for regular Vitamin A users
• Crystal Retinal 10 – for advanced Vitamin A users
• Crystal Retinal 20 – for experienced Vitamin A users
• Crystal Retinal 24 – for expert Vitamin A users

The numbers above correlate to the potency of the retinal. For example, Crystal Retinal 1 is 0.01% retinal while Crystal Retinal is 0.24% retinal.

The strengths are like steps of a ladder. So, once you’ve finished one strength (and have worked yourself up to everyday use), you can climb up to the next one.

Most people are able to start at Crystal Retinal 3 but if your skin is extremely sensitive, Crystal Retinal 1 is a safe bet.

Key Ingredients

Obviously we’ve got retinaldehyde in here, but what else is Medik8’s Crystal Retinal serum made of?

• Squalane
• Sodium Hyaluronate
• Moringa oil
• Honeysuckle extract

Texture, Colour & Application

Light and creamy, the texture of the Medik8 Crystal Retinal serums is what makes this such a pleasant product to use. It glides over the skin and feels just like any other serum in your skincare routine.

It’s not oily or siliconey, and it doesn’t have a strong scent. You wouldn’t really notice it on your skin if it weren’t for the peachy tone it imparts. It helps to let the product sit on your skin for a bit before heading to bed as the colour does have a tendency to transfer onto your pillowcase. It does wash out though!

As for application, I really likely the pump. It means you can dispense the right amount of product (one or two pumps is usually enough) and it’s not too messy either.

Start by applying this a couple of nights a week and then build yourself up to daily use – it shouldn’t take long!

My experience

I have used retinoids before, but decided to start near the beginning of the ladder. At that point, I was still trying to repair my skin barrier post-tretinoin and I felt that a gentle formula might be a safer option.

So, I started with Crystal Retinal 3 and moved onto Crystal Retinal 6 once I’d finished that first tube. Honestly, I wouldn’t say there’s a huge difference between the formulas, both in terms of results and level of irritation.

I actually noticed quite a big change in my skin within days of using the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 serum. My face felt smoother, my pores were less congested, my skin tone was more even and post-acne marks faded faster. After a week of use, I felt like I was having a good skin day everyday!

And the best part… there is no irritation. Not with Crystal Retinal 3 or with Crystal Retinal 6. Medik8 have managed to create a really effective formula that’s super gentle.

With tretinoin, I got so used to putting up with the peeling because I thought that was the key to getting the glowy skin I wanted. But Medik8’s Crystal Retinal serum proves that you can get amazing skin without any purging or flakiness at all.

How does that work?

Well, Medik8 uses Time Release Technology™ to gradually release retinal into the skin throughout the night. This means it’s less irritating than many other Vitamin A formulas on the market.

Pros & cons

Price & Where To Buy Medik8’s Crystal Retinal

Medik8’s Crystal Retinal is widely available at most beauty retailers, both in store and online. You can grab this from Cult Beauty, Sephora, Space NK and LOOKFANTASTIC.

You can also order this directly from Medik8 – this is where I’ve found the best discounts! And even John Lewis – Medik8 is one of the B Corp brands that qualifies for their beauty recycling scheme just FYI.

Now, onto price. The Medik8 Crystal Retinal serums are definitely some of the more expensive retinal formulas out there, and the frustrating thing is the price isn’t consistent across the Crystal Retinal line.

As you go up in strength, the price increases too. So, Crystal Retinal 3 is £49, Crystal Retinal 6 is £69, and Crystal Retinal 24 is £109.

The price jumps aren’t small, and that’s probably one of the biggest drawbacks of this product to me. It’s just not that accessible. I wish Medik8 was able to keep the pricing a bit more even (although I appreciate that it’s more probably more expensive to create the high-strength formulas).

Final thoughts: Is it worth it?

I hate to say it – because of the price – but I do think that Medik8’s Crystal Retinal is worth the splurge. If I could only keep one product in my skincare routine, it would be this one. It’s improved my skin so much in the time that I’ve used it, and I’ve not had to put up with any negative side effects.

There’s been no purging, no sensitivity and no dryness. In fact, my skin feels really soft and healthy, despite me using this every night. I thought I’d at least get a little bit of tightness in my skin, but no, nothing at all!

If you’re tired of tight, dry skin from tretinoin use, or fed up of retinol serums that don’t seem to do much at all, I highly suggest giving the Medik8 Crystal Retinal line a go. It gives smooth, glowy skin without any hint of irritation. The only snag is the price.

Geek & Gorgeous do have two retinal serums, A-Game 5 and A-Game 10, which are a more affordable swap for the Medik8 Crystal Retinal ones. I haven’t tried either yet but I will let you know how they compare when I do!

Have you tried any of the Medik8 Crystal Retinal serums? What’s your preferred retinal product? Let me know!