EvenWell Retinol + Peptide Serum: Do Not Use This If You Are Pregnant

EvenWell Retinol + Peptide Face Serum — $29.90, 1 fl oz. The most active product in our skincare range, which means it carries the most rules.

If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, do not use this

Retinol is a retinoid — the same family as prescription vitamin A medications. Oral retinoids are known to cause serious birth defects, and because of that, topical retinoids are conventionally avoided in pregnancy as a precaution.

Our label says "if pregnant or nursing, consult a physician before use." We are going further, because this is not the place for ambiguity: if you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or nursing, set this one aside and ask your doctor before using any retinol product.

If that rules it out for now, the Hyaluronic Acid Serum and 10% Niacinamide Serum contain no retinoids.

You need sunscreen the next morning. This is not optional.

Retinol can increase your skin's sensitivity to sunlight. Our own directions say to use sunscreen the following morning, and that is the single most important usage instruction on the bottle.

Using retinol at night and then going out unprotected the next day is actively counterproductive — you are working on the appearance of uneven tone with one hand and undoing it with the other. We do not currently sell a sunscreen, so buy a good one anywhere.

Start slowly. Seriously.

The most common way people fail with retinol is using it every night from day one, getting red, flaky, irritated skin within a week, and concluding retinol "does not work for them."

Our directions say new users may begin less frequently and increase as tolerated. In practice that means something like:

• Weeks 1–2: twice a week
• Weeks 3–4: every other night, if your skin is comfortable
• After that: nightly, only if your skin is genuinely happy. Plenty of people stay at every other night permanently, and that is fine.

Some dryness early on is common. Persistent redness, stinging, burning or peeling is not "purging" — it is irritation, and the answer is to use it less often, not to push through.

How to apply it

1. Shake well before use
2. Cleanse at night
3. 3–4 drops to face and neck with clean fingers
4. Follow with moisturiser
5. Sunscreen the next morning

Night only. Three to four drops is the whole face and neck — more is not faster.

The ingredient list

Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phospholipids, Retinol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Hexapeptide-11, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Carboxyethyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Bisabolol.

The retinol percentage is not stated. Retinol sits fourth on the list, which places it after the water and two emollients. We cannot tell you the concentration from an ingredient list and we are not going to guess — but we will say that if you are an experienced retinol user looking for a specific strength, this label does not give you that number.

Bisabolol is a soothing ingredient derived from chamomile, included to take some edge off. Hexapeptide-11 is a peptide; the label pairs it with retinol without claiming a specific effect of its own.

What it claims, and what it cannot

The approved front-label claim is: "Promotes a smoother, more even appearance." Note the word appearance. That is a cosmetic claim and it is the right one.

It does not treat acne, rosacea, melasma or any skin condition. It does not permanently change your skin structure. Our own product page states there is no promised timeline and no guaranteed result, and that individual results vary. Cosmetic retinol works gradually over months, if it works for you.

Do not stack it with everything else

Using retinol on the same night as a vitamin C serum, an exfoliating acid or a strong niacinamide is how people destroy their skin barrier. See our serum layering guide for what to use when.

For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Discontinue use if irritation occurs. Keep out of reach of children; store cool and dry.