Joyal Beauty sends emails with extremely detailed instructions of how to use the product upon the delivery of any order. I abso... Read More
Joyal Beauty sends emails with extremely detailed instructions of how to use the product upon the delivery of any order. I absolutely love this added touch! Any skin enthusiast out there who enjoys reading beauty blogs will certainly appreciate this attention to detail. I've included the email in its entirety at the bottom of my review, but first I'll give you my thoughts.This serum smells very fresh and light. The texture is thick, like a jelly. This should definitely be the last thing you apply before moisturizing. This should be the last serum you apply for the day, since Joyal Beauty advises that you only apply at night.Ingredient Pros:- 1% is the highest concentration of Retinol approved by the FDA- 72% organic- Paraben & Phthalate Free (the latter causes birth defects and possibly breast cancer)- Non-irritating (Some vitamin A products are too strong for sensitive skin and cause redness)- the hyaluranic acid is botanical, meaning plant-derived; this type binds to water very easily- other regenerative ingredients include wheat germ oil and jojoba oil- 2 year shelf life!!Ingredients Cons:- Organic Herbal Infusion is a meaningless term to everyone who but those who know what it means. It sounds great, but we don't know what herbs are infused into this serum. I'm not saying it could be harmful. I'm sure they're all great for your skin, but I don't know what they are named.- Since this serum has Hyaluronic Acid as an added benefit, there is no way to know how much vitamin A you are actually getting. There are also a few other ingredients, which although beneficial, take up space in the bottle. For all we know, only 10% of the formula is actually vitamin A.You may be thinking, most products list ingredients without telling us how much. Why am I making such a big deal? Serums can be found in pure concentrations without all the extra ingredients. So, why should I buy this particular serum instead of pure retinol? If I'm getting less, I may want to opt for the pure serum instead.I have emailed the company about these ambiguities and will update my review when I hear back from them. I'll probably also upgrade the review to 5 stars, assuming the vitamin A concentration in the serum is high enough.So, that's all I have to say. The company has a lot more to say about the serum, including how much to use when you first start, when to apply and what other products compliment it the best. I highly recommend you read it in it's entirety.We want to provide you with this detailed direction for better use of our Retinol Correcting Serum. To get the most out of your serum, please read the direction carefully and keep this email as your reference.Directions:1. Apply a small amount of serum to your face once daily at night after gently cleansing and toning. You may pump 1-2 pumps to your hands, then apply to your face using fingers. Our retinol serum has bioactive non-irritating formula and skin-friendly even for the most sensitive skin. However, retinol might still be irritating, especially when you first add retinol products to your skin care routine. So, you need to start from low dose retinol to build up your tolerance. If this is the first time you try retinol products, apply a small amount (0.5-1 pump) only 2-3 times per week at night. After building up your tolerance for about 1 month, you may increase to apply it every night. Retinol should be applied only at NIGHT because skin will be sensitive to sunlight afterwards.* 1% retinol is the highest amount of retinol allowed by FDA and Health Canada for over-the-counter retinol products! If you have hyper-sensitive skin but still want the benefits of retinol, build up retinol use slowly to help skin to adapt. Use a retinol serum every third night for a week, then alternate nights for a week before going for nightly use. Look out for burning, stinging and skin peeling and don’t carry on if these persist more than a day or two.* Our retinol serum containing hyaluronic acid can decrease the possible dryness caused by retinol. It is good to be combined used with our hyaluronic acid serum. You may apply our HA serum to your wet face at first, wait to dry, then apply retinol serum.* Using our retinol serum in conjunction with an AHA exfoliant (our Ultimate Brightening Age Defy Serum) significantly improves its effectiveness in treating sun-damaged skin.* The basic sequences of your skin care regimen: Cleansing->Toner->Serum(Vitamin C Serum->Hyaluronic Acid Serum->Retinol Serum, Age Defy Serum, or Royal Jelly Serum)->Eye Cream(or Lotion)->Face Cream(or lotion)->Facial Oil (dry skin type only if needed)->Sunscreen (day time).2. When applying the serum, you may slightly massage your face using circular motion with fingers for 1-3 minutes for better results. You self facial massage should be especially soft and gentle around your eyes. The act of massaging will stimulate blood circulation and new cell generation and also the nutrition ingredients present in the serum will be able to penetrate deeper inside the skin. Our retinol serum can be applied to eye area to prevent dark circles and wrinkles.3. Then follow with moisturizer:Our retinol correcting serum is 72% organic paraben-free, non-comedogenic without harmful chemicals and it will not clog pores. It can help more than 100 skin issues. It is a true superstar for your skin! It is safe for all skin types and conditions including wrinkles, fine lines, dull complexion, pigmentation ,acne, big pores, etc. However, if you have severe eczema, you'd better avoid any retinol products and use our hyaluronic acid serum instead.( Eczema is partly caused by a weak skin barrier, which lets irritants penetrate your skin more easily, and allows water to evaporate more easily. So it is best to avoid products that either dry out skin or irritate it. When your severe eczema gets improved, you can start to use retinol. ) Please note that serum and moisturizer are different. Serum has small molecules which can penetrate deeper into skin layer to deliver nutrition. Serum is highly concentrated and extremely potent, containing around 10-15 times more of the active ingredients than moisturizer(cream/lotion); While moisturizer is made of larger molecules which usually forms barrier on skin surface to lock the moisture. The functions are different. Serum functions on deeper layer of skin to repair cells, while moisturizer functions on skin surface to prevent moisture loss. So after applying serum, you'd better follow with high quality moisturizer to get the best results.---If your skin type is normal, after applying serum, following with a non-greasy moisturizer is good.---If your skin type is oily, non-comedogenic water-based lightweight moisturizer is good for you. If your skin is too oily, you may find that only applying our light-weighted non-comedogenic serums makes you feel comfortable. Retinol, will help keep pores tighter so that they create and emit less oil.---If your skin type is combined, you may need two different moisturizers on different face area.(oil-based moisturizer for dry area and water-based moisturizer for oily area.)---If your skin type is dry, oil-based (but not mineral oil ) intensive moisturizer is suitable. Alcohol-free moisturizer is more important to dry skin because alcohol will make your skin drier. Slight dry or flaky situation in a short term could be normal after applying any retinol products. If your skin becomes too dry or flaky, decrease use to every other night, apply less, and use hyaluronic acid serum before application of retinol or hyaluronic acid-based moisturizer after application of retinol. But if skin becomes red, swollen, or painful, discontinue use.4. Our Retinol Correcting Serum can be used under any moisturizing cream at night. It can be mixed used with our other serums. Because retinol encourages skin cell turnover; this new skin is delicate and should not be exposed to the sun. Use a retinol product at night as you then do not need to apply a sunscreen over the top of it, and it can work optimally on the skin. By day, wear an antioxidant moisturizing serum and cream (with vitamin C, for instance) plus a separate at least SPF30 on top.At night time, applying the serum and moisturizer before bedtime and getting enough beauty sleep are very important since skin renews itself while you sleep. Relax your mind and body before bedtime. Many skin problems are actually caused by spiritual pressure. Meditation is very good for our skin. Visualize beautiful, healthy skin as you fall asleep and your body will go in that direction.* From your teens all the way into your 90s, retinol and sunscreen are the most important things you can use on your skin. Adding retinol to your daily regimen is very good for your skin health. It actually works on a molecular level to repair the skin. It stimulates the fibroblasts in the dermis to produce collagen, and that helps create thicker, firmer, less wrinkled skin. Regular use of retinol also speeds up skin cell turnover, yet another thing that tends to slow down as we age. The cells slough off better, which evens out brown discoloration and improves skin texture, giving it more of a glow. Two pieces of advice about using retinol from dermatologist:1) More is not better, Less might be better. Do not slather it on thinking you will get faster results: a pea-sized amount is all you need. And the percentage between 0.1-1% retinol can benefit your skin. 1% retinol is the highest amount of retinol allowed by FDA and Health Canada for over-the-counter retinol products. (Joyal Beauty Retinol Serum strictly follows FDA regulations and contains 1% retinol.) Super High percentage (>2% )retinol products might cause more side effects so they are not allowed by FDA.2) Give it time to work. You did not age in a day, so do not expect a serum or cream to make your lines and dark spots disappear overnight. You have to be patient for using any retinol products. Retinols are much weaker but more skin-friendly than prescription retinoids. It might take 2 to 6 months or longer to see obvious results. Dermatologist evaluations of subjects found significant improvements in wrinkles and pigmentation 3 months in, and skin continued to get better when evaluated at 6, 9 and 12 months. The longer you use retinol, the better results you will see. Retinol is the #1 dermatologist-recommended anti-aging ingredient and we all know retinol=results, but it can take months to see amazing results, it’s important to be patient and not give up on it too soon.Caution:External use only. Not for oral use. Keep reach out of children.*Retinol, like all vitamin A derivatives, is NOT recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. That includes all skin care products, even retinol serums and retinol night creams.Expiration:We are proud to provide the highest quality facial serum on the market. To make sure our customers get the most effective and freshest facial serum, each Joyal Beauty Serum is FRESH MADE by our advanced FDA-certified facility only in SMALL BATCHES production under strict GMP compliance. The quantity of production is based on the recent 1 month sales forecasting. Use within 2 years after purchasing and opening.Storage:Store in a cool dry place under normal room temperature.We truly hope your skin can benefit from the nutrition of this amazing night serum and you become even more beautiful!If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at our official site, Amazon storefront, or our Facebook page. Thanks again!Warm Regards,Customer Support TeamJoyal Beautywww.amazon.com/shops/joyalbeautyJoyal Beauty for Joyful Solutions. ***I purchased this product discounted in exchanged for an honest and unbiased review. Please click YES if I've been helpful. :-) Read Less