I slathered retinal around my eyes every single night for a month. Not a patch test — the real deal, full commitment, no skipping.
I’ve been testing eye creams for a decade, and most of them are just expensive moisturizers in tiny jars. This one actually has a molecule strong enough to do something.
It’s a retinal (not retinol) eye serum from Beauty of Joseon — the K-beauty brand everyone’s been screenshotting on TikTok. Costs about $18 and promises to soften fine lines in four weeks.
0.1% Retinal
The strongest OTC retinoid you can get without a prescription — 11x faster than retinol
Encapsulated Delivery
Sits in tiny liposomes so it doesn’t nuke your skin the way straight retinal does
No Fragrance, No Dye
Just the active and some soothing stuff — my sensitive eyes didn’t even flinch
Photo: Fleur Kaan / Unsplash
Retinal is the hero, but the supporting cast is doing heavy lifting. It’s got a peptide complex and a bunch of hydrating layers that stop the “retinoid uglies” from ruining your week.
- Retinal: Stimulates collagen and speeds cell turnover
- Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate: Licorice root extract that calms redness
- Hydrolyzed Collagen: Plumps skin so lines look shallower
- Sodium Hyaluronate: Holds 1000x its weight in water
Photo: engin akyurt / Unsplash
It’s a milky gel that sinks in about 15 seconds — no greasy film, no white cast. Smells like nothing, which I now realize I should hate but actually love.
Week two was weird: my undereyes looked *dryer* before they looked better. That’s the retinal pushing dead skin up. I almost quit, but by day 20 the flakiness went away and my skin had this unexpected glow. The crepey texture under my eyes? Gone.
Photo: freestocks / Unsplash
My one deep smile line under my left eye is softer — not erased, but definitely shallower. The little feather lines around my outer corners are noticeably faded. My undereye bags? Same as before. This isn’t a miracle worker.
Photo: VENUS MAJOR / Unsplash
It’s the first eye product I’ve used that made me understand why people obsess over retinal. Not a miracle, but a legitimate improvement — and one I’ll keep buying.