My $90 retinol ran out. I got cheap. Bought Savor Beauty’s botanical version instead. Worst decision ever — I should have switched years ago.
Week one, my chin peeled like a snake. By day 30, my coworker asked if I got Botox. I don’t.
It’s a retinol serum, $48, that claims to smooth lines without the angry red face. I called BS. Tested it anyway.
Botanical retinol alternative
Bakuchiol — plant-based, no purge drama, works while you sleep.
Slow-release delivery
Doesn’t hit you all at once. My skin didn’t revolt by day 3 like usual.
No fragrance trickery
Smells like herbs. Not a rose garden. I actually prefer that.
Photo: Marius Muresan / Unsplash
Here’s the weird part: it’s packed with mushroom extracts and squalane, which sounds like a smoothie, not skincare. But the combo works because it hydrates while it resurfaces — no flaky zombie look.
- Bakuchiol: plant retinol, zero redness
- Squalane: drinks in 10 seconds flat
- Reishi mushroom: calms the freakout
- Hyaluronic acid: plumps so you don’t look deflated
Texture is a gel-oil hybrid — slides on weird, then vanishes. Took me three tries to not use too much. Day 4, my jawline had tiny bumps. I panicked.
Week 2, the bumps flattened. Week 3, my skin looked… bored? In a good way. Like it finally stopped fighting me.
Fine lines around my mouth softened. Pores on my nose didn’t disappear but definitely shrank. Dark spots stayed stubborn — this isn’t a miracle, it’s a serum.
Would I buy it again? Already did. It’s the retinol for people who hate retinol — effective enough to see change, gentle enough to keep using.