IOPE Retinol Super Bounce Serum for combination skin

How to apply

Questions and answers

What the research says

• Topical 0.4% retinol significantly increased epidermal thickness, dermal vascularity, and extracellular matrix production by stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, endothelial cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation in naturally aged human skin compared to vehicle.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017

• Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.

  The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019

• Silicone particles encapsulating retinol increased its half-life by 9-fold and yielded 12-23% lower skin irritation in human subjects compared to Microsponge particles while maintaining biological activity.

  Journal of Controlled Release, 2018

• Topical stabilized retinol treatment induced HAS gene expression and increased hyaluronic acid production in human skin in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo compared to vehicle.

  Archives of Dermatological Research, 2017

• Topical application of all-trans-retinol induced epidermal thickening and increased retinoid binding protein expression similar to all-trans-retinoic acid in normal human skin, but without causing significant erythema or measurable retinoic acid levels.

  The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1995

• Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.

  Molecules, 2025

• Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.

  Antioxidants, 2025

• Topical application of 0.05% w/w ECa 233 gel reduced erythema index by 0.03 U and improved early crusting and general wound appearance compared to placebo in thirty individuals undergoing facial laser resurfacing.

  Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2020

• A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

  Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

• Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

• A topical serum containing hydroxypinacolone retinoate and peptides used twice daily for 16 weeks achieved parity or statistically significantly better improvement in facial aging parameters compared to a single fractional CO2 laser treatment in women with moderate global photodamage.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025

• Combined probiotic supplementation and topical azelaic acid with hydroxypinacolone retinoate reduced non-inflammatory lesions from 11.5 to 7.3 and decreased microscopic acne features measured by reflectance confocal microscopy and dynamic optical coherence tomography in 20 patients over 12 weeks.

  Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023

• Hydroxypinacolone retinoate and retinyl propionate at a 5:9 weight ratio synergistically enhanced antiaging gene expressions in vitro and improved skin wrinkles, smoothness, transepidermal water loss, and elasticity in 42 Chinese urban women over an 8-week period without adverse reactions compared to retinol.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023

• Topical beta-carotene provided protection for the human skin of healthy volunteers against IR radiation by acting as a superficial antioxidant, though dermal carotenoid degradation was significantly higher for standard infrared radiator than for water filter infrared irradiation.

  Experimental Dermatology, 2011

• Pre-treatment with beta-carotene at 1.5 microM modulated UVA-induced gene regulation in HaCaT human keratinocytes through multiple mechanisms not restricted to singlet oxygen quenching, reducing the effect for 143 genes and enhancing it for 180 out of 568 UVA-regulated genes.

  The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2005

• Alginate hydrogel dressings co-loaded with cinnamon-mediated silver nanoparticles, beta-carotene nanocarriers, and Centella asiatica extract demonstrated antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli over a 24-h period while mitigating silver-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in human keratinocyte cells.

  Gels, 2025

Why other serums fit combination skin better

• Retinol in this serum

  Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.

  The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019

• Niacinamide and ferulic acid incorporated in a stable multiple emulsion successfully reduced melanin, sebum, and skin erythema while improving skin elasticity and hydration in human skin compared to a placebo.

  BioMed Research International, 2022

• A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

Ingredients

Water, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Methyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Bis-Hydroxyethoxypropyl Dimethicone, 2-Hexanediol, Lactobacillus Lysate Ferment, C14-22 Alcohols, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Palmitic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethyl Isosorbide, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Glycine Soja Oil Soybean Oil, Carbomer, Mannitol, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract Carrot Root Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tromethamine, Disodium Edta, Kojyl Methylenedioxycinnamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Madecassoside, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Retinol, Trehalose, Beta-Carotene, Tocopherol, Bht, Acacia Senegal Gum, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Decapeptide-4, Sodium Oleate, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Rice Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.