Murad Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment for combination skin
Retinal
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract
UreaAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate suitability for combination skin as retinal helps regulate desquamation and ECM synthesis, but it lacks sufficient humectants like glycerin to fully address potential dryness in some areas.
- While oat kernel extract and shea butter provide soothing benefits, the formula does not contain targeted ingredients for managing oily shine, which is your main concern.
- The product is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use your serum as part of your PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and move to daily use if your skin likes it.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, and right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏳for it to soak in.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive.
- Always do a patch test before using the serum for the first time, and avoid the eye area .
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsUsers report this treatment effectively targets advanced signs of aging, leading to visibly firmer, smoother, and bouncier skin. It is frequently praised for delivering results on deep wrinkles and sagging without the typical irritation associated with potent retinoids.
Highlights
Visibly smooths texture Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels smooth and soft”
- “noticeably smoother to the touch”
- “improved texture after a few weeks”
Firms and lifts Often Mentioned
- “jawline seems more defined”
- “skin feels more taut”
- “helps with sagging neck skin”
Gentle and non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “no tingling or redness”
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “less irritating than prescription tretinoin”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “too expensive for the amount”
- “price tag is steep”
- “hard to justify the cost”
Fast-acting results Sometimes Noted
- “saw results in 2 weeks”
- “immediate glow the next morning”
- “works faster than retinol”
Pleasant consistency Sometimes Noted
- “lightweight and absorbs easily”
- “creamy but not greasy”
- “soaks in quickly”
Deceiving packaging Sometimes Noted
- “bottle looks big but holds little”
- “bulky plastic packaging”
- “hard to tell when empty”
Lack of results Rarely Noted
- “no difference in 2 months”
- “didn't do much for deep lines”
- “expected more for the price”
Scent/Fragrance Rarely Noted
- “has a floral scent”
- “added fragrance not listed”
- “smell is a bit strong”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, murad.com, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Murad Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment work for combination skin?
Murad Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment works moderately well for combination skin because retinal helps renew skin, but it lacks enough moisture-attracting ingredients to prevent dryness in some areas and does not target oily shine. To work best for combination skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide and zinc or propolis to balance oiliness and provide deep hydration without feeling heavy.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2002
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for combination skin?
Retinal helps smooth the skin by renewing the surface, while squalane, shea butter, and oat kernel extract help soothe and comfort dry areas. However, for a better fit on combination skin, this type of product needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, or propolis to help manage oily shine while providing balanced hydration.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2002Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015
What does Retinal do for combination skin?
Retinal helps smooth the skin and reduces signs of aging or breakouts when used regularly. It is unlikely to cause severe irritation when introduced gradually, keeping combination skin feeling calm and smooth.
European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 2014Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2011
What does Squalane do for combination skin?
Squalane helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture without feeling heavy or greasy. It supports the skin barrier and provides lightweight hydration that works well for both dry and oily areas.
Skin Health and Disease, 2024Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, and before moisturizing. Combination skin needs products that provide balanced hydration for dry areas while managing oily shine.
Can I use this treatment with niacinamide, and in what order?
Yes, you can use this treatment with niacinamide by applying your niacinamide product first and following with this treatment in your evening routine. This product works for combination skin, but to be a better fit it needs more hydrating ingredients to prevent dryness and oil-absorbing ingredients to manage shine.
How often should I use this treatment?
This treatment works well in the evening routine. A product for this skin needs extra moisture-attracting ingredients and oil-balancing components to handle combination skin better.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This treatment is unlikely to cause irritation or breakouts on combination skin, and it is safe for your skin type. However, because it lacks targeted ingredients for managing oily shine and extra hydrators for dry areas, a product for this skin needs more humectants like glycerin and ingredients that help balance oil.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2002
Is this treatment fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (citronellol and parfum). Cetearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A multiple W/O/W emulsion containing Rosmarinus officinalis L., Avena sativa L., and Linum usitatissimum L. extracts showed no irritant, phototoxic, inflammatory, or allergenic potential in human skin models and patch tests, establishing its safety as a cosmetic base.
Pharmaceutics, 2021Topically applied Avena sativa and Avena Rhealba oatmeal extracts significantly reduced skin irritation parameters including a* parameter increase and blood flow increase compared to vehicle in 12 healthy individuals subjected to the sodium lauryl sulfate irritation model.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2002Colloidal oat extracts diminished pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro and colloidal oat lotion improved skin dryness, scaling, roughness, and itch intensity in healthy female subjects compared to baseline.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015Twice daily application of retinaldehyde 0.1% and 0.05% creams for 3 months improved skin texture and hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss in 40 female Korean volunteers, with only the 0.1% cream significantly improving the melanin index.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2018Topical retinaldehyde demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria both in vitro and in vivo, leading to decreased bacterial counts without inducing resistance.
Dermatology, 2002Topical 0.05% retinaldehyde applied over 1 year significantly increased epidermal thickness of the temple and cutaneous elasticity compared to an emollient control group in 40 aging skin patients.
Dermatology, 1999Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-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, 2025A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025A repair cream containing Rhealba oat plantlets extract, l-ALA-l-GLU dipeptide, and hyaluronic acid provided immediate relief and was judged by doctors as good or very good in 96.8% of cases for wound healing in 2,363 patients following dermatological acts.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2018Colloidal oat increased the growth rate, metabolism, and lactic acid production of Staphylococcus epidermidis compared to Staphylococcus aureus in vitro, matching clinical increases in lactic acid on dry skin after 6 weeks of lotion use.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2021A dermocosmetic product containing oat plantlet sap and Garcinia mangostana extract reduced retentional and inflammatory acne lesions by 21% and 35% respectively after 2 months in 54 subjects with mild-to-moderate acne.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2024Topical 40% urea cream achieved improvement in less time and showed superiority over 12% ammonium lactate lotion in skin roughness, fissure reduction, thickness, and dryness at day 14 in patients treated for moderate to severe xerosis.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Topical treatment with K101 achieved a significantly higher mycological cure rate compared to placebo in patients with ≤50% nail involvement (27.2% vs 10.4%), while showing early visible improvements in nail appearance and no safety issues.
Mycoses, 2012
Why other serums fit combination skin better
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, 2022A 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, Diisostearyl Malate, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Squalane, Propanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Retinal, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Anigozanthos Flavidus Extract, Phosphatidylcholine, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract Olive Leaf Extract, Mannitol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cetyl Alcohol, Hectorite, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Chloride, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Parfum
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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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