Murad Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment for oily skin
Retinal
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract
UreaAverage
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily skin; other serums fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 your oily skin as retinal and urea promote cell turnover and hydration, while oat kernel extract and shea butter provide soothing benefits. Anigozanthos flavidus extract and olive leaf extract offer additional antioxidant support, contributing to overall skin health.
- The formula is safe for your oily skin, with no harsh ingredients and a good balance of soothing and exfoliating components.
- While effective for wrinkle reduction and general hydration, the product lacks sufficient seboregulating ingredients to fully address your primary concern of oily shine.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but right before your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin. Let it absorb ⏱ for a minute before applying the next product.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive and you want to target oily shine. This helps control excess oil throughout the night.
- Avoid the delicate eye area and do a patch test before using the serum for the very first time.
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 work for oily skin?
Murad Retinal ReSculpt works reasonably well for oily skin, but it lacks sufficient ingredients to control excess oil and shine. To truly fit oily skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, or ferulic acid to manage oil production and pores while keeping the skin balanced.
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for oily skin?
Retinal and urea help your oily skin by encouraging cell turnover and hydration, while oat kernel extract and shea butter calm it. To better fit oily skin, this type of product needs ingredients like niacinamide and zinc to control excess oil and manage shine.
What does Retinal do for oily skin?
Retinal helps oily skin by reducing excess oil and clearing clogged pores when used daily. This ingredient is well-suited for managing breakouts while keeping skin smooth and calm.
What does Squalane do for oily skin?
Squalane helps keep oily skin soft and smooth without feeling heavy, though oxidized forms may sometimes trigger irritation. To work well for oily skin, this type of product needs lightweight, non-clogging ingredients that balance moisture without adding excess grease.
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine, placed after cleansing and toning and before moisturizing. It works for oily skin, though this skin type needs oil-balancing ingredients like niacinamide or salicylic acid to fully manage excess shine.
Can I use this treatment with niacinamide, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with niacinamide by applying niacinamide first in your routine and this treatment afterward, or on alternating nights to keep your skin calm. This helps you get the smoothing benefits of retinal while avoiding irritation, which is particularly helpful since this product lacks enough oil-controlling ingredients for oily skin and needs added ingredients like niacinamide or salicylic acid to help manage shine.
How often should I use this treatment?
Apply this treatment in the evening as part of your routine. Oily skin needs a product that includes oil-balancing ingredients to help control shine.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin, as it has a safe formula with no harsh ingredients. However, because it contains retinal to speed up cell turnover, you may experience some initial skin purging. To truly address oily shine, an oily skin product needs ingredients that help balance oil production.
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
Colloidal 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, 2015Colloidal oatmeal induced skin barrier-related gene expression in vitro and showed significant clinical improvements in skin dryness, moisturization, and barrier in 50 healthy female subjects treated with a colloidal oatmeal lotion.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2016A 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, 2021Topical application of a vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate significantly increased epidermal thickness, type III collagen production, and glycosaminoglycans production in human skin explants compared to free vitamin C and vitamin C-palmitate.
Scientific Reports, 2020Twice 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, 2018Topically 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 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, 2021Topical 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 oily skin better
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, 2024Niacinamide 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
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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