The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion for oily acne-prone skin

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What the research says

• 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

• A new topical gel formulation reduced total acne lesions by 80% and GAGS scores by 78% after 8 weeks in 22 female patients with mild facial acne without impairing skin barrier function or causing side effects.

  Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2020

• 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

• 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

• A fixed combination of hydroxypinacolone retinoate, retinol glycospheres, and papain glycospheres in aqueous gel applied once daily for 12 weeks achieved a 41% mean reduction in GAGS score and a 40.8% mean reduction in total lesions, with 15.3% of patients experiencing mild to moderate local side effects, in 94 evaluable patients with comedonal-papular, mild to moderate acne of the face.

  Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2015

• A 12-month maintenance treatment with a combination of hydroxypinacolone retinoate and retinol glycospheres resulted in a relapse rate of 15.38% in 39 patients with moderate facial acne following oral isotretinoin therapy.

  Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2017

• 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

• 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

• The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

• Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001

• Topical application of linoleic acid achieved an almost 25% reduction in the overall size of follicular casts and microcomedones over a 1-month treatment period in patients with mild acne compared to no change at placebo-treated sites.

  Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 1998

• A lotion containing triethyl citrate and ethyl linoleate reduced Leeds grading, total, inflammatory, and noninflammatory lesion counts, and sebum production compared with a placebo in patients with mild to moderate acne.

  The British Journal of Dermatology, 2007

• Liposomal formulation of linoleic acid significantly enhances its skin whitening effect compared to non-liposomal forms in UV-stimulated guinea pig and human skin.

  Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2004

• Cotreatment with vitamin C and retinol derivatives (RP/HPR) at a 40:3 weight ratio inhibited UV-induced aging-associated gene transcription and SASP release while improving skin recovery in women.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025

• Hyaluronic acid-modified nanoemulsions enhanced cell uptake, deep skin penetration, and reduced irritation of hydroxypinacolone retinoate compared to conventional cationic nanoemulsions and free HPR.

  ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2026

• Encapsulation of retinyl propionate and hydroxypinacolone retinoate into supramolecular nanoparticles yields high stability, low irritation, sustained release, and effective anti-wrinkle efficacy.

  Pharmaceutics, 2023

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Ethyl Linoleate, Propanediol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Bisabolol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Retinol, Tasmannia Lanceolata Leaf Extract Fruit, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chondrus Crispus, Xanthan Gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cetyl Palmitate, Sucrose Laurate, Polysorbate 20, Isoceteth-20, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract Rosemary Leaf Extract, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Behentrimonium Chloride, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Disodium Edta, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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.