COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream for skin with dark spots

How to apply

Questions and answers

What the research says

• A multi-component dissolving microneedle patch loaded with glabridin, 3-O-ethyl-L-ascorbic acid, and tranexamic acid effectively reduced chloasma and age spots while demonstrating safety in clinical evaluation, alongside significant antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase, and melanin-reduction effects in vitro and in vivo.

  Polymers, 2023

• Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.

  American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002

• 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

• A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

• 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

• 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 an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025

• Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.

  Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021

• Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.

  Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

• 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

• Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.

  Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000

• Hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol, and isotonic saline nasal sprays all significantly improved dry nose symptoms over four weeks in 240 patients, with hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol providing superior nasal moisturisation compared to the other two.

  Auris, Nasus, Larynx, 2020

• Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.

  Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011

• Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.

  Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022

• Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.

  BMC Oral Health, 2019

• Topical gel containing chitosan, 0.2% chlorhexidine, allantoin and dexpanthenol did not improve postoperative comfort regarding swelling and pain, but improved the wound's aesthetic appearance following impacted lower third molar extraction compared to no gel.

  Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2016

• A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.

  Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020

• An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.

  Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018

Ingredients

Water, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Trehalose, Panthenol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Glycine Soja Oil Soybean Oil, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Vp Copolymer, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysilicone-11, Sodium Sulfite, Tocopherol, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract Carrot Root Extract, Retinol, Allantoin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Rice Bran Wax, Tocotrienols, Stearic Acid, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Palmitic Acid, Disodium Edta, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palm Oil, Bht, Beta-Carotene, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Glutathione, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

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.