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INNISFREE Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule 30ml
Retinol, with its own antidote built in.
Centella in the same bottle — one usually creates the problem the other calms.
Light lotion, gentle enough nightly.
What this ampoule does
A 30 ml ampoule carrying Retinol with Niacinamide, three isolated centella actives and Ceramide NP, formulated as a night step for texture and blemish-prone skin.
Cica is here as fractions, not as extract
You will not find Centella Asiatica Extract on this list. What is there instead is Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid and Asiatic Acid — the isolated triterpenes the extract is valued for. That is a more specific way to formulate, and it explains why a search for "centella" on the label comes up empty.
Key ingredients
Ingredient · What it is, and what it is used for
- Retinol
- Vitamin A. The most studied ingredient for the look of lines and texture, and the one that needs an adjustment period.
- Asiaticoside
- The best studied of the centella triterpenes. Used to calm the look of redness.
- Madecassic Acid
- One of the isolated triterpenes from centella. Naming it means the active is measured in, not just carried along in a whole-plant extract.
- Asiatic Acid
- Another isolated centella triterpene. Used to calm the look of redness.
- Niacinamide
- Vitamin B3. Studied for evening out the look of tone, for the look of pores, and for breakout-prone skin — which is why it turns up in so much of this catalogue.
- Ceramide NP
- Ceramide 3. A material skin already contains, so it reads as its own.
- Cholesterol
- Sterol. One of the three lipid classes skin's outer layer is built from — ceramides and fatty acids are the other two, and they work as a set rather than alone.
- Phytosphingosine
- Sphingoid base. The backbone that ceramides are built on, and it occurs in your own lipid layer.
- Allantoin
- Heterocyclic diureide. Used to calm irritation.
- Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
- Ester of glycyrrhetinic acid.
- Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11
- Synthetic tetrapeptide.
- Salicylic Acid
- Beta hydroxy acid. Keeps it from spoiling.
How the formula works together
Three barrier lipids — Ceramide NP, Cholesterol and Phytosphingosine — sit in the second half of the list. That is the buffer. A retinoid works by speeding surface turnover, and a compromised surface is the usual cost; putting the lipid classes back in the same bottle is the direct answer to it.
Around them: Niacinamide and Adenosine as the signalling materials, the centella triterpenes and licorice-derived Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate for the look of irritation, Beta-Glucan and Hyaluronic Acid for water. Salicylic Acid appears low on the list and is listed as a preservative at that position.
Who it is for
Labelled for texture and blemish-prone skin. Contains retinol; use at night, build up slowly, and wear sunscreen the following day.
How to use it
- At night, after toner, apply a few drops over the face.
- Start two or three nights a week; increase only if skin stays comfortable.
- Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next morning.
Details
- Size
- 30 ml
- Made in
- Korea
- Skin type
- Blemish-prone, uneven texture
- Ingredients
- 35, published in full below
Full ingredient list
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Dibutyl Adipate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cholesterol, Allantoin, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate, Propanediol, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract, Asiatic Acid, Retinol, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Hyaluronic Acid, Mannitol, Ceramide NP, Beta-Glucan, Beta-Carotene, Phytosphingosine, BHT, Salicylic Acid, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11
In label order, unedited.
Ships from Korea.
