Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum Review

Hello everyone,

I have had good luck with Peter Thomas Roth skin care products. In fact, the 10% glycolic acid hydrating gel is one product I swear by, but alas, this particular product that I will be sharing with you today was a huge letdown for me. Read on to know more about Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM.

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum

Product Description:
A potent retinol serum that delivers skin-renewing benefits via optimally concentrated encapsulated retinol for maximum results with minimal irritation.

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum product description

What it is formulated to do:
This technologically advanced combination of encapsulated retinol, and vitamins C and E, encourages the skin’s renewal process with prime efficacy. It helps improve skin tone and texture, assists in collagen production, and reduces lines and wrinkles to create a vibrantly youthful and healthy complexion. A dose of moisture minimizes redness and irritation, and mitigates the retinol’s drying effects. This serum is oil- and fragrance-free.

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum directions to use

Price: $65

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum ingredients

My Experience with Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum:

Packaging: This product comes in a dropper style dispenser. The bottle is translucent hence you do need to store it away from light to prevent the ingredients from degrading and breaking down.

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum bottle

Application: This product is so difficult to use. It has a very thin and watery texture, but unlike water which would form a droplet on your skin, this one gets absorbed into the skin instantly. That would be a good thing as you know for sure it is sinking into your skin, but this fact makes it incredibly difficult to apply. I tried getting a couple of drops onto my fingertips and due to the watery nature, it slides through my fingertips before I get a chance to pat it onto my face. I tried putting the drops directly on my face and since it absorbs instantly and I have to works quickly to pat it around. I did notice that if I dropped the liquid on the same location onto my skin every time, that area of skin(on my face and fingers) would get visibly red.

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum dropper

Usage: Since I am in my mid 20s, I thought what better time to start incorporating the very so popular “retinol” in my skin care routine. I was on the hunt for a good one and the outstanding reviews of this product on Sephora made me buy it. Since it is a very potent 1.5% concentration, I gradually worked my way up from using it every other night to every night. During the first week, my skin looked amazing. I could see visible difference in the elasticity of my skin. I have very prominent smile lines around my cheeks and frown lines on my forehead, which this product addressed. I could see less foundation sinking into those lines. But after a week or so, the problems started. This product clogged my pores heavily. I am not someone who has neither sensitive skin nor do I have huge pores and my skin usually has no adverse effect to skin care or makeup. You can see that I have fairly decent skin and do not suffer from tons of breakout except for that one or two occasional monthly zits, but with this product, I had tons and tons of whiteheads everywhere and my skin broke out horribly.

I researched online and found out that the first side of effect of retinol is that it causes “purging” in which your skin gets worse before it gets better so I stuck with my routine but decreased the dose to 1-2 times a week. I also tried buffering the product, which means that instead of directly putting it onto bare skin, I layered it over a serum/moisturizer so that the dose won’t be as potent.

Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM Night Serum swatch

The days that I don’t use it on my skin, it starts looking better and the night I apply it, my skin would look horrible again. After giving it a good go for about 5-6 weeks, I have decided to quit. I just hope that the breakouts this has caused does not leave permanent scars.

Overall, I am not sure if something about this product does not work with my skin (or if I am allergic to one of the ingredients), but with the results that I have seen and with my own personal experience, I would not recommend this to anyone.