Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For the price, I don't think this serum can be beat. My reasoning is below. First, the things some people may not like: - This retinol serum is not "thick," but it is not like water either. I would put it at a "thin gel" consistency. This isn't a bad thing in and of itself (you won't lose it "running away" like watery serums), but some people like the watery-type serums more. This is definitely thicker than water. - This serum contains retinol. I know this is an odd reason to say someone may dislike it, but I read a lot of the negative reviews before purchasing this product (I always do), and many of them seemed directly related to retinol itself. Until skin is used to it, which can take a couple of weeks, retinol can burn, flake, and cause skin irritation. I never use new retinol products more than 2-3 times a week until I know my skin is used to it... and if you aren't willing to do that with any new retinol product, you can expect some irritation. - The packaging is more than adequate, and pretty protective, but it is incredibly simple. I assume that's why it costs less than some other retinol serums on Amazon (they didn't spend the money on packaging?), but every other retinol I've ordered/bought in stores has had pretty nice/fancy packaging. I didn't mind the packaging because I didn't buy it for the packaging, and the packaging wasn't in any way ugly... but it's not "spiffy," which might throw some people off (the product itself looks high quality and nice, the contact info is a US company, and the bottle was sealed, so we're good there). Now the good: - It has, literally, the same active ingredients as some of the much higher priced serums out there. No joke. I don't know how this is possible (again, packaging?), but after talking to a few companies through email... there is literally no difference in the active ingredients. - It has worked as well for me as my normal, much higher priced retinol-based products. I know each person's skin is different (disclaimer: my skin is already acclimated to retinol), but I see no difference in my skin between this and my other retinol which was five times the price. Obviously, I didn't expect a miracle product (I don't buy into that hype), but at this price I feel it has more than lived up to its value. - Many of the ingredients are organic (the title says 72%), and it is vegan (I asked). BONUS! - They contacted me in an email after I ordered and told me they have a 100% money-back guarantee, even if the bottle is empty. I think that's a bit ridiculous, especially as this cost me less than $11, but who am I to judge... I won't be sending it back, but evidently you can if you want to. - The product came with a card which had their customer service's email on it (I used it to ask if the serum was vegan, which it is). Oh, and I got a message after I emailed them, from the "founder of the company," asking if I had any questions on how to use the serum, asking if I was "satisfied," and reminding me that if I didn't like it I could return it for a refund. I didn't respond, but was pretty impressed by the fact they reached out on an $11 product. For the reasons above, I feel I can give this product a solid 5-stars. If I change my mind for any reason (if it stops working as well as my normal retinol, for instance), I will update this, but I have definitely gotten my money's worth. I have read their vit c serum is fairly decent, so may try that next. I am still undecided as I like my current c serum, so would appreciate anyone who has used it responding to this to give me your thoughts (I prefer "verified purchase" responders please, because I trust those more). Thank you for reading, and if my review helped, please vote it up below.