Revive Eye Serum: Ginseng + Retinal
SUMMARY OF REVIEWS
Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum is a lightweight, gentle retinal formula that board-certified dermatologist Dr. Sarah Sheu calls her "favorite budget retinoid," noting it's mild, affordable, and well-tolerated by sensitive skin. Several creators praise its brightening effect and ability to smooth fine lines without irritation, though one beauty content creator found it clogged pores when used on the whole face and saw no results on eyes.
FULL REVIEWS
POSITIVE
- “If I'm looking for anti-aging from my eye cream, particularly on an evening, I'll go in with this”4:22–4:30
- “It contains retinol which is great in terms of boosting collagen and elastin, taking away those crow's feet, but ginseng which calms, soothes, and is a potent antioxidant”4:38–4:45
- “The fact that that retinol is encapsulated just means it's going to be super gentle”4:50–4:56
- “If you have a very delicate under eye, this is going to be your absolute best friend”4:55–5:03
- Source: All-time Korean skincare world rankings - Jan 16, 2026
- “This is my retinol of choice”10:49–10:52
- “I really enjoy this serum”
- “I personally have not experienced any of that with this product”
- “I have never experienced any kind of irritation with this at all”
- “I think it's very sensitive skin friendly”
- “I really enjoy the texture of this serum”
- “It also adds a nice amount of moisture for my dry skin”
- “I don't feel it to be heavy or greasy at all”
- Source: K-beauty products I'm buying again - Nov 26, 2025
- “This is my go-to retinoid that I've built up to using every night”22:27–22:33
- “It is very gentle”
- “I've had no irritation or sensitivity issues with my sensitive skin”23:19–23:22
- “The retinol in here helps to speed up cell turnover, helping to smooth out the skin, plump the skin”22:35–22:42
- “It targets fine lines and wrinkles”22:42–22:45
- “This has a very lightweight, creamy texture”23:01–23:08
- “It spreads really easily, absorbs nicely, and adds a nice layer of hydration and moisture without leaving any sticky or greasy residue”23:06–23:10
- “I find that this retinoid works very well for my dry, sensitive skin”23:17–23:20
- Source: Best skincare of 2025: K-beauty and J-beauty favourites - Jan 18, 2026
- “This one was my all-around favorite”13:22–13:26
- “It's great because it's nourishing, it's smoothing, it's brightening”13:26–13:33
- “I've seen real improvement under my eyes using this one”13:32–13:38
- Source: Best Korean skincare products of the year: 2025 - Jan 3, 2026
- “My Beauty of Joseon one is actually working pretty good, too”8:00–8:04
- Source: My current go-to makeup look - Feb 19, 2026
- “I started using in the morning time because it has a little bit of a yellow tint to it, which is nice and brightening”18:10–18:15
- “I've just been really loving this, especially underneath makeup or for daytime use”18:22–18:29
- Source: Best Korean skincare products in 2025 - May 22, 2025
- “It contains 10% ginseng root extract and 2% retinal”
- “Retinal is a little bit stronger than retinol because it's more potent. It is really going to give you amazing results for your under eyes, especially if you're someone who suffers with dark under eye circles”3:11–3:18
- “It's also going to help to disappear those fine lines and wrinkles that you get under your eyes”3:21–3:26
- “Retinal is amazing for increasing the cell turnover of the skin under your eyes”3:24–3:31
- “When you're someone who's suffering with a lot of wrinkles, it can be great for anti-aging, but it's also been shown to be great for hyperpigmentation”3:30–3:35
- “It's just overall going to give your under eyes the most flawless look”3:36–3:41
- “There aren't many eye creams on the market that utilize retinal in such a great way, which is why this is always one of my top picks for eye creams that are going to be punchy and really make a massive difference”3:39–3:44
- “It runs around $17, but it's totally worth it”
- Source: Doctor's guide: the only Korean skincare you should buy - Nov 15, 2025
- “This one has ginseng and retinol. It's not oily, heavy, and it actually works”3:35–3:41
- “It has ginseng for circulation and antioxidant repair”3:41–3:47
- “It has retinal encapsulated that smooths fine lines without irritation”3:47–3:52
- “It also has ceramides and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the thin skin under eyes”3:52–3:58
- “Perfect for tired eyes and screen fatigue”3:55–4:03
- Source: Dermatologist recommends best Korean skincare for glass skin - Nov 12, 2025
- “I have consistently liked and used the Beauty of Joseon retinal eye serum”0:59–1:03
- “It's mild, not very expensive, and my sensitive skin tolerates it really well”1:13–1:18
- “I also appreciate that it comes in an airless and opaque pump that protects the serum from light and air”1:18–1:22
- “This is a good option for retinoid newbies and for people with sensitive skin”1:22–1:29
- “I also think that it's a good value”
- Source: Dermatologist: Best Retinoids at Every Price - Mar 14, 2026
- “I still like the Beauty of Joseon retinal eye serum as my favorite budget retinoid”9:26–9:32
- “The Beauty of Joseon retinal eye serum, which I use as a full face retinoid pretty often, is just $16.99 for 30 mls, which I think is a nice value pick”9:55–10:03
- Source: Dermatologist's summer skincare hits and flops - Aug 9, 2025
- “Beauty of Joseon still is a retina and very lightweight”14:03–14:09
- “Anybody who's like worried about the millia and like uh early 20s who starting to use eye cream, it's going to be amazing great option and also affordable”14:09–14:15
- Source: Viral K-Beauty vs What Koreans Actually Use: Which is better? - Mar 10, 2026
- “I really appreciate this formula because it's one of the only ones on this list that features a retinoid”10:56–10:59
- “This really just did nothing for my dark circles”11:24–11:30
- “Every other Beauty of Joseon product I'm obsessed with”11:30–11:34
- “Is the formula amazing? Yes”
- “There's a reason why this one is so viral, and so many people have said that it's just like changed their lives”12:10–12:15
- Source: Best eye creams tested and ranked - Oct 18, 2025
- “On some nights, I'll use a little bit of over-the-counter retinol or retinal like the Beauty of Joseon retinal eye serum or Aven's retinol line”
- Source: Dermatologist's cold weather skincare routine - Nov 8, 2025
- “A lot of people say that the Revive Eye Serum with ginseng and retinol from Beauty of Joseon is one of the best eye creams”16:42–16:49
- “It's very gentle, but actually effective”16:49–16:57
- Source: Viral Asian makeup haul (k-beauty, j-beauty, c-beauty) - Apr 8, 2026
- “It has a retinol so it's not only going to help with the look of fine lines, but it's also going to hydrate”1:18–1:21
- Source: Products I Refuse to Use in Spring as a Dermatologist - Mar 14, 2026
- “Overall the formula is very similar to the Beauty of Joseon retinal eye cream. That one has 2% liposomal retinal”
- Source: I tried cult Korean skincare products so you don't have to - Oct 15, 2025
MIXED / NEGATIVE
- “I ended up decluttering it”
- “I tried to use it on my eyes. I didn't really see any result”10:40–10:44
- “I tried using it on the whole face, but it slightly clogged my pores”10:44–10:50
- “I tried to use it as a spot treatment. This is when I saw the result. It did help my post-acne to fade away faster”10:48–10:54
- “For me, it wasn't worth it”
- Source: Yesstyle skincare bestsellers review - Mar 29, 2026
WHAT CREATORS SAY
- Consensus
- 4.2 / 5 from 10 creator reviewsGrailPeople ratings based on creator reviews.
- Good for
- Fine lines & firmness (7) · Sensitive skin (4) · Dry skin (2) · Dark circles (2)
- Features
- Lightweight (4) · Non-irritating (4) · Hydrating (4) · Soothing (3) · Non-drying (2)
- Value
- Value for money (4)
- ⚠ didn't help with large pores (1)
- ⚠ feels overpriced to some (1)
- ⚠ didn't help with dark circles (1)
Product details
Details
- Type
- eye serum
- Finish
- —
- Shade
- —
- Key ingredients
- Retinal Liposomes, Ginseng Root Extract, Niacinamide, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Palmitoyltripeptide-5, Tocopherol
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