Where does this sheet mask go in my routine?

After toner, in place of your serum step, in the evening. Toner goes on before it, and the rest of the routine goes on after you take the sheet mask off. If you are adding it to a routine you already like, give it a week on its own first, so what you see is the Retinal and not three changes at once.

What else is on the list besides Retinal?

Niacinamide, Adenosine and Hydrolyzed Sponge. The order they are printed in on this sheet mask's panel is the order on the box, so you can see where Retinal sits relative to them. Further down the same panel: Guaiazulene, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7.

Celimax

The Vita-A Retinal 2-Step Gel Mask 4ea

Name: Celimax The Vita-A Retinal 2-Step Gel Mask 4ea
Brand: Celimax
SKU: 13678011791
Price: 47.5 USD
Availability: InStock

Celimax The Vita-A Retinal 2-Step Gel Mask is a 4ea sheet mask with Retinal, used after toner, in place of your serum step, in the evening.

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$47.50

4 ea

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Dry skinCompromised barrierDehydrated skinSensitive skin

Helps with: Shoppers looking for Retinal in a sheet maskRoutines that want Retinal and Niacinamide in one stepFilling the sheet mask step with a Korean-market formula

One-time purchase

$47.50

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$42.75

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Key benefits

Retinal, the active this sheet mask is built around
Niacinamide, Adenosine, Hydrolyzed Sponge and Guaiazulene on the same list, actives
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 further down the same list
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Ascorbic Acid further down the same list
Retinal named twenty-first on the manufacturer list printed on this page

Key actives

6Niacinamideactive

Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. The panel names it sixth on this sheet mask's list, beside Retinal.

All products with Niacinamide

14Adenosineactive

Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated. It is named fourteenth on this sheet mask's list, alongside Retinal.

All products with Adenosine

16Hydrolyzed Spongeactive

Hydrolyzed Sponge is processed freshwater sponge, which carries fine silica spicules. In a formula it works as a mild physical exfoliant. The panel names it sixteenth on this sheet mask's list, beside Retinal.

All products with Hydrolyzed Sponge

21Retinalactive

Retinal is retinaldehyde, a vitamin A derivative one chemical step closer to retinoic acid than retinol is. It is yellow-orange and unstable in light, so products carrying it are usually opaque. The name on the box points at it, and it is named twenty-first on this sheet mask's own ingredient list.

All products with Retinal

78Guaiazuleneactive

Guaiazulene is the deep blue compound distilled from chamomile and guaiac wood, and it is what colours a blue formula naturally. It is used for the look of reactive, reddened skin. It is named seventy-eighth on this sheet mask's list, alongside Retinal.

All products with Guaiazulene

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

6Niacinamide14Adenosine21Retinal78Guaiazulene

6Niacinamide
14Adenosine
21Retinal
78Guaiazulene

Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.

1 of 4

63 of 78 explained

Glycerin humectant: Glycerin is the most used humectant in skincare. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and holds it there, and it is one of the very few ingredients whose hydrating effect is settled science rather than marketing. Higher amounts feel tacky, which is why it is usually blended.
Methylpropanediol humectant: Methylpropanediol is a small glycol used to hydrate and to help water-soluble actives penetrate the outer layer of skin more evenly. It leaves almost no tack, which suits watery textures.
Propanediol humectant: Propanediol is a plant-derived glycol used in place of propylene glycol. It hydrates, carries actives into solution, and gives a lighter, less sticky slip than glycerin at the same strength.
Diglycerin humectant: Diglycerin is two glycerin units joined together. It holds water like glycerin but feels less tacky, so it is used where a formula needs hydration without drag.
Niacinamide active: Niacinamide is vitamin B3, and it is the most studied active in Korean formulation. It is used at roughly 2 to 5 percent for the look of uneven tone and visible pores, and it is water soluble, stable and comfortable beside almost every other active, which is why it turns up in so many lists.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer thickener: This is a carbomer relative with fatty side chains, so it thickens and stabilises an emulsion at the same time. It gives a light gel-cream body rather than a heavy one.
Arginine amino acid: Arginine is an amino acid that does two jobs here: it holds water in the outer layer of skin, and it neutralises acidic gelling agents, which is why it often stands in for a synthetic pH adjuster.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Xanthan Gum thickener: Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar. It thickens a watery formula into a gel and holds the whole thing in suspension so nothing separates. Too much of it and a serum turns stringy, which is why it appears in fractions of a percent.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emollient: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is the light fraction of coconut oil, with the heavy parts removed. It is the workhorse emollient of modern formulas: it softens skin, dissolves oil-soluble actives and absorbs without the greasy weight of a whole plant oil.

51 more explained

Adenosine active: Adenosine is a nucleoside that Korea's own cosmetic authority recognises as a wrinkle-care functional ingredient, which is why it appears on so many Korean lists at a low level. It is used for the look of fine lines and is stable and well tolerated.
Sodium Lactate humectant: Sodium Lactate is the salt of lactic acid and one of the components of skin's own natural moisturising factor. At the levels used here it is a humectant and buffer rather than an exfoliant.
Hydrolyzed Sponge active: Hydrolyzed Sponge is processed freshwater sponge, which carries fine silica spicules. In a formula it works as a mild physical exfoliant.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Carbomer thickener: Carbomer is a synthetic polymer that only gels once a base neutralises it, which is why arginine or tromethamine sits nearby on the list. It gives the clear, non-stringy gel texture a xanthan formula cannot reach.
Lecithin emulsifier: Lecithin is a soy or sunflower-derived phospholipid, the same class of molecule cell membranes are built from. It emulsifies oil into water and is the basis of the liposomes formulators use to carry actives.
Polysorbate 20 emulsifier: Polysorbate 20 is a solubiliser: it dissolves small amounts of oil or fragrance into a watery formula so nothing separates or floats.
Retinal active: Retinal is retinaldehyde, a vitamin A derivative one chemical step closer to retinoic acid than retinol is. It is yellow-orange and unstable in light, so products carrying it are usually opaque.
Sodium Polyacrylate thickener: Sodium Polyacrylate is a polymer that absorbs many times its weight in water. It thickens a formula and holds water in a gel against the skin.
Ascorbic Acid antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid is pure vitamin C, the most researched form and also the least stable: it needs a low pH and airtight packaging to stay active. It is an antioxidant used for the look of dullness and uneven tone.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 peptide: Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is a short peptide with a fatty tail added so it can travel through the oily outer layer of skin. It is used for the look of firmness and is almost always paired with palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7.
Dipropylene Glycol humectant: Dipropylene Glycol is a glycol used as a solvent and a light humectant. Its main job is keeping the rest of the formula dissolved and the texture fluid rather than adding hydration of its own.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emollient: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is a synthetic ester used as a dry-feeling emollient. It spreads easily, leaves a silky rather than oily finish, and helps disperse pigments and UV filters evenly.
Panthenol humectant: Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
Chondrus Crispus Powder plant extract: Chondrus Crispus is Irish moss, a red seaweed. It is loaded with carrageenan, so it hydrates and thickens at once, and it leaves a cushioned, slippery film.
Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Gum thickener: Carob Gum is a seed polysaccharide from the carob tree. It thickens a formula and gives a soft, cushioned body.
Betaine humectant: Betaine is a sugar-beet-derived humectant that cells use to hold water. In a formula it hydrates and takes the edge off cleansers and acids, which is why it often appears alongside them.
Trehalose humectant: Trehalose is a sugar that some desert plants use to survive drying out. In skincare it is a humectant that holds water in the outer layer and helps a formula feel comfortable rather than tight.
Hydroxyacetophenone preservative booster: Hydroxyacetophenone is an antioxidant that also strengthens a preservative system, so a formula needs less traditional preservative. Korean formulas pair it with 1,2-hexanediol constantly.
Coptis Japonica Root Extract plant extract: Coptis Japonica is a traditional East Asian medicinal root, bright yellow from its berberine content. In skincare its extract is used for the look of congested, oily skin.
Sucrose humectant: Sucrose is table sugar, used here as a humectant. It draws water into the outer layer of skin and, in a scrub, doubles as the physical grain.
Potassium Chloride mineral: Potassium Chloride is a mineral salt used to bring a formula closer to the salt balance of skin, most often as part of a sea-water or mineral-water blend.
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emollient: Shea Butter is the fat pressed from the shea nut, rich in oleic and stearic acids and unsaponifiable plant sterols. It is a heavy emollient and partial occlusive, which is why it sits in balms and night creams rather than in essences.
Cellulose Gum thickener: Cellulose Gum is plant cellulose modified to dissolve in water. It thickens, holds particles in suspension and gives a smooth, slippery body.
Hydrogenated Polydecene emollient: Hydrogenated Polydecene is a synthetic hydrocarbon emollient used in place of mineral oil. It is stable, has no scent, and gives a cushioned slip without oxidising.
Glyceryl Stearates emulsifier: Glyceryl Stearate is glycerin joined to stearic acid, and one of the most used emulsifiers in skincare. It holds oil and water together and thickens the result, and it softens skin at the same time.
Jojoba Esters emollient: Jojoba Esters are jojoba wax rebuilt into a softer, meltable form. They condition skin and give body to balms without the heaviness of a butter.
Cetyl Alcohol fatty alcohol: Cetyl Alcohol is a waxy fatty alcohol from coconut or palm, unrelated to drying ethanol. It thickens creams, stabilises the emulsion and leaves skin feeling softer.
Stearyl Alcohol fatty alcohol: Stearyl Alcohol is a solid fatty alcohol used to thicken and stabilise creams. Like the other fatty alcohols it is an emollient, not a solvent.
Sclerotium Gum thickener: Sclerotium Gum is a fungal polysaccharide thickener. It gives a smooth, non-stringy gel and holds an emulsion stable.
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax occlusive: Sunflower seed wax, used to firm up sticks and balms. It is softer than carnauba and gives a less brittle set.
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate emulsifier: Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate is an amino-acid-derived emulsifier. It holds oil and water together and is mild enough for formulas built for reactive skin.
Agar thickener: Agar is a seaweed polysaccharide that sets into a firm gel. It is the gelling agent behind jelly masks and thick sleeping packs.
Gellan Gum thickener: Gellan Gum is a fermentation-derived polysaccharide that sets a clear, brittle gel at very low levels. It is used to suspend particles without thickening the liquid much.
Trideceth-6 emulsifier: Trideceth-6 is a solubiliser used to dissolve fragrance and oil-soluble ingredients into a watery formula so it stays clear.
Ubiquinone antioxidant: Ubiquinone is coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant every cell uses in its own energy production. In a formula it is oil soluble, faintly yellow, and used for the look of tired, dull skin.
Dextrin thickener: Dextrin is a starch fragment used to thicken and to give a formula a light, powdery finish. It is also a common carrier for powdered extracts.
C11-13 Isoalkane emollient: A very light branched hydrocarbon. It spreads a formula quickly, then most of it evaporates rather than staying on skin.
Polyglycerin-3 humectant: Polyglycerin-3 is a short chain of glycerin units used as a gentler, less sticky humectant. It also helps oils and water stay blended.
Astaxanthin antioxidant: Astaxanthin is a deep red antioxidant from microalgae, the pigment that makes salmon pink. It is oil soluble, colours a formula noticeably, and is used as an antioxidant.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil emollient: Macadamia Seed Oil is unusually high in palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that human sebum also contains, which is why it absorbs faster than most nut oils. It is a cushioning emollient for dry skin.
Phosphatidylcholine emulsifier: Phosphatidylcholine is the main phospholipid in lecithin and in cell membranes. It emulsifies and forms the liposome walls a formula uses to carry an active.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 peptide: Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 is a six-amino-acid peptide used for the look of expression lines, particularly around the eyes. It is the peptide sold under the name Argireline and is water soluble and stable.
Cholesterol barrier lipid: Cholesterol is the third of the three lipids the outer layer of skin is built from, with ceramides and fatty acids. Formulas that carry all three are following the ratio skin itself holds.
Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate barrier lipid: An amino-acid-based lipid built on plant sterols. It structures the oil phase of a cream and echoes the lipid mix that already sits between skin cells.
Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate dispersant: A mineral soap used to suspend powders and thicken an oil phase, which is what stops pigment settling to the bottom of a bottle.
Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Sterols emollient: Phytosterols are plant sterols, structurally close to the cholesterol in skin's own lipid layer. They soften skin and help the oil phase of a formula hold together.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate emulsifier: Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier prized for keeping powdered ingredients evenly suspended, which is why tinted and mineral-powder textures use it.
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate antioxidant: This is a stabiliser that keeps the oils and fragrance in a formula from oxidising. Its job is the shelf life of the product rather than any effect on skin.
Guaiazulene active: Guaiazulene is the deep blue compound distilled from chamomile and guaiac wood, and it is what colours a blue formula naturally. It is used for the look of reactive, reddened skin.

How it works

The Vita-A Retinal 2-Step Gel Mask is a 4ea sheet mask, used after toner, in place of your serum step, in the evening. The active it is built around is Retinal, named twenty-first on its own ingredient list. The same list carries Niacinamide, Adenosine and Hydrolyzed Sponge, so the active is not the only thing on it worth naming. How much of the Retinal stays on the skin, and for how long, is decided by the sheet mask format rather than by the list alone. Celimax sells this Retinal sheet mask in Korea, and this is that version.

How to use

Apply an even layer to clean, dry skin, avoiding the eye and lip area, leave on for ten to fifteen minutes, then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Worth knowing

Patch test this sheet mask on a small area and wait a day before using it more widely, especially with Retinal on the list.
Retinal is on this list, so keep this sheet mask to the evening and build the nights up slowly rather than starting nightly.

Complete the routine

This itemCelimax The Vita-A Retinal 2-Step Gel Mask 4ea$47.50
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skincelimax Derma Nature Fresh Blackhead Jojoba Cleansing Oil 150ml$27.50
An as-needed step, in place of the prep layercelimax JI WOO GAE Heartleaf BHA Peeling Pad 50P$22.50

Total for 3 items$97.50

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celimax The Vita-A Retinal 2-Step Gel Mask 4ea

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Celimax, Korean-market original

The Original Korean Formula sheet mask from Celimax, 4ea formulated with Retinal and Niacinamide, shipped from California or direct from Korea.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about the key actives in this formula, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Vitamin A has a molecular structure that's tiny enough to get into the lower layers of your skin, where it finds and boosts collagen and elastin, which is a protein that strengthens your skin's flexibility.
Wilma Bergfeld, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Niacinamide helps reduce the appearance of pores in a few ways. By strengthening the skin barrier and improving elasticity, pores appear less noticeable and more even.
Ashlyn YankeAesthetician, Cleveland Clinic