Quick answer: the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum (Post-Blemish) comes closest to The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane: it has every key treatment active in it (Retinol). On price, both sit in the Budget tier. It also overlaps with 6 other products below.
Products the Resurfacing Retinol Serum (Post-Blemish) matches
The Ordinary
1 of 1
hero active matched
Same price tierRetinol
Why it holds up: Matches every key treatment active in the original: Retinol.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →3 of 4
hero actives matched
Pricier originalRetinolNiacinamideLicorice Root Extract
Why it holds up: Matches every key treatment active in the original: Retinol, Niacinamide and Licorice Root Extract.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →La Roche-Posay
2 of 3
hero actives matched
Pricier originalRetinolNiacinamide
Why it holds up: Matches every key treatment active in the original: Retinol and Niacinamide.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →COSRX
1 of 3
hero actives matched
Same price tierRetinol
Why it holds up: Matches every key treatment active in the original: Retinol.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →1 of 3
hero actives matched
Pricier originalRetinol
Why it holds up: Shares Retinol, but not the original's Peptides.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →Paula's Choice
1 of 3
hero actives matched
Pricier originalRetinol
Why it holds up: Shares Retinol, but not the original's Vitamin C and Peptides.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →The Inkey List
1 of 3
hero actives matched
Same price tierRetinol
Why it holds up: Shares Retinol, but not the original's Retinyl Retinoate.
Full ingredient analysis →See them side by side →Common questions
Is the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum (Post-Blemish) a real dupe?
It shares hero actives with 7 same-category products in our catalogue, most closely The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane (matching 1 of 1 of its hero actives). "Dupe" here means shared key ingredients, not an identical formula.
Does matching more hero actives make it better?
No. The match count only shows how many hero actives are shared. The base, supporting ingredients, texture and price still differ, so use the side-by-side comparison for the full picture.
Go deeper
Resurfacing Retinol Serum (Post-Blemish)
Full ingredient breakdown for this product.
Open the analysis →Educational information only — not medical advice. Overlap reflects shared hero actives, not clinical equivalence.