There's a quiet signal in how this product came to exist. Numbuzin had a perfectly successful No.9 eye cream built on retinol, NAD+, and a stack of peptides. Then it made this one — same NAD+, same peptide framework, same line — but swapped the retinol for retinal. When a brand iterates and the thing it changes is the retinoid, it's telling you, implicitly, which ingredient it thinks is really responsible for the results. Not the NAD+ that headlines the name. The retinoid. And upgrading from retinol to retinal is an upgrade in the direction of efficacy, which makes this the more serious of the two eye creams.
The reason retinal matters comes down to chemistry. Your skin can only use retinoids in one form — retinoic acid — and every other retinoid has to convert to get there. Retinol takes two conversion steps; retinaldehyde, retinal, takes just one. That single-step head start makes retinal meaningfully faster-acting than retinol while remaining far gentler than prescription tretinoin, a genuinely appealing middle ground, especially for the thin, sensitive under-eye skin where you want efficacy without aggression. Numbuzin encapsulates it in cyclodextrin here, a slow-release approach that further tempers irritation. For firming fine lines and crow's feet around the eye, this is a well-chosen active, and it's the real engine of the product.
The peptide complex is the marketing centerpiece — '50 peptides,' which is exactly the kind of number that sounds impressive and means less than it implies, since what matters is which peptides and at what levels, not the headcount. That said, the recognizable ones are here and they're good choices: copper tripeptide-1, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 (Matrixyl), acetyl hexapeptide-8 (Argireline). Peptide evidence sits in the promising tier rather than the proven one, but they reinforce the retinal's firming message through a non-irritating route, which is a sensible way to build an anti-aging eye treatment. Combined with the retinal, you have two real angles on elasticity before the trend ingredient enters at all.
And the trend ingredient is NAD+, the coenzyme that jumped from longevity supplements into skincare and that the whole No.9 line is named around. I'll be consistent with how I treat it everywhere: NAD+ is a genuine and important molecule in cellular energy metabolism, but topical NAD+ for skin is an emerging, under-researched proposition, and you should regard it as a supporting hydration claim rather than the source of any firming you see. The smoothing comes from the retinal and peptides; the NAD+ is the name on the door.
Where the formula really shows its intelligence is the support system, which is exactly what thin eye skin needs from a retinoid. Niacinamide sits high in the list at a stated 4%, doing double duty — brightening dark circles and buffering the retinal's irritation. Ceramide NP and cholesterol provide barrier-lipid reinforcement to counter the dryness retinoids cause. Adenosine adds an anti-wrinkle and soothing note, and a rich base of macadamia, olive, and shea gives it cushioning comfort. This is how you put an active retinoid near the eye responsibly, and the formula does it well. The texture follows suit: a rich, faintly pearlescent cream that feels cushiony but absorbs into the eye area without heaviness.
In practice, the early payoff is hydration and a depuffed, slightly brighter look, helped by the niacinamide and adenosine. The retinal's real work — firming, smoothing fine lines — unfolds slowly over eight to twelve weeks, with a possible short adjustment period of mild dryness in the first couple of weeks that easing in every other night manages. That patience requirement is inherent to retinoids, not a flaw, but it's worth setting expectations: this is a treatment, not an instant fix.
Its limitations are mostly the retinoid's terms of service. It's not pregnancy or breastfeeding safe, full stop. It's nightly-only, needs daily sunscreen, and shouldn't share a routine with other retinoids or acids near the eye. The rich oils — coconut and macadamia — mean it isn't fungal-acne safe, and the macadamia makes it a tree-nut product worth noting for allergies. It's also not vegan, unlike some competitors. And as a 2025 launch under its own retinal name, it has thin long-term feedback so far. None of these are dealbreakers for the right user; they're just the boundaries of what a retinal eye cream is.
On value, the 20ml tube is a pleasant surprise in a category where 10ml pots at similar prices are the norm — you're getting double the product of the retinol version, and the tube keeps the light-sensitive retinal more stable than a jar would. At $25 (often discounted), it's fair for the actives on offer.
Where it lands: this is a well-built, genuinely capable anti-aging eye cream, and the retinol-to-retinal upgrade is the reason to pick it over its predecessor. Strip away the NAD+ branding and you have an encapsulated retinal, a real peptide complex, niacinamide, and proper barrier support in a generous tube — a combination that earns its price on substance. Buy it for the retinal, value the thoughtful buffering that makes nightly eye-area use tolerable, and treat the NAD+ as the trend flourish it is. For anyone ready to commit to a retinoid around the eyes, it's an easy recommendation.
