Which Skincare Ingredients Not To Mix?

Build a smart skin-care routine and learn which skincare ingredients are not to mix!

You see your favorite influencer on Instagram talking about how a certain product totally transformed their skin to almost magical and it made you ponder whether to purchase it too.

Before heading out to your favorite skincare shop in Dubai mall or checking out online, do yourself a little favor and read this post.

More than just appearance, your skin is the largest organ and is essential to your overall health. That is why it is a must to keep our skin healthy at all times. There are skincare products that may be good for some but they may not fit in yours.

Remember that some skincare ingredients don’t play well with each other.

What Skincare Ingredients Work Well Together?

Incorrect skincare combo can lead to skin irritation and dryness, worse, it can trigger other issues as well. Before we delve into the DON’TS, let’s first check out what skincare ingredients work well together.

Retinoids + Peptides
Tea Tree Oil + Hyaluronic Acid
Vitamin C + Vitamin E
Niacinamide + Salicylic Acid

When used at the same time, these combos can even stimulate each other’s effectiveness, giving you, brighter, softer, and healthier skin.

Vitamin C + Vitamin E

Vitamin C boosts skin brightness and is also a great antioxidant. While Vitamin E contains hydrating ingredients that prevent skin aging.

One perfect example is Aloe Vera which contains both Vitamin C and E. It effectively fights free radicals and lowers oxidative stress on the skin.

Products to try:

Adding sunscreen to this combo is also a must!

Retinoids + Peptides

Retinol is a popular element in any skincare brand. One cannot deny its huge benefits in keeping the skin young and healthy. It also works by repairing visible skin damages like wrinkles and large pores by stimulating collagen production.

If you want firm skin, Peptides saturate skin cells and assist with growth and repair. When paired with retinol and retinoids, peptides can improve skin complexion and achieve smoother, firmer skin.

Try These:

Tea Tree Oil + Hyaluronic Acid

Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, and is lauded for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. It is a popular anti-acne ingredient by soothing swelling and reduces skin infections.

If paired with hyaluronic acid (HA), which is excellent at retaining moisture, tea tree decreases microbial count and interrupts breakout and hyaluronic acid provides hydration to keep acne-prone skin in balance.

You can try:

Niacinamide + Salicylic Acid

Niacinamide is a popular Vitamin B3 that pretty much manages everything from acne down to pigmentation, up to wrinkles. It is also a great skin barrier.

And if you have significant breakouts, salicylic acid is a popular choice. When treating acne breakout with salicylic acid, pair it with niacinamide for hydration and brightening. Niacinamide is also ideal for sensitive skin types due to its ability to tolerate acne-fighting products like salicylic acid.

Try these

Which Skincare Ingredients Are Not To Mix?

Simplify your routine and make sure all the ingredients are performing well by avoiding the combinations of the following:

Niacinamide + AHA/BHA + Vit C – Niacinamide and vitamin C don’t function well together in skin care because they can become inactive. When niacinamide is combined with any acidic ingredient, it becomes another element called niacin, which causes redness and irritation.
Soap-Based Cleanser and Vitamin C – Washing with a soap-based cleanser with a high pH, lessens the skin’s capacity to soak in vitamin C. Morning is the best time to use Vitamin C, it’s best to pair it with salicylic or glycolic-based cleanser.

Vitamin C+ Benzoyl peroxide + AHA/BHA – AHA and BHA acids and benzoyl peroxide, cancel each other out causing them less effective. Vitamin C protects and rebuilds skin while retinoids build up collagen, they are best used separately, Vitamin C in the morning and retinoid at night.

Wait, is there an exception?

There are new technologies that help ingredients to be gradually released into your skin. This is called microencapsulation. It works by giving a gap or putting a time-release element on opposing active ingredients.

For example, acids and retinol don’t work well together because they can cause immense skin dryness, but they pretty much work effectively in giving you brighter and healthy skin. Using the time-release technology, retinol can wait before an active acid ingredient can work at its full pH capacity before it starts unzipping its benefits.

So if you have a new brand to try that contains retinol and vitamin C, check out its claims on how its active ingredients work. And if they do have micro-encapsulation or time-release process then it should function just fine.

Takeaway

Timing is everything. it doesn’t have to mean you ban these certain skincare ingredients from your routine. You can first talk to your dermatologist about what is best for your type of skin.

Also, check if the products you are using contain ingredients that can’t be mixed. Give it time before applying these active combos or better yet, separate them into your morning or night routine.

Good Molecules, Skincare Tips

Which Skincare Ingredients Not To Mix?