Aniela Dybiec
Aniela is a writer who loves art, makeup, and magick. She is also an amateur illustrator, a wellness fan and a vegetarian.+ info
Oh, how we love layering dozens of skincare products, but could it be bad for your skin? These are the ingredients you shouldn't mix with retinol and vitamin C,
Wh knows that retinol and vitamin C are the holy grail of skincare. They work wonders to even your skin tone, they boost collagen production and make your skin look supple, but can you layer skincare products as you wish?
Ingredients you shouldn't mix with retinol and vitamin C
Never mix retinol with:
Any acne treatment
Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid, compounds commonly used to treat acne, should never be mixed with retionoidm in fact, when used together they deactivate each other.
Lactic or glycolic acid
Both glycolic acid and lactic acid are active ingredients. Using too many actives on your skin can actually overload your skin, and cause micro-tears in the skin cells. It will actually dry out your complexion and we want to stay away from that effect.
Sunbathing
The effectiveness of retinoids relies on their ability to increase cellular turnover on the surface of the skin, this causes younger cells to surface. This is precisely why you should be extremely careful when exposing your face to UV rays. The new skin is prone to irritation or sensitivity when exposed to the sun, and this is why you should use retinol at night instead of in the morning. Make sure, you apply sunscreen every day when you include retinoids in your skincare routine.
Never mix vitamin C with
Citric acid
Vitamin c is known for its powerful antioxidant properties, however, if it's used with citric acid it makes your skin peel because the ingredients can destabilize each other.
We know that over-exfoliation can weaken the skin barrier function, cause inflammation, redness and it can also expose the skin to infection due to bacteria and fungus.
Retinol
Retinoids chemically exfoliate the skin and they can also cancel each other, or worse, they can irritate the skin, leading to sensitivity and dryness. You can use vitamin C in the morning and retinoids at night.
Just remember that when it comes to skincare, sometimes less is more, make sure to consult an expert before applying active ingredients to your skin.