What Skincare Ingredients Can You Not Mix?

With many brands now making single-ingredient products, many skincare junkies have become mixologists. While this is a good thing, it can take a bad turn. While some ingredients work well together to enhance the benefits of the other, others just don’t play very nicely when paired with certain skincare ingredients.

In today’s post, I will be sharing with you, skincare ingredients you should never mix, as well as skincare ingredients that don’t work well together. So If this is something you would like then…

Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or something…and let’s dive in

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Skincare Ingredients You Should Never Mix

There are so many skincare ingredients within our reach these days. So whether you deal with acne, textured skin, dryness, hyperpigmentation you just name it, there is something out there for you.

Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, retinoids, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid, vitamin C, and so forth, though beneficial, when paired wrongly with each other can do either of two things.

Counteract each other rendering the products useless
Lead to skin irritations

Below are some common ingredients combinations that don’t work well together and so should not be used at the same time in your skincare routine.

What Not to Mix With Retinoids

Retinoids are the gold standard for anti-aging, a function they are not limited to. They also treat acne and hyperpigmentation.

The term retinoid is used to describe compounds that are vitamin A derivatives. When applied to the skin, they cause an increase in the cell turnover rate, reduce the breakdown of collagen and induce collagen synthesis. Don’t you just love you some retinoids?

Retinoids and AHA/BHA: Retinoids are notorious for their irritation. They can lead to dryness and peeling. They shouldn’t be used with other skin actives that are also irritating such as AHA (glycolic acid and lactic acid) and BHA(salicylic acid). I know you may be like Gurl, but I need a chemical exfoliant in my skincare routine as well. Yes, you do, you can use your retinoids one night and your BHA/AHA the other night. Another way to use them together is to use a rinse off chemical exfoliant and then follow up with a retinoid if your skin can tolerate it. Try the Naturium Retinol Complex Cream, and Paula’s choice skin perfecting BHA exfoliant.

Retinoids and Vitamin C: Retinoids and vitamin C are both powerhouses when it comes to fighting free radicals, preventing and reversing signs of aging. However, they are formulated at different PH with vitamin C at a much lower PH. So using them together could counteract their effects and lead to irritations

A way to use both of them is to use vitamin C in the mornings when they can work hand in hand with your sunscreen to protect the skin, and retinoids at night when they can repair your skin while you rest. Try the Naturium Vitamin C complex serum

Retinoids and Benzoyl Peroxide: Benzoyl peroxide is an antimicrobial agent used in the treatment of inflammatory acne. It is remarkably efficient in killing the acne-forming bacteria on the skin without causing any bacterial resistance.

It is an oxidizer and so is very selective with ingredients it can be paired with. It is known to deactivate many skincare ingredients.

Benzoyl peroxide inactivates retinoids except for a special formulation EPIDUO which is an adapalene and benzoyl peroxide combo. Asides from this, they shouldn’t be used together.

Benzoyl peroxide Is also drying, so using this with a retinoid that is equally drying can lead to unwanted irritations. Try the Cerave acne foaming cream cleanser with 4% Benzoyl Peroxide

What Not to Mix with Vitamin C

Some formulations of vitamin C like L-ascorbic acid can be very unstable and irritating and so should be paired wisely.

Vitamin C and AHA/BHA: Using a vitamin C serum with an AHA or BHA will not only lead to skin irritations but could potentially render the vitamin C inactive. A better way to use these together is to use vitamin C in the morning and AHA/BHA in the evenings.

Vitamin C and Retinoids: As stated above, vitamin C and retinoids are effective at different PH levels so using them together could cause inactivation of the vitamin C and lead to skin irritations, you should use the vitamin C in the morning and the retinoid at night.

Vitamin C and Benzoyl peroxide: Though benzoyl peroxide can treat mild to moderate acne, and vitamin C can give you that glow, they shouldn’t be used together. Benzoyl peroxide oxidizes vitamin C and renders it inactive. So use them at different times.

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What not to Mix with Benzoyl peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide has few friends. It oxidizes many commonly used skincare ingredients from AHA, BHA, retinoids to vitamin C. It shouldn’t be used with skincare ingredients that contain alcohol and other drying ingredients as this can worsen the dryness and irritation commonly associated with it.

I hope you found the post helpful and you now know the common skincare ingredients that shouldn’t be mixed. If you have had any reactions to any of these combos please share in the comment section.

See ya