In cosmetics, it is important to be careful about the active ingredients you mix together, as some ingredients can interact negatively, reduce their effectiveness or even cause skin irritation.
Which assets should not be mixed?
Many of these active blends contain retinol - an ingredient that we have excluded from our formulation guideline due to its high irritant potential.
However, we know that many of you use it, which is why we would like to inform you about the mixtures to avoid in order to continue using it safely (but we would rather advise you to switch to its vegetable version bakuchiol !).
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Vitamin C and Retinol: Vitamin C is acidic and can counteract the effects of retinol, a derivative of vitamin A. It is best to apply these two ingredients at different times of the day or use them on alternating days.
Our recommendation : we recommend the Vitamin C + bakuchiol duo to both fight against pigment spots and oxidative stress while preventing the appearance of imperfections (if you have any). -
Vitamin C and AHA : Used at the same time, these active ingredients can cancel their respective effects in addition to creating skin irritations or even pigmentation spots.
Our recommendation : apply Vitamin C in the morning for its anti-oxidant power and AHAs in the evening. If you notice redness or sensitivity, space out their use. -
Niacinamide and Vitamin C : Although some recent formulations allow them to be combined, these two ingredients can sometimes neutralize each other. Notably because of Niacinamide which reacts badly when it is in contact with an acidic pH.
Our recommendation : apply Vitamin C in the morning for its anti-oxidant power and Niacinamide in the evening. If you notice redness or sensitivity, space out their use. -
Retinol and AHA: Used at the same time, these active ingredients can create long-term irritation or even damage the skin barrier given that they are all boosters of cell regeneration.
Our recommendation : apply retinol in the evening and use AHAs in small quantities and widely spaced. -
Exfoliating Ingredients and Chemical Peels: Avoid using exfoliating products or chemical peels at the same time, as this can cause excessive skin irritation.
Our recommendation : If you have to do a peel in an institute or clinic, we do not recommend using exfoliating ingredients before and after the procedure while your skin repairs itself. Instead, use anti-inflammatory and restorative active ingredients like panthenol, aloe vera and ceramides.
We obviously remind you that it is essential to carefully read the labels of cosmetic products and follow the instructions. Each person has different skin and can react differently to combinations of ingredients so do not hesitate to do a patch test (i.e. test the product on a small area of your skin, it is often recommended at the elbow crease - unless you have eczema of course) before integrating it into your routine. This will allow you to see if you tolerate it well.
