Skin Care Product Slip Ups: Avoid Combining These Active Ingredients

If there’s one thing we know at SkinCenter, it’s that our clients are very serious about skin care. Many of our clients arm themselves with multiple skin care products. This is because they know that proactively protecting their complexion is the best way to maintain their youthful appearance. Effective skin care products work because they have powerful active ingredients that aid in beautifying the complexion.

For example, alpha and beta hydroxy acids exfoliate and address areas where the skin is patchy or uneven. Used individually, these products can safely and effectively help to achieve beautiful skin. However, some of the active ingredients found within skin care products don’t play well with one another.

You may love the effect alpha and beta hydroxy acids have on your complexion. However, if you use either of these ingredients in conjunction with retinol, you may experience excessively dry, irritated, and red skin.

How to Determine the Active Ingredient in Your Skin Care Products

In the United States, the FDA requires all cosmetic products, including skin care products, be labeled in such a way that an ordinary person will be able to read and understand the product’s ingredients. You can find product ingredients directly on its label, its packaging, or on product inserts. If you ever need assistance finding the active ingredients on any skin care product you use, do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our staff. We’d be more than happy to help you.

That being said, most skin care products are missing vital information from their product label: the potential negative interactions that can occur when incompatible active ingredients are used in tandem. We’re going to cover some common product combinations you’ll want to avoid below, but first we want to stress how important it is to have a knowledgeable skin care professional to turn to with your questions.

The truth is that online vendors, spa employees, and even the beauty counter team members at your favorite department store just aren’t credible sources for medical questions. That’s not what they do. When you have a concern about active ingredient interactions, it’s imperative that you seek answers from either a physician or clinician who specializes in skin care and skin health. There’s just no substitute for expertise.

Skin Care Product Ingredient Combinations to Avoid

Retinol & Vitamin C: While Retinol and Vitamin C can both do great things for your skin, they don’t work well when used together. The reason why has to do with what each active ingredient needs to deliver its full benefit. Vitamin C needs a very low pH of less than 3.5, while Retinol requires a more neutral 5.5 – 6 pH level.

Retinol & Benzoyl Peroxide: Retinol and Benzoyl Peroxide are both used to treat acne, but doubling up on treatments won’t help you get clear skin any faster. In fact, the opposite may happen, as the active ingredients cancel each other out, leaving your acne virtually untreated.

Benzoyl Peroxide & Vitamin C: Benzoyl Peroxide can also neutralize Vitamin C, while Vitamin C renders Benzoyl Peroxide’s healing effects powerless. You should never use these two active ingredients at the same time.

But Wait – There’s More!

There’s no way we can cover every potential negative ingredient interaction within the scope of this blog. The fact that 2 active ingredients don’t work well together doesn’t mean you’re forced to choose one or the other. It’s possible to integrate numerous active ingredients into our skin care routine and benefit from all of them. That is, as long as the products are applied appropriately, in the right amount, at the right time.

One of the services we provide is skin care guidance. We’ll help you understand what products you should use and when to use them in order to get the best results for your beauty needs. Our knowledgeable medical team will ensure that your dedication to skin care delivers beautiful results.

Want to find out more? Schedule your confidential skin care consultation today!

 

Categories:  Skin Care Products, Skin Care Tips
Tags:  active ingredients in skin care products, Benzoyl Peroxide, Retinol, skin care ingredients not to mix, skin care products, skin products, Vitamin C, Westchester Skin Care