Medical grade ingredients are now more available than ever, and we have access to a plethora of products that can turn our meager bathroom medicine cabinet into a full-blown spa! Hooray! 💆🏻♀️ But there are some times when too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. Kind of like Aunt Shelly and bottomless mimosas. 🥂 💃🏻
Estheticians and dermatologist are trained in concepts like pH, acids, and enzymes, and they (should) know which products can and cannot be layered together. If you love taking things into your own hands, here’s a little cheat sheet of what ingredients NOT to mix together.
1. Vit C and AHAs/BHAs
✨Layering an acid with Vit c will destabilize the pH balance and rendered the Vit C useless before it has time to work its magic. And we love VC magic!
2. Retinol and AHAs/BHAs
💫Mixing retinol with acids can lead to dryness and irritation and damage the skin’s moisture barrier. But retinol causes cell turnover, so AHAs and BHAs are great to use when using retinol, to slough off the accumulated old and damaged dead skin cells. Simply use on alternate days of the week to get the benefits of both!
3. Retinol with Vit C
✨Used together, they could cause irritation, peeling, and redness. We don’t want this! Best to use retinol at night and vit c by day.
5. Niacinamide and Vit C
✨If formulated by someone with a PHD, they can equal greatness. If formulated by you in your bathroom, mad-scientist style it could equal redness and acne breakouts. We love you, but this is not the time to live out your scientific breakthrough dreams.
6. Niacinamide and AHAs/BHAs
✨Acids have a low pH of 3-4. Niacinamide has a higher pH of 5-7. When mixed together the niacinamide will raise the pH of the acid, making it less effective and unable to absorb. I bet you never thought Chemistry class would come back to haunt you!