Why Mixing Skincare Ingredients Can Be Bad For Your Regimen

One of the key components of having an effective skincare routine is understanding the ingredients for each product. The ingredients for the products are there because they blend well and produce results, but when combined with other ingredients, might produce adverse results instead. That’s why it’s important to pay close attention to the list of ingredients on the product labels, and to make sure that they blend well together with the other products you use in your regimen.

Here are two examples of ingredients you should not be mixing with others:

• Retinol – Vitamin A, also known as Retinol, is an anti-aging ingredient should not be mixed with any exfoliating acids like AHAs or BHAs. Why? because using both at the same time can damage your skin’s protective barrier, resulting in irritation and inflammation. Pairing retinol with lactic acids or salicylic acids can cause painful peeling, especially if you have sensitive skin. It’s also not recommended that you mix Retinol with vitamin C. The reason being that vitamin C is used to protect your skin against environmental factors like the sun, while retinol’s effects diminish with sun exposure. When using both, you should use vitamin C in the morning, and retinol at night.
• Oil-Based Skincare Products – One thing you should avoid doing with oil-based products is to mix them with water-based ones. Water and oil never mix well together because oil is hydrophobic and stave off combining with water. Choose one or the other for your product base, never both. If you’re prone to acne, use water-based products as oil-based ones can clog up your pores and make you break out.