You’ve just been on a skincare shopping spree and you can’t wait to try them all out. Each product claims to give you incredible results, and you can’t wait to finally achieve that glass skin look. So surely applying all of them twice a day is going to make that you able to achieve the skin of your dreams quicker? Unfortunately not. Despite all your new lotions and potions looking rather harmless, there’s a few skincare ingredients that you should never mix together.
Think of it like making an alcoholic cocktail. A shot of vodka or a shot of tequila are okay on their own or mixed with lemonade, but adding both shots into the same cocktail is going to make it stronger, inevitably going to give you a stronger hangover. Nobody wants a hangover.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) + Retinol
| Ingredient Name | Other Names | What It Does |
| Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) | – Glycolic Acid – Lactic Acid – Tartaric Acid – Citric Acid – Malic Acid – Mandelic Acid – Hydroxycaproic Acid – Hydroxycaprylic Acid | – Exfoliates top layers of skin – Brightens – Promotes collagen production – Reduces appearance of wrinkles – Reduces hyper pigmentation |
| Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) | – Salicylic Acid | – Exfoliates top layers of skin – Exfoliates deeper layers of skin and inside pores – Has anti-inflammatory properties – Dissolves blocked pores/skin plus/skin glue |
| Retinol | – Vitamin A – Retinoids | – Increase cell turnover – Stimulates collagen production – Fades hyper pigmentation – Treats and prevents acne |
AHA’s and BHA’s
+
Retinol
=
Irritation, redness, peeling, dryness
How To Use Them Both
Whilst some do suggest that you could use AHA’s/BHA’s in the morning and then retinol in the evening, I’d highly suggest applying them on alternative nights.
AHA’s/BHA’s and retinol are known to increase your skins sensitivity to the sun, so it’s best to apply these ingredients in the evening, and make sure you apply a high SPF in the morning, 30 minutes before sun exposure, and reapply every 2-3 hours.
So for example, if you were going to use these products on alternative nights, you could either:
- AHA’s/BHA’s one night, retinol the next night, AHA’s/BHA’s the night after, and so on.
- AHA’s/BHA’s on the Monday, retinol on the Thursday, and skipping application on the days in between to not over sensitise your skin.
- Using retinol once a week, and AHA’s/BHA’s 6 times a week.
- Use AHA’s/BHA’s twice a week, and retinol 5 times a week.
You get the idea.
Vitamin C + Retinol
| Ingredient Name | Other Names | What It Does |
| Vitamin C | – Ascorbic Acid (L-Ascorbic Acid) – Ascorbyl Palmitate – Sodium Ascorbate – Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate – Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) – Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDA) (also denoted Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate) – Ascorbyl Glucoside – Ascorbyl Glucosamine – Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate | – Brightens the skin – Stimulate collagen production – Fades hyper pigmentation and scarring – Fights free radicals – Treats acne – Helps repair skin damage |
| Retinol | – Vitamin A | – Increase cell turnover – Stimulate collagen production – Fades hyper pigmentation – Treats and prevents acne |
Vitamin C
+
Retinol
=
Irritation, redness, peeling, dryness
How To Use Them Both
AM – Vitamin C. PM – Retinol.
Vitamin C is know for fighting free radicals, so applying this in the morning makes total sense. To get the most out of your Vitamin C, you can apply both morning and night (since our bodies and skin go through a natural repair process when we sleep, the Vitamin C will have a stronger impact in the evening) , but if you have actives (AHA’s, BHA’s, Retinol etc.) in your routine, it’s best to apply them at different times of the day.
As mentioned above, Retinol does increase your skins sensitivity to the sun, and should only be used at night. Even after applying it the night before, it’s still really important to wear a high SPF the next day. There’s not point introducing Retinol products into your routine if you’re potentially going to cause more damage by not protecting your skin with a high SPF.
Vitamin C + Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs)
| Ingredient Name | Other Names | What It Does |
| Vitamin C | – Ascorbic Acid (L-Ascorbic Acid) – Ascorbyl Palmitate – Sodium Ascorbate – Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate – Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) – Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDA) (also denoted Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate) – Ascorbyl Glucoside – Ascorbyl Glucosamine – Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate | – Brightens the skin – Stimulate collagen production – Fades hyper pigmentation and scarring – Fights free radicals – Treats acne – Helps repair skin damage |
| Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) | – Glycolic Acid – Lactic Acid – Tartaric Acid – Citric Acid – Malic Acid – Mandelic Acid – Hydroxycaproic Acid – Hydroxycaprylic Acid | – Exfoliates top layers of skin – Brightens – Promotes collagen production – Reduces appearance of wrinkles – Reduces hyper pigmentation |
| Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) | – Salicylic Acid | – Exfoliates top layers of skin – Exfoliates deeper layers of skin and inside pores – Has anti-inflammatory properties – Dissolves blocked pores |
Vitamin C
+
AHAs and BHAs
=
Possible irritation
How To Use Them Both
AM – Vitamin C. PM – AHA’s/BHA’s.
Benzyol Peroxide + Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs)
| Ingredient Name | Other Names | What It Does |
| Benzoyl Peroxide | N/A | – Kills acne causing bacteria |
| Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) | – Salicylic Acid | – Exfoliates top layers of skin – Exfoliates deeper layers of skin and inside pores – Has anti-inflammatory properties – Dissolves blocked pores |
Why You Shouldn’t Mix These Ingredients Together
Benzoyl Peroxide
+
BHA’s
=
Dryness and mild/severe irritation
How To Use Them Both
Alternative nights ONLY IF you’ve not been told to use Benzoyl Peroxide twice a day. If you’re current using Benzoyl Peroxide both morning and night, lay off the BHA until you’ve finished your Benzoyl Peroxide course.
Salicylic Acid is often in acne cleansers, moisturisers and serums, so before applying Benzoyl Peroxide, make sure that the BHA isn’t hidden in the ingredient list of one of your products. Even if it’s really low on the ingredient list in your cleanser, you shouldn’t combine the two.
Benzoyl Peroxide and Retinols
| Ingredient Name | Other Names | What It Does |
| Benzoyl Peroxide | N/A | – Kills acne causing bacteria |
| Retinol | – Vitamin A | – Increase cell turnover – Stimulate collagen production – Fades hyper pigmentation – Treats and prevents acne |
Benzoyl Peroxide
+
Retinol
=
Dryness, peeling, blistering and mild/severe irritation
How To Use Them Both
AM – Benzoyl Peroxide (only if using a concentration lower than 5%). PM – Retinol.
OR
Alternative nights.
Both Benzoyl Peroxide and Retinol increase the skins natural skin cell turnover, so individually they can cause the skin to peel and flake. Combining the two can cause extreme peeling and severe irritation. Even though both are known for fighting acne, using them both in the same AM or PM routine will NOT make your acne clear up faster since they’ve been proven to ‘deactivate’ each other, but destroy your skins barrier at the same time.
This being said, this does not apply to prescription only treatments such as Epiduo – a treatment gel that includes both benzoyl peroxide and Adapalene (a topical retinoid).
