5 skincare ingredients recommended for use together to deeply care for your skin.
By now you’ve probably heard every tip in the skincare books: retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid… these ingredients are all superstars, bringing out the best in your skin. But how well do they work with other ingredients? The answer is, it depends on which ones you’re talking about. Not all ingredients are friends, and some can even negate each other’s benefits.
So to help you get the most out of your bottles and droppers, here are five powerful ingredient combinations to keep in mind, along with the ones you should definitely avoid.
5 skincare ingredients
Vitamin C + Ferulic Acid
Ferulic acid fights free radicals to prevent and repair skin damage and prolongs the lifespan and effectiveness of vitamin C, says Dr. Dianne Mraz Robinson, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital. The most potent forms of vitamin C tend to be the most unstable, such as L-AA or L-ascorbic acid. This สนใจสมัคร? คลิกที่นี่เพื่อเริ่มต้น means these serums are susceptible to light, heat, and air.
However, when we combine it with ferulic acid, it helps stabilize vitamin C so that its antioxidant properties don’t evaporate into the air.
Vitamin C + Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another skincare ingredient, but when used in combination with vitamin C, the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University says the combination is “more effective at protecting against photodamage than either vitamin alone.” Both work by neutralizing free radical damage, but each fights different levels of UV damage.
Adding a vitamin C and E serum to your daily routine, or using a product that contains both, will give your skin a double dose of antioxidant power to fight free radical damage and UV damage than vitamin C alone.
Vitamin C + Vitamin E + Ferulic Acid
By now you’re probably wondering: If vitamins C and E and D, and vitamin C and ferulic acid are all good, what about a combination of all three? The answer is no: do you prefer stability and antioxidants? It’s the best of all worlds, providing triple protection.
With antioxidants like vitamins C and E working together to counteract the damage caused by UV rays, you’d think it makes sense to apply this blend under your sunscreen for extra UV protection. And you’d be right.
How to layer retinol and hyaluronic acid
From fighting acne to fighting wrinkles, there aren’t many topical skin care ingredients that can compete with the benefits of retinoids.
“I recommend them to almost all of my patients,” says Dr. Mraz Robinson. However, she also notes that retinoids, retinols, and other vitamin A derivatives have a reputation for being harsh on the skin, causing discomfort, irritation, redness, peeling, and severe dryness.
These side effects can be a deterrent for some, she explains. “Many patients have a hard time to tolerate it at first and experience excessive dryness, which can discourage them from using it.”
So she recommends using hyaluronic acid to supplement her vitamin A derivative. “It both hydrates and soothes without interfering with retinol’s ability to work.
As for retinol + collagen, there aren’t any studies looking at the effects of collagen and retinol together, as collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin. But you might find benefits in collagen-like peptides, which are smaller and can help improve the smoothness of your skin. One study found that collagen-like peptides reduced the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes for women ages 40 to 62.