Choosing An Active

Most skincare ingredients have many purposes- here are my “top choices” for each skin goal! Always wear sunscreen, but be extra careful about sun exposure when incorporating exfoliants and/or retinoids, as they increase photosensitivity. Don’t exfoliate more than 1-3 times per week, y’all. + 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁/𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: • 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴: Retinoids > Ascorbic Acid > CoQ10, Niacinamide, Resveratrol, Tocopherol. • 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀/𝗪𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘀: “Anti-Aging”, AHAs, PHAs. • 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid, Hydroquinone, Retinoids > Ascorbic Acid, Alpha Arbutin, Tranexamic Acid, Niacinamide. (Many people have great results with glycolic acid, but I personally didn’t have any noticeable PIH improvement with AHA use.) • 𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗲: “Hyperpigmentation”, AHAs, PHAs, Salicylic Acid, Resveratrol. • 𝗘𝗻𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀/𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀: Salicylic Acid > Retinoids, AHAs, PHAs, Niacinamide. (I personally had minimal pore improvement with retinoids, but many folks get good results.) • *𝗔𝗰𝗻𝗲: Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Retinoids, Azelaic Acid, AHAs, Azelaic Acid, Sulfur > PHAs, Niacinamide. + 𝗘𝘅𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: • 𝗢𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻: Salicylic acid (BHA), glycolic acid (AHA). • 𝗗𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻: Lactic acid (AHA), mandelic acid (AHA), lactobionic acid and gluconolactone (PHAs). • 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻: Mandelic Acid (AHA), lactobionic acid and gluconolactone (PHAs). - All skin types can try any ingredients, especially BHA and PHAs, but glycolic acid is very potent so be careful. * Acne is very personal and probably the most finicky of all skin goals. It’s affected by stress, hormones, genetics, and so many other things. It is well-worth the money to see a dermatologist if you have persistent and/or moderate to severe acne. My acne wasn’t “controlled” until I started using tretinoin, a prescription retinoid, but I had good results in the past by using salicylic acid, niacinamide, and azelaic acid. > Is this guide helpful? > I’d love any feedback on what ingredients did or didn’t help your skin goal/type!