Does your skin love retinol? Hyaluronic acid? Ceramides? I’m curious to know what ingredients are your tried-and-true skincare superheroes.
If you want, you can also share your skin type and what your main concerns are, if you’re feeling extra chatty in the comments.
I’ll start!
I have combination skin. My skin is dry on my cheeks and around my mouth, and oily in my T-zone. I have two main concerns: hormonal acne (UGH) and what I like to call my “experience lines.”
My tried-and-true ingredients are benzoyl peroxide, retinol, vitamin C (especially when it’s combined with ferulic acid, like in the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic serum). My skin also seems to respond well to beta hydroxy acid.
For the last few months I’ve been dipping my figurative toes into tranexamic acid for hyperpigmentation on my cheeks, but I don’t know if it’s actually doing anything for me yet, so the jury’s still out.
What about you? What are your tried-and-true skincare ingredients?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Tried and true for me are retinol for wrinkles (but in small doses so it doesn’t dry me out), salicylic acid for everyday to keep the blackheads at bay, and the occasional glycolic or lactic acid for a boost. Still looking for whatever will give me flawless, poreless, wrinkle-free skin. 😉
Gotta love the glycolic. I’d use it more if it didn’t irritate my cheeks so much! It’s so effective, though.
I hear you. Once or twice per month is really all I can handle for the glycolic peel. The retinol is worst for me in the winter. If I think I’m tolerating it well and don’t take a long enough break. it actually burns my crow’s feet area. That can NOT be good!
I have dry skin but deal with some acne and eczema. What’s worked is organic and natural. I use Honula in the a.m. (their cleanser, beauty water, youth serum, BS spf30 serum. At night I use Honey Girl Organics (also from Hawaii) which is olive oil and honey-based (their cleanser got me to give up my DHC olive oil cleanser). Their Rose Serum has Vitamin C from several natural oils and leaves my skin really soft and plump but it does not make me break out as many serums do. Most people think I’m about 7-8 years older than my husband. He’s 38. I’m 63.
Ooh, I’m intrigued by the Honey Girl cleanser!
I just started using tranexamic acid yesterday. I have a lot of dark spots from acne scars – and still get an occasional pimple. Like you I have to use my Kate Somerville Benzoyl Peroxide about every other to every 3 days to keep pimples away. I don’t really have any wrinkles, so that’s not a worry. I also started using Alpha Arbutin Brightening Serum. So, we’ll see. I just turned 70 – but thankfully most people think I’m in my 50’s. Keep exercising, that’s my secret.
I use a retinoid two or three times a week, for fine lines, and hyaluronic acid for plumping. I don’t like using a ton of products, so those two products, plus a thick moisturizer for my dry skin, and I slug with Vaseline.
I have mildly dry skin and never had any serious concerns before using several of the single ingredients that have landed on the market in recent years. I experimented with the latest believing I would have some glow, more even pigmentation, fight aging and so on. Diligent about use, layering, sequence, etc. What a bunch of malarkey!!! Created problems where there weren’t any: skin is drier, no glow that I can see, clogs where there never were any and so on. Fell for the hype – and have discarded all of it. IL, BP, Dr. So and So, Drugstore brand blah, blah, blah and others. Back to my simple routine of many, many years: double cleanse with an oil and specific soap, toner, day/night moisturizer. Lesson learned the hard way.
I use Vitamin C with Ferulic from Mad Hippie in the morning and have been using The Ordinary Retinol .5 at night with a moisturizer with HA. Trying to keep it simple.
Oooh, love this question and reading the answers! I have normal/oily skin now. It actually used to be dry, sensitive and reactive, and acne-prone. There’s been a lot of trial and error, but I’ve finally come to a place where I’m really happy with my skin (at age 40, wish I’d gotten there sooner but oh well). In the mornings I use BHA (to prevent acne), niacinamide (general skin health and acne prevention) and anti-aging peptides. In the evenings I use a gentle AHA toner for exfoliation, then azelaic acid (to improve skin tone and kill any acne bacteria, personally prefer this over benzoyl peroxide) , L-ascorbic acid powder (vit C) mixed with hyaluronic acid (for brightening and moisture), then retinoate night cream/retinol eye cream (anti-aging). It takes a moment, but it feels soooo good. ☺️
Agree with Brigid in her use of rose oil – I swear by Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream for dry, easily irritated and prone to eczema skin. Rose oil has also been shown to heal scars on burns victims, so it’s good for wrinkles too. Most people think I’m about 48. I’m 60…
As someone with “experienced”, yet still acne-prone skin with a tendency to develop postinflammatory erythema, I swear by my Tretinoin (keeps the acne in check) and helps with well-aging.
The others are Vitamin C in the mornings and hydration in various forms in between.
My skin loves oats and niacinamide. I also use a few topicals from my dermatologist that seem to be working well – one is a compounded cream with ivermectin (makes me giggle a little with the whole frenzy with it as a treatment for COVID), metronidazole, and azaleic acid for rosacea, the other is Differin.
Go Wonder Women! I dressed up as her as a child.
I enjoy this topic of skin care too!! I have somewhat sensitive but dry skin and try to keep my routine simple/gentle. I stay away from fragranced items. I’m working on hyper pigmentation spots.
Cleanser-cetaphil (basic standard one) or The inkey list oat balm and I use a warm wash cloth. I cleanse at night and splash with water in am
AM-the inkey list Alpha Arbutin and a mineral SPF: Ilia serum tinted , Elta MD tinted or Clinique pep-start daily spf (it’s tinted too)
Night- Cerave resurfacing Retinol serum
Day/night I moisturizer with cetaphil lotion. Antioxidants are great, and the SPF’s have that in it. Otherwise I use the inkey list pha serum.
Lip balm:Uriage cica balm and Vaseline
Just started using Drunk Elephant baby face once a week-can’t say I’ve noticed anything.
I have used vitamin C from mad hippie but didn’t notice it helped.
I reference Paula Beygion’s website for recommendations. It’s hard to sift through all the skin care advice and make sense of it all. I wonder if anything really does what it says it will 😜.
Thanks for the fun blog!
I have mixed to oily skin with some laugh lines…
In the morning I like Vitamin C and if needed Azelaic Acid (Dippin my toes in Tranexamic Acid instead at the moment, but can‘t say anything yet).
In the evening I like lactic acid once or twice a week and retinol on all the other days. Right now I am trying to get pregnant so I do not use retinol: I am using Niacinamides and Peptides instead. For the hormonal breakout around the chin I use BHA in the evening on the days when I use lactic acid.
Sooo interesting to read all the other answers!
I have super pale with redness late 30s white girl skin, so the biggest superhero that I’m kicking myself for not trying sooner is retinol. My mom and I both love the retinol night cream from Murad, other people could see the difference on me after the first time I tried it. One application!! I sound like an infomercial but holy wow it’s made a difference. There’s one from Olay that I like too and it’s a lot easier on the wallet.
Living in the high desert, hyaluronic has also become crucial. I’d call my skin combo leaning to dry and especially in winter I’ll just wind up a husk without it.
Tried-and-true: retinol (to ward off wrinkles), glycolic & lactic acid (to prevent breakouts), vitamin c (to deal with my undereye circles), and a physical SPF like zinc oxide (to keep the sun in check).
Still playing: I like squalane but haven’t nailed if I also need hyaluronic acid? ceramides? #sendhelp
(^^^I’m reading this and it makes my skin sound terrible – ha! It’s pretty normal, but it’s combination skin, so it needs a few things!)