Right?
WRONG!!
Did you know that retinol and benzoyl peroxide will actually deactivate each other? And that’s just one example! “Okay, Bonnie”, you think to yourself. “I’ll just swap out the benzoyl peroxide with SALICYLIC ACID! HAH!!!”
Not so fast! Using salicylic acid and retinol will only cause redness and dryness. So unless you’re really digging the peeling, sunburned look, I’d advise against it. Another no-no combo I see a lot on social media is retinol plus AHAs. No, not AHA as in the band that came out with the song “Take On Me”. I’m talking about Alpha Hydroxy Acids aka AHAs. Retinol + AHAs can also lead to redness, irritation and dry skin.
The Vitamin C serum following is really picking up steam because it’s an antioxidant. The problem is that it doesn’t play nice with AHAs, depending on the formulation. Not all antioxidants are created equal so not all of them are able to withstand destabilization.
All this starting to make more wrinkles appear because now you don’t know if your products are working with you or against you? Before you start despairing, I want to ask you something.
What if skin care didn’t have to be so confusing?