You’ve probably heard a lot about common ingredients in skincare like certain vitamins and a wide array of acids. But what you might not have heard is how you can pair some of these ingredients to make them work together.
On the flip side, you do need to be careful with pairings since some of the best skincare ingredients don’t work well together or can even negate each other’s benefits entirely. For instance, vitamin A derivatives, like retinoids, should not be used with other active ingredients. That’s why you will find a retinoid like the Adapalene Gel in the ProactivMD® 3-Piece System, but benzoyl peroxide is separately featured in both the Proactiv® Solution Acne Treatment System and the Proactiv+® Acne Treatment System, where the two ingredients don’t cross over.
You should even consider potential ingredient pairings when choosing between chemical exfoliants to unlock a bit of hidden synergy you weren’t expecting. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are water-soluble so they can help smooth the skin while beta hydroxy acids (BHS) are oil-soluble so they can help clean your pores. You can mix them if you don’t experience redness and irritation when doing so. The mixture can be ideal for oily skin. Just like you could use an oil cleanser before a face wash to thoroughly cleanse hard-to-remove oil soluble makeup and sunscreen, you can apply an AHA acid before a BHA acid so they can work in synergy to exfoliate your skin then deep clean your pores.
Finding the best and most synergistic skincare ingredient pairings for your skin can help get your skin back on track if you are looking for a boost in the efficacy of a routine you’re already happy with.
Vitamin C + vitamin E combo
Vitamin C and vitamin E are the two celebrity antioxidants of the skincare world – like a celebrity power couple. Vitamin C helps boost the appearance of skin’s brightness while vitamin E helps hydrate and comfort your skin. Because they both combat different forms of free radicals, they work stronger together — brightening and hydrating your skin.
You can work the vitamin combo into your skincare routine by following the best practices of layering – starting with the thinner formula and layering up to your thickest skincare products. For example, if you were to work a vitamin c and vitamin e serum into the Proactiv+ Acne Treatment System, you would want to apply it right after the first step – the Skin Smoothing Exfoliator.
Hyaluronic acid and retinol combo
Hyaluronic acid makes a great companion to retinoids. Retinoids, derived from vitamin A, is a powerful anti-acne ingredients. But it can pack some pretty harsh side effects as your skin adjusts including redness, flakiness, dryness and itchiness. This adjustment period, also known as retinization, shouldn’t scare you off retinoids completely as it is often mild and only occurs for a just few weeks before your skin acclimates to it and transitions to reaping the benefits. You can even slowly introduce a retinoid into your skincare routine before ramping up to nightly usage.
Hyaluronic acid, on the other hand, is found naturally in your body, retaining moisture and naturally cushioning and lubricating connective tissues. Here’s where the combination between hyaluronic acid and a retinoid comes in. The hydrating, soothing effects of hyaluronic acid can offset some of the harshness of a retinoid by helping to strengthen the skin’s protective moisture barrier without interfering with the retinoid.
Retinoids like the Adapalene Gel in the ProactivMD 3-Piece System offer stronger skin cell turnover-boosting effects on the market. So using hyaluronic acid to help your skin adjust to a retinoid and counteract the side effects can be a great way to have the best of both worlds. The Ultra-Hydrating Moisturizer in the ProactivMD 3-Piece System features hyaluronic acid to help visibly smooth, soften, and restore the skin’s moisture barrier.
The bottom line
Even perfectly clear skin can use a boost every now and then. When you want to kick your skincare routine up a notch or improve your skin’s defense in a specific area, consider adding some synergistic ingredient combos on top of your proactiv acne treatment system. Plus, once you order and receive auto-deliveries of your chosen proactiv system, you’ll get exclusive access to product add-ons at the low member price to help give your routine some extra credit.
