7 Skincare Ingredients You Need Now – What are the best skin care ingredient combinations for clearer, younger looking skin? Most skin care ingredients are team players. Of course, there are ingredients that don’t mix well (using retinol and vitamin C together can irritate your skin), but those are the exceptions. The best ingredients help each other fight against wrinkles, dark spots and acne. Use them together and you will see results much faster. Who are these superheroes? Here are the top 7 skin care ingredient combinations that work better together and how to use them to get the most out of them:
It’s made all the better when paired with its fellow antioxidants, Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid (an antioxidant on steroids that fights 3 types of free radicals!).
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A study conducted by Duke University found that “its [ferulic acid] incorporation into a topical solution of 15% l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and 1% alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) improved the chemical stability of the vitamin (C+E) and doubled photoprotection against solar-simulated skin radiation from 4 times to approximately 8 times, as measured by both erythema and sunburn cell formation. This combination of pure natural low molecular weight antioxidants provides significant synergistic protection against oxidative stress in the skin and should be beneficial for protection against photoaging and skin cancer.”
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Translation: Used together, they fight premature wrinkles and boost your sunscreen’s protection better than they would on their own.
This combination boosts sun protection, so use it in the morning right after cleansing. If you have oily/combination skin, you can simply add sunscreen on top and skip the moisturizer altogether.
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Niacinamide has similar properties. Although not exfoliating, it calms redness and irritation. In addition, it reduces sebum production and pore size, improving the overall texture of your skin.
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Using them together targets acne on multiple fronts, shrinking your pores and reducing inflammation (guess what acne is? Inflammatory disease).
Did you know that your skin has a protective barrier that keeps moisture and germs out? When this protective barrier is healthy and intact, your skin has all the moisture it needs. It looks soft. Supply. Full.
This barrier consists of about 40-50% ceramide, 25% cholesterol and 10-15% fatty acids. When your skin doesn’t have enough of them, all hell breaks loose. Mark the dryness. Irritation. Redness.
Research shows that applying ALL 3 ingredients to the skin improves hydration levels within 30 minutes! Much faster than using a cream with only one of the two ingredients (which can actually delay healing!).
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Morning and night, in your moisturizer, as the last step of your skin care routine. If your skin is not too dry, you can use it only at night.
Like all forms of vitamin A, retinol is an antiaging superstar that fights wrinkles and dark spots on multiple fronts:
The catch? Retinol is an irritant. When you first start using it, it’s not uncommon to experience dryness, irritation, and flaking. Ugh.
Enter niacinamide. This form of vitamin B3 has moisturizing and soothing properties that counteract the drying and irritation of retinol. How? Retinol disrupts the skin’s protective barrier. Niacinamide increases the levels of ceramides, free fatty acids and cholesterol (the building blocks of this barrier) to patch up any holes in it and restore it to health.
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Research shows that using niacinamide before retinoic acid (a prescription form of vitamin A) helps the skin tolerate it better. Retinoic acid is much stronger than retinol, so if it works with that, it will work with retinol.
Remember when I told you that retinol speeds up cell turnover? That’s a fancy way of saying it removes the oldest, darkest dead cells on the surface of your skin and replaces them with newer, lighter cells. Do this long enough and those dreaded dark spots will slowly return to their beautiful natural color.
AHA do something similar. They are a family of exfoliants (glycolic acid being the most famous member) that dissolve the “glue” that holds skin cells together. As damaged cells fall off your skin, they reveal newer, more even-toned ones that were hiding underneath.
Use retinol and AHA together and you’ll exfoliate at a faster pace than you would on your own. This means that dark spots disappear faster. But there is a price to pay. This combination is often too irritating for most people. Both ingredients can cause dryness, redness and irritation when used alone. Imagine how sharp they can be when used together.
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I personally recommend using retinol and AHAs on alternate nights, so you can get the best of both worlds without irritating your skin too much. But if you have resistant skin that has built up a tolerance to them over the years, you might get away with using them in the same serum or moisturizer.
Sunscreen is the MOST important antiaging product in your skin care arsenal. UV rays are responsible for as much as 90% of premature aging. You can use retinoids, peptides and all that jazz, but if you skip the sunscreen, they won’t be able to repair the damage fast enough.
It works like this. When UV rays hit your skin, they create free radicals. Free radicals are nasty molecules that damage collagen and elastin (the protein that keeps your skin firm and elastic), cellular DNA, and anything else in their path. Highlight wrinkles, sagging and dark spots.
Sunscreen works by absorbing UV radiation and converting it into a less powerful form of energy (heat), stopping the production of too many free radicals. But he can’t stop them all.
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That’s where antioxidants come in. Vitamin C, vitamin E, ferulic acid, green tea and co patrol your body looking for free radicals that have made it through your sunscreen. When they find it, they neutralize it before it can do any damage.
That’s why I recommend layering an antioxidant serum under your sunscreen to boost sun protection. Bonus points if your sunscreen also contains antioxidants (your skin can’t get enough of them!).
Sunscreen is always the last step in your morning skin care routine. Apply liberally and reapply frequently throughout the day.
Zinc oxide is one of my favorite UV filters. It’s true that it’s thick and can leave a white cast, BUT on its own it provides excellent broad-spectrum protection – without irritating the skin.
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Iron oxide is not an approved UV filter. But you’ll still find it in mineral sunscreens (ie, those with zinc oxide) to reduce white spots. That’s not why this combination is on this list, by the way. Iron oxide has another, more important, job. Increases the sun protection offered by zinc oxide by absorbing visible light.
FYI, sunlight is not only made up of UV rays. Part of it is visible light. Like UV rays, visible light can cause free radicals that accelerate premature aging (according to one study, 67% of free radicals are caused by UV rays and 33% by visible light).
Visible light also increases the production of melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. When your skin produces too much, you end up with dark spots. According to a 2013 study, “UV-VL sunscreen improves the depigmentation efficacy of hydroquinone compared to UV-only sunscreen in the treatment of melasma”.
Translation: dark spots disappear faster when you use a sunscreen that can protect you from both UV and visible light. If you have any type of hyperpigmentation, this combination is a must for you.
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If you’re looking to get the most out of your routine and get faster results, check out the skincare ingredient combos above. Just be careful not to overdo it with retinol and glycolic acid – it can easily backfire!
About Gio Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever—every day. I debunk skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth splurging on and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skin care consultations to help you create the best skin care routine for your unique needs.
Hi, I’m Gio! I’m a tell-it-like skin coach and author on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. Support me on Patreon Targeted Facials DermaSound Microcurrent Facials Chemical Peels Microneedling Eyebrow and Eyelash Waxing Gentlemen’s Skin Care Virtual Consultations
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As an esthetician, one of the most common questions clients ask me is whether it is safe to mix skin care products. People want to know which ingredients can be safely combined and which should be avoided.
The answer, as with most things in life, is: it depends. In this guide I will discuss which ingredients should and should not be combined and why. I will also provide a list of ingredients that work well and can be mixed safely. So if you want to get the most out of your skin care
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