Skin Care Enemies and BFF’s: What Products Work Well Together and Which Don’t

Have you ever had a bad product reaction?

I have.

When I was testing out ingredients for my line it was a constant battle.

I was always trying to get the right mix to manage my acne and fine lines without sending my skin down the rabbit hole of breakouts or worse.

And if you’re like me then you’ve been there before.

That’s why getting this right is so important.

But instead of trying to figure it out on your own, I’m here to help.

Let me help you create a winning protocol without the guesswork and confusion surrounding your anti-aging routine.

I’m going to breakdown which products work well together and which, if any, you need to avoid combining.

If you read my last article on the anti-aging power couple, you might think “awesome, vitamin c and retinol twice a day, why not?”

But those products are the first two we need to tackle.

Retinol and Vitamin C can be your best friends… IF you use them at the right times.

How to Combine Vitamin C + Retinol

Vitamin C products like ours are specially formulated to combat free radicals caused by pollutants and the sun’s rays.

And retinol is my favorite when it comes to lightening brown spots and improving fine lines by increasing collagen production.

Should you avoid combining them?

If you’ve researched these products before then you might have heard that you should never combine vitamin C and retinol.

But, we need to go into this a little bit to stop this myth from spreading.

Yes, in some cases you should never combine them. But, since our Retinol does not have any water in it, you can combine them without any issues at all.

We have customers that use vitamin C at night with their retinol without problems.

The real issue is with how often you should be using retinol.

In my opinion, you should NEVER use retinol twice a day. That much vitamin A on the skin could be potentially irritating. Especially with a deep penetrating version like ours.

Now if you’re using store bought retinols with very low active ingredient levels that don’t penetrate like a molecular serum does? Then maybe you won’t notice either way. But that’s a whole other discussion.

But when you’re using a highly effective retinol? Don’t do it twice a day.

If this is a little overwhelming and you just need someone to talk to, don’t be afraid to ask our team and get a free skin consultation or join our Facebook group to talk to people in the same situation!

DO COMBINE: Vitamin C + Sunscreen in the Morning

Want to get the most benefit? Then simply combine your favorite Vitamin C product with sunscreen in the morning.

Then apply your Retinol at night before heading to bed.

Then you get the benefits of both worlds.

DON’T COMBINE: Acid Serums + Retinol

When it comes to acid serums, how and when you use them is very important.

They’re usually used to exfoliate the top layer of skin and help improve color irregularities over time.

But when combined with Retinol? They can cause excessive dryness, redness, and irritation.

That’s why we recommend using them at different times of the day or different days of the week.

To make it easy: Acids in the morning and Retinols at night.

Or, just remember that Retinols don’t combine well with acid serums, vitamin C and Copper don’t mix, and retinol twice is a no-no.

Or this handy bullet list:

• NO Vitamin C with Copper Peptides
• NO Retinol with Acid Serums
• NO Retinol twice a day.

Simple and easy.

OK TO COMBINE: Benzoyl Peroxide + Retinol

I usually advise people to apply retinol in the evening and use your peroxide treatments or acids in the morning.

That way you don’t have to worry if they’re going to cause a negative reaction.

But our retinol can combine with benzoyl peroxide to penetrate deeper in the skin if you’re using them at the same time, so I wouldn’t worry about combining them.

ALWAYS USE: Sunscreen in the morning.

No matter the dermatologist or skin care expert, we all agree on one thing:

Sunscreen in the morning.

The sun is one of the most damaging things we all have to deal with.

I carry three you can try depending on the situation.

As I like to think about it, no matter how much you’re spending on your anti-aging routine if you’re not protecting your skin from the sun, they won’t have as big of an impact.

Until next time,

Jennifer Tilney
CEO Platinum Skin Care