Sephora

mollymhorton

I just started using tretinoin about a month ago and I use the FAB moisturizer with it but I want to get something to help with the dryness/irritation I get sometimes. Any recommendations?

IAteABarOfSoap

I've been on tretinoin since I was 14 (PCOS) and let me tell you my biggest secret: centella asiatica.

Centella asiatica (often called "cica") is a specific ingredient very prevalent in K-beauty, but a lot of Western skincare products also include it. It is absolutely AMAZING for sensitivity, dryness, and irritation—it also helps strengthen the skin barrier! Additionally, there are very few recorded side effects to my knowledge. Using a product with cica has truly revolutionised my skin.

If you are looking for products containing centella, I would reccomend looking at some Korean options—it's just so much easier to find affordable items. My absolute all-time favourite serum is the PURITO SEOUL Wonder Releaf Centella Serum Unscented. (It's recently been reformulated and that's the new name. Mine came in the mail this week—I didn't think it was possible to love this serum even more than I previously did.)

It is AMAZING for soothing irritation. I was showing it to a friend at the store and after application, she went wide-eyed and said "Girl. My hand. The redness. It's gone. Look." I tried to convince her to get it online (because Sukoshi Mart is expensive) but she said she'd die if she didn't have it right that second 😅 It's also formulated with allantion & peptides which further aid skin texture and elasticity!! ❤️

Another popular option is the SKIN1004 Centella Ampoule. It's a classic & you can find it pretty easily—they usually have it at T&T. I’d prefer Purito solely because the ampoule is 100% Centella. I feel like having other ingredients brings more value to a product. However, if you just want the centella, it’s great!

Another one of my holy grails is the LANEIGE Cream Skin Refillable Toner & Moisturizer with Ceramides and Peptides !! A little pricy, but I'm genuienly just in love with it. The hydration cannot be beat, and the texture is just so good. Sometimes when I can't handle the texture of a thick moisturiser, I just add an extra layer of it, lol.

I currently use 3 moisterisers in rotation: The matching one to the Purito serum (Purito SEOUL - Wonder Releaf Centella Cream Unscented), the Purito SEOUL - Deep Sea Pure Water Cream, and the Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion. It really depends on how I'm feeling. I use the first when my skin is feeling extra irritated, as it is really good for soothing. The second one is my typical AM moisteriser. It's less thick than the first, and provides amazing hydration. However, it doesn't wear well under my silicone makeup due to it's high water content. So, I'll use Cetaphil when I'm either wearing makeup, or can't handle the feeling of something on my skin. It's the thinnest of the three.

If you're interested in purchasing Purito or SKIN1004, I'd reccomend Yesstyle! It might take a while to come, but it's much cheaper than retail stores in person near me, personally. There's currently a promotion that gives you 18% off everything with the code SUMMER24!! Plus, products go on sale pretty regularly. You could totally get a discounted price on the website at a later point! You can also get the LANEIGE toner there! I rarely see it on sale because of it's popularity, but it's on sale right now with the Summer promotion lol.

Good luck! I'll answer any questions you may have if you'd like me to ❤️