Mature skin best products by science

[Anonymous]

I started researching active ingredients in skin care and found there's a lot of information to absorb.  This is what I found and would like to convert this to a best products list with everyone's help. If I missed something or made a mistake, please let me know.  I would like to use as many of these ingredients as possible in my routine but would love to do it with combo products instead of 100 different bottles daily!

What I found, Ingredients that help repair and/or rebuild skin and info related to that ingredient:

Retinol (vitamin A), use only in evening,  don't combine with other acids or vitamin c.

Vitamin c, best form is L-ascorbic at 5-15%,, combine with Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), and vitamin e (at 2-20%) for best results.

Niacinamide (B3) is not just for acne.  It does wonders for elasticity.  Don't combine with vitamin c or it will turn to niacin and give you a niacin flush (red and burning feel).

Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA), best one is glycolic acid, best in a leave on type vs using cleansers that wash off.  Use once a week and start out with a lower percentage to see how your skin responds.  Don't mix with retinol.

Other positive ingredients-

Polypeptides, growth factors, copper peptides, coq10, resveratrol, flavonoids,  hyaluronic acid (matrixyl), DMAE.

Now how can we fit all of those ingredients into the fewest products? Which products are best for these?  

I'm still looking for good products with coq10, copper peptides, and glycolic acid.  Any suggestions?

[tg1973]

NIOD, from Deciem which is the same parent company as The Ordinary, also has a popular copper product. For CoQ10, remember that it will be listed as ubiquinol in the ingredient list, so it is in more products than you may think. I get mine from my absolute favorite sunscreen, which is the Shiseido Japan Anti-aging one with CoQ10, available for$10 or less per tube on Amazon. There are also tons of other antioxidants like pycnogenol, green tea extract or EGCG (ECGC? I always forget), quercetin, resveratrol, ad infinitum that have varying levels of research on skin anti-aging effectiveness. It really is almost impossible to get every single one on your face. One product that absolutely PACKS these ingredients is UV Repair Cream from Skin Actives, a small doctor founded company out of Arizona. Their prices are crazy low, and this particular product packs more antioxidants than I even knew existed, including one that can only be found elsewhere in $$La Prairie$$ products. I can't urge people enough to check out this brand. That one product took years off my very pampered face, and I don't even have sun damage. It reeks of sulfur and is kinda greenish so it's definitely a nighttime only thing. It's also important to realize that most anti-aging ingredients can be taken internally as supplements and will help not just your skin but also the rest of you. CoQ10 in particular can help protect women from the increased risk of heart disease as we age. There are some antioxidant combo supplements marketed for beauty specifically, but they tend to be overpriced and have very small doses of each ingredient, often less than will prove effective. It can be cheaper and more effective to choose a couple of supplements that have one or two antioxidants in effective doses. Alpha lipoic acid supplements definitely make a difference on your skin, and anyone taking statins like Lipitor for their cholesterol should seriously look at CoQ10. Then of course, there's collagen peptides which will help your skin, hair, nails, and joints, but that's a whole other research project.

[curlychiquita]

@Anonymous, I've recently upped my skin care game.

- I've been using the Teoxane line, including the serum and day cream, for 6 months.  They contain most of thr ingredients you mention, but not the stem cells.  I buy it for the medical grade RHA & copper.  I buy it at Lovely Skin, which often has 20% off coupons.

- I just purchased the NuGene NuCell Universal Cream from Lovely Skin (20% code) b/c it has all of the ingredients that you mention in one place.  I may add the NuGene serum if I really love it, although I really do love my Teoxane serum.

- I hear great things about SkinMedica - the SkinMedica has the actual stem cells, while the NuGene has just the stem cell conditioned medium (but therefore smells better!) Dermstore often has codes.

- the new Drunk Elephant Protini has the copper, growth factors, and other peptides you want, but not the stem cells.

I'll report back on the NuGene once I've used it for a longer period (it's only been 2 days so far.)  I'm really interested in seeing if adding the stem cell conditioned media to my skin adds something.

[curlychiquita]

@Anonymous, I just started using the NuGene NuCell Universal Cream. 

Matryxl 3000 is listed in the ingredient list as:

"Steareth-20/N-Hydroxysuccinimide/Chrysin/Palmitoyl Oligopeptide/Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7"

Lovely Skin doesn't have a 20% off sale right now but they have one at least once a month, so I always wait for one.

[Anonymous]

@curlychiquita

I've never heard of NuGene.  I've heard of SkinMedica but haven't tried their products yet.  I do have the DE Protini but it's a bit heavy for daily use.  Thanks for this, I will have to look into your suggestions and give some a try!

[curlychiquita]

p.s. the TEOXANE RHA Skin Refiner Skin Radiance Smoothing Cream is 10% glycolic acid. I use it some days in place of the TEOXANE RHA Advanced Age Defense Cream.

[HarlemJPN]

Hi!

vitamin c and niacinamide can be applied together. For an acid to convert niacinamide to niacin takes a good amount of time and probably some energy (heating, agitation, etc.). Of course, it may be too much for someone’s skin to apply actives like this at the same time but it won’t affect the efficacy of the niacinamide or vitamin c. 

Heres a sample of what I use to maximize actives:

10% niacinamide booster from Paula’s Choice + PC C15 booster in AM (I use Drunk Elephant C Firma in winter) + Ordinary buffet all added by droppers into an essence of choice (Tatcha’s, for example, is nice, though not cruelty-free). 

I alternate acids: Drunk Elephant Framboos, P.C. 4% BHA, P.C. 2% BHA, P.C. 10%AHA

I add P.C. Omega Serum + buffet + 10% niacinamide to Drunk Elephant Protini at night

Rx tretinoin at night (Atralin)

But this May not meet your requirements since it is a lot of products!

[Anonymous]

@HarlemJPN you're right that niacinamide and vitamin c can be used together.  I found out after I posted the original post.  It's actually a booster to use them together but not recommend for sensitive skin.  I am still learning and some info out there contradicts other info.  Sometimes it's up to us to chose what and who to believe.

I used to use prescription tretinoin but it sometimes made my face bright red for a few days.  I should have just backed down in application instead of stopping altogether. It really does work better than otc retinol.

[Llamamama2]

Hi @Anonymous! Thank you for posting your research. As far as a treatment with copper peptides and other peptides, The Ordinary just came out with one. It is their Buffet plus Copper. They don’t sell it on Sephora yet but you can go to The Ordinary’s website or Deciem (the parent company) to order it. I just ordered it myself actually.

[Anonymous]

@Llamamama2 I missed your post, sorry.  I did see that the Ordinary Buffet now has copper in it and I want to try it.  I still have half a bottle of the regular Buffet left so I will probably just wait till I use it up.  I love Deciem products.  I wish they would do a better job of telling us the order of application though.  I want to be sure I do it right to get the best results.  

Did you get your order yet? 

[Loralar]

I’ve been using the Ordinary Copper Buffett for about 5 months now and LOVE it.. I do believe it has kept my skin radiant and really beautiful.. I’ll be turning 61 this month and do go to a plastic surgeon for Dysport & occasional fillers but they always remark on what amazing skin I have. I don’t do lasers, or anything else but do use a vitamin C in the morning, always, and the Copper Buffet at night that I alternate with the Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Exfoliating moisturizer that has amazing ingredients in it that don’t tear my skin up like Retinol does, but I wake up to super smooth, beautiful skin in the morning. 

[Llamamama2]

Hi @Anonymous. I did! I’ve been using it for over a week now so no immediate results yet but it is nice. No tackiness or pilling and I put it on right before my Vitamin C serum (which they say you can do). I look forward to seeing some great results. I’ve been getting so many compliments on my skin since switching over to The Ordinary products and using Korean beauty brands, so it’s true that these little things really do make a difference!

[megky]

I use a combo of all of these and I’ve found the best way for me is to do a light layer by patting on each. Make sure there’s a minute or so between application.

Start with a gentle cleanser.

Next I use a cotton pad and wipe my Pixi Glow Tonic on. (Glycolic acid)

Once dry I pat on a layer of either The Ordinary Vitamin C or Drunk Elephant C-Firma

Next I do a light layer of The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10%

Finally once my face has absorbed everything I do a light layer of DE Protini

Lots of steps but it makes a huge difference. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

It's so hard for me to wait between steps.  I give it around 20 seconds, it feels dry enough,  so I start with the next step - I'm probably killing the benefits with my lack of patience.

I've been alternating my acids, glycolic, niacinamide, retinol, l-ascorbic and not using them on the same day.  I wonder if I'm being too cautious and could handle more than one per day?  Do you have any sensitivity from your mixtures?

[megky]

I haven’t had any sensitivity and I use them twice a day. May be overkill but I’ve had good results.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Anonymous I rec searching beautypedia for "best of"  in the serums category and finding one with as many of the key ingredients you are looking for 🙂

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice!

[agelessgoddess]

I have been following this thread and am impressed with the research you gals have done!  I like hearing more about the Ordinary products.  I have the glycolic toner that I like very much.  I'm always astonished at how much more makeup it removes even after using micellar water to cleanse.  I am 69, but have very good skin with minimal wrinkles due to caring for my skin since my early 30s and staying out of the sun.

I tried the A-Passioni for awhile, but it caused some redness & peeling, so I stopped.  I find I can use it in Florida, but not Colorado as the climate is too dry. 

I will continue to follow your research and product recommendations.  Incidentally, if this helps, my dermo doc recommended Elta suncare products because they contain micronized zinc oxide, which is superior to chemical sunscreens.  You can purchase on Amazon.

Lastly, I have had two procedures done by my dermo: Thermage is a process by which radio waves penetrate the deep layers of the dermis to stimulate collagen growth.  I saw some results immediately & it continued to improve for another 6-8 mos. I may have it done again next year.  It's been two years so far.

I also tried the injectible filler Restylane for the parentheses around my mouth.  While it did nothing for those deep lines, it did plump my lips, which was a nice effect.

[GodivaRn]

Hi ladies! I’m a true skin care junkie and at age 56, I’m always looking for ways to improve on what I’m doing to fight my skin demons and have tried just about everything on the market. I’ve found an interesting product that I think is making a true difference in my skin. It’s Paula’s Choice Azelaic Acid Booster. It helps reduce the look of blemishes, even out bumpy a skin tone, lighten discolorations from sun or previous acne, and gives an overall brightening to my skin. It’s also being sold as a duo with her 10% Niacinamide Booster. I’ve seen great results by adding these two to my skin care regimen. I use a variety of products and have listed them in the order I use them, in the event it could help someone else. Most importantly is a good retinol or retinoid-my skin just couldn’t tolerate the prescription Retina-A, even using it once a week without any other products, or a number of other retinol products without serious redness and peeling, but it’s loving Dr Jeanette Graf’s Rejuvenation Retinol Complex (I bought a duo for a great price on HSN.) At night, I use this after washing, using Dr Dennis Gross’ Extra Strength Peel Pads, Tatcha’s Essence, and the Niacinamide booster. After applying the Retinol Complex (it’s a lotion,) I use a moisturizer that I mix with equal parts of the Azelaic Acid Booster (it’s a lotion/cream) on my face, neck and décolletage. During the day, I use all of the above, but only use the peel at night and switch the Retinol Complex for Tatcha’s Vitamin C serum, and of course a good sunscreen (I use Etla MD.) I know It’s a lot, but I have battled large pores, oiliness, discoloration from hormones, uneven skin tone, and lack of firmness, and this seems to be my magic combination for the best skin I’ve had in I couldn’t tell you when!!!  This comes after years of spending a small fortune on skin care only to be disappointed and having to give it away. I hope this helps any of you with similar skin issues. I’ve actually been told that I look like I’m in my early 40’s and complemented on my “lovely skin!”