Combining Brands

[AceofCups]

Hey beauts🔥 Gotta question about combining skincare brands. I’ll give an example:

• Youth To The People Adaptogen Soothe + Hydrate Activated Mist with Peptides 4 oz/ 118 mL 
• Youth To The People Triple Peptide Hydrating + Firming Oasis Serum with Hyaluronic Acid 1 oz/ 30 mL 
• Caudalie Premier Cru Anti Aging Refillable Cream Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid 

I tend to use these three in some sequence daily, and I am not seeing anything negative. However, it’s important to me to optimize the value of these items and also prevent any kind of diminishing effects one may have on the other. 

In the same kind of curiosity, I’d just like to know how you feel about this practice regardless of the specific items listed above. Now I come to you all to seek your valuable thoughts on this ✨

🤙🏼

[WinglessOne]

Hey @AceofCups ! I take an ingredient-driven approach to skincare: I study up on various ingredients*, learn what they realistically can and cannot do, find minimum efficacy amounts/percentages if I can (example: retinol’s effective at strengths as low as 0.02%), and try to ensure I don’t overload my skin with certain ingredients. I also know my skin pretty well, so I can predict how it’ll react to certain products based on what’s in ‘em. My skin’s quite reactive/inflammation-prone, but also mostly-dry combo, so hyaluronic acid’s a close friend—but it’s not the only humectant/hydrator I look for. (Eh, it’s in nearly every skincare product nowadays anyhow.) I like to pull in other ingredients that can support hyaluronic acid’s hydration efforts, like polyglutamic acid, PCA/sodium PCA, carrageenan, trehalose, peptides, etc. Honey’s also a good humectant, but my skin has a love-hate relationship with it so I don’t actively seek it out. 

Applying that approach to my skincare routine: I focus on what my skin truly needs and what I want products to do for my skin, consider which ingredients will meet those needs, and then look for products that contain those ingredients. The result is a mix of brands in my skincare routine. I can usually figure out which products shouldn’t be layered (on my particular skin) because I’ve studied or will study the ingredients. 

The 3 products you listed seem fine to layer. Hyaluronic acid’s a team player that gets along with pretty much any other ingredient, for instance. The only caution would be overloading your skin with HA: some people are skin-sensitive to high amounts of it. (Ditto for niacinamide, ascorbic acid, and others.) If your skin’s not throwing a tantrum, then you’re probably fine. I haven’t compared the INCI lists of those 2 YTTP products to see if they contain the same peptides (there are several peptides and, theoretically, they do different things—aside from hydrate skin, that is). But even if they do, that’s not a bad thing unless you wanna cut a product out of your routine for efficiency or cost saving. 

That was a long rambling way to say “yeah, I use a buncha different brands’ products on my face based on what my skin actually needs.” 😂 

*Some of my favorite resources are INCIdecoder, PubMed (especially when I can access full studies instead of just the abstracts), cosmetic chemists (Lab Muffin and KindofStephen, for instance), and my own dermatologist. 

[missjeanie]

@AceofCups @WinglessOne has great advice and skincare knowledge!!  Love her approach!

[WinglessOne]

Aw, thanks @missjeanie ! 

[missjeanie]

@AceofCups I'm not a cosmetic chemist or a dermatologist, but generally speaking I don't think there's any reason not to combine brands.  Every brand has duds and winners.  The three products you have listed are all what I'd call moisturising products.  No need to be concerned.  The only time I'd be worried about mixing ingredients in different products is if your product has 'actives' in it.  By actives, I mean different exfoliants or retinols.  I'd try to keep from mixing products like these, but instead alternate or at the least do a skin patch test to make sure your skin is able to handle the different types of actives.  In the end, if you're happy with the results you're seeing, that's what matters.  Everyone's skin is able to tolerate different things differently.  If you have a skincare goal in mind other than maintaining what you have going on on, or moisturising, that's when I'd be talking to your dermatologist or doing more research into what types of ingredients to add to this. 

[AceofCups]

That’s fire. Thanks a ton for your insights😊 Really appreciate it.

So, diving into the essence of your thoughts: @WinglessOne , you've shared a super detailed ingredient-driven approach. Love how you focus on ingredients' efficacy, avoiding overload, and tailor your skincare based on your skin type. Your method of mixing brands based on specific skin needs, while being cautious about certain ingredients like HA and niacinamide, is super insightful! 

@missjeanie I like how you highlight a more general approach, suggesting that mixing brands is typically safe, especially with moisturizing products. The key caution noted is about mixing 'actives' like exfoliants or retinols and the importance of skin patch tests. It's great to be reminded that skincare is personal and varies from one individual to another.

Your insights have really enriched my understanding! I'm feeling more confident about my current routine and will keep your advice in mind moving forward 🌞

🤙🏼