No matter how careful you read the indications of your skin care products, chances are you are not yet quite sure you are working the right way with retinol. When retinol is used, there are some rules to consider. Some substances should not be mixed with retinol. In this post I answer common questions that followed my post about the retinoid of The Ordinary I published a few months ago. You are welcome to ask more questions here in comments and Facebook.

There are some particular skin care ingredients that can be very effective alone, but used with another component that does not fit, they may cancel each other's action at best, or cause skin irritation at worst.

Retinoid is a generic name for many derivatives of vitamin A. Retinoids are the basic ingredient in anti aging products. Retinoid helps reduce wrinkles, helps reduce pores, treats sun damage and more.

Can Retinol be combined with glycolic acid?

Glycolic acid helps improve the texture of the skin, minimize pore size and treat pigmentation. The acid is often found in a low concentration, in facial wash preparations. When you combine two strong active ingredients, there is a higher chance of skin irritation. Vitamin A derivatives work better on acid-free skin.

It is possible to combine retinol and glycolic acid, but it is worth paying attention to several points:

1 Never start with retinol and glycolic acid all at once, let your skin adjust to one of them at least a week before you add the second product. Add the second product gradually. This will tell you which product is guilty if the skin shows a bad reaction.

2 They can be used alternately, meaning one evening glycolic acid and the other retinol.

3 If you chose to combine them both at the same evening, wait at least an hour between them.

4 Add hyaluronic acid and gentle moisturizer at night.

5 The combination is especially suitable for oily skin.

6 This combination is not recommended for dry skin as this can cause the skin more dryness and irritation.

7 If you have sensitive skin – you should not use both of them.

8 Sunscreen.

Can Retinol be combined with salicylic acid?

It is not advisable to combine retinoids with salicylic acid. Salicylic acid, is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) which is used in many off the shelf products for the treatment of acne. It gently dissolves dirt and oil.

Retinol is an unstable substance and does not react well in combination with salicylic acid. Apply both to the facial skin together can actually hurt the skin. When using two powerful chemical peels such as salicylic acid and retinol, there is a very high chance of skin irritation and even inflammation.

In spite of it, If you really want to enjoy salicylic acid and also retinol, you can use acid at day and Retinol at night. Do not forget to use sunscreen.

Can Retinol be combined with benzoyl peroxide?

Anyone with permanent acne knows that Retinol and Benzoyl Peroxide are two substances used to treat pimples. Benzoyl peroxide is a powerful substance for the treatment of acne, especially inflammatory acne.

It is not advisable to combine the two substances, benzoyl peroxide can cancel the action of retinol. That does not mean you can not use both at the time, just not on each other. Benzoyl peroxide may be used in the morning, and retinol in the evening. Don't forget sunscreen.

Can Retinol be combined with hyaluronic acid?

Hyaluronic acid is a powerful substance and can hold up to 1000 times water from its weight. Which means it is the best thing in terms of moisture that can happen to your skin.

It is strongly recommended to combine retinol with hyaluronic acid. The use of retinol can cause mild dehydration of the skin and the hyaluronic acid will help to keep the moisture in. The combination is quite simple, first spreading the lightest product to the heaviest. If you use The Ordinary products, first apply the retinoids and then the hyaluronic acid.

Can Retinol be combined with vitamiv C?

No.

Vitamin C is an active ingredient that helps fight the signs of aging, including fine lines and uneven skin tone. Retinol and retinoids are powerful cosmetic ingredients that can treat fine lines, pigmentation and acne. When you mix these two active ingredients they can cause skin irritation.