There’s no doubt that the likes of retinoids, exfoliating acids, vitamin C etc have become sought after by consumers increasingly looking for more from their skincare. “Actives” are ingredients that can have a noticeable effect on the skin through regulating cell turnover (in the case of retinoids), exfoliating mature skin cells (exfoliating acids), brightening the skin (Vitamin C – ascorbic acid) and even helping to stimulate collagen (certain signalling peptides).
When you look at these effects, why wouldn’t you want them?! They are certainly beneficial, however before you jump to add these to your routines, it’s important to understand that they may not always be the right choice for your skin and it’s also about choosing the right formulation rather than just grabbing something with the highest percentage of a given active on the product label. When having conversations with people about skincare, I hear so many comments like “I read somewhere I need to be using vitamin C”, without really understanding why it might not be the best option for them.
If you’re a long time follower of Apothaka®, you’ll know that skin barrier health is at the heart of our ethos and overall approach to skincare (it's not just a trend to us and we've been preaching it for several years!). We don’t promote the use of active ingredients for the sake of it, or to jump on trends. We focus on individual’s skin needs / concerns – always centered around ensuring any routine supports skin barrier health FIRST. Actives absolutely have their place, but like anything, they need to be used responsibly to give the best results (and by best results, I mean they address your concerns but also maintain your skin health). They’re not for everyone or may need to be used very cautiously, particularly those of you with sensitive skin and / or more mature skin types (who typically become more sensitive as their skin ages as the skin naturally becomes less resilient). For everyone, it’s always a balance between efficacy and negative effects and that balance will be different for each person – which is why we’re such big advocates for learning to understand your own skin, rather than simply following blanket recommendations.
Specific concerns for which actives can be helpful:
- Retinoids (e.g. retinal, retinol, prescription tretinoin etc): can improve photoageing, acne, and skin texture
- Exfoliating acids (glycolic, lactic, mandelic, salicylic acids, fruit enzymes to name a few): exfoliate to smooth skin and reduce dullness or breakouts
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid and Vitamin C derivatives): offers antioxidant support and can help to brighten over time
- Niacinamide: helps regulate sebum production and support barrier function
- (Signalling) peptides (like Matrixyl 3000, Matrixyl Synthe’ 6): can promote skin smoothing and improved tone / elasticity
If you’re not looking to address these concerns then you don’t HAVE to add them to your routine - tailoring your routine to your individual needs is the key!
Why less is better
It’s not the first time that I’ve talked about the push for stronger actives and the resulting consequence of an increase in compromised skin barriers. As people race to add the kitchen sink of actives into their routines because that’s what they’ve heard from influencers – 10-step routines, cycling retinoids with strong exfoliators, using 20% ascorbic acid even when your skin protests…. it’s inevitable that at some point, your skin starts to show the negative effects on what feels like an assault (and trust me, I know, I’ve been there myself many years ago before I knew better!).
When you need to slow down or take a break
Your skin will always show early warning signs of skin barrier disruption such as:
- feeling tight / dry
- redness, stinging or tingling after product application (even non-active products)
- an increase in sensitivity to other products you usually tolerate
If the disruption isn’t addressed, you’re likely to go on to see:
- breakouts (often diffuse / in areas where you don’t usually get spots) and “bumpy” skin texture (which usually looks like lots of small closed comedones) – note this is different to “purging” which may happen as a temporary, initial effect of using actives which affect skin cell turnover like retinoids and exfoliating acids
- flakiness despite moisturising
- skin feeling “raw” / sore / painful to touch
When you’re noticing any of these signs, it’s really important to stop the use of any actives as your skin won’t recover whilst you continue using them. In these situations, it’s crucial to strip your routine back to a very simple cleanse, moisturise and sunscreen – using “bland”, fragrance free products that will hydrate and replenish the skin (and ensuring they contain no actives) in order to let your skin heal.
When else to avoid actives altogether
- After professional treatments (peels, microneedling, laser) – it’s important to follow any aftercare advice provided by your aesthetician
- If you’re happy with your skin and don’t any specific concerns – this one is so important, don’t use actives for the sake of it. Many people can have really healthy skin even with a very simple routine (I know we’re not all that lucky, but it happens!)
When to be cautious with actives:
· Specific skin conditions (rosacea, eczema, acne when using prescription medications etc) – in all these cases, the skin barrier will already be disrupted so it’s even more important to exercise caution. Everyone’s skin is very different so you may find you can tolerate certain actives, but you will need to be very careful with overall formulation, strength and frequency of use
· Cold weather – can disrupt the skin barrier and make it harder to tolerate actives that you’re normally ok with. Again, it’s totally fine to reduce the strength, and / or reduce frequency of actives (or pause them) if you’re noticing signs of skin barrier disruption
· Perimenopausal / menopausal skin – hormonal changes cause the skin to be more prone to dehydration as the skin barrier becomes less resilient. As above, you can tweak your use of actives by reducing strength / frequency, pause use or even stop them altogether if your skin seems unhappy. Always be guided by how your skin looks and is responding
So hopefully this emphasises the need for a skin barrier-first approach. When deciding whether to add actives into your routine, ask yourself these questions:
- is my skin in a healthy state?
- do I have a solid core routine in place to support the use of actives and maintain my skin health (cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen)?
- does this active address my specific concern?
- is this active at a strength that considers my skin barrier health?
- am I avoiding introducing any other new products to my routine at the same time?
If these are all a yes, then introduce your new active slowly and gradually (start at a low strength and build up frequency over time). Incidentally, please ignore any brand guidance to use actives like exfoliators twice a day. At best, this is unnecessary and a waste of product, at worst it’s a recipe for a compromised skin barrier (and very bad form on the part of the brand!).
Actives definitely have their place but shouldn’t be used indiscriminately and they aren’t necessary for everyone, so don’t feel pressured to add them because of blanket recommendations (especially if they come from people with skin that tolerates anything!). Healthy skin comes from respecting your skin barrier and being consistent in your approach, and at Apothaka®, this feeds into how we formulate our products: gentle, effective, well-rounded for real, unfiltered, healthy skin – whatever your age.
Still have questions on what your skin needs? Feel free to contact our founder, Natasha for a personalised skincare approach that will meet your needs: hello@apothaka.com.
