Today we are remaking a routine for Sadia20: "Hi I recently started skincare products and almost in my 40s. After my fourth child was born my complexion started getting darker so I started searching for skincare products to use. It has been so overwhelming for me because I don’t know which product is good for my skin. My PM routine:For cleanser I have been using Nature Republics snail cleanser. After that I applied Corsx aha/bha clarifying treatment toner which has glycolic acid. After that I sometimes use Beauty of Joseon ginseng essence water . Then I use beauty of joseon glow deep serum... It’s been three weeks and haven’t really seen any change in my skin but noticed I have more open pores on my cheeks and a little bit of redness . Am I overdoing my skincare products?.." https://whatsinmyjar.com/posts/1031/new-to-skincare
Yes, it sounds like Sadia got an irritant reaction from the skincare. The first step we recommend is to give the skin a break, and only use a sunscreen (for example, SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50) in the AM, and a gentle cleanser (for example, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gentle Cleansing Lotion) and a repairing balm (La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5) in the PM for one week. This should help restore the skin barrier and get rid of the sensitivity.
After this, Sadia can introduce powerful anti-pigment actives to her routine:
- Anti-oxidant and tyrosinase inhibitor (prevents pigmentation) Ascorbic Acid from NEOSTRATA 15% Vitamin C and PHA Serum
- Niacinamide and Bakuchiol from Keys Soulcare Skin Transformation Cream. Both actives help to prevent pigmentation and have an anti-aging benefit.
- Another powerful new tyrosinase inhibitor Thiamidol from Eucerin Anti-Pigment Skin Perfecting Serum. This active is only available from brands owned by Beiersdorf (Nivea, Eucerin). Unfortunately, all their potent formulations contain relatively high concentration of alcohol. They are also perfumed, but the fragrance is free from the most common irritants like Limonene and Linalool. Still, Thiamidol is a powerful active and we think it is worth taking the risk for it.
As always with powerful actives, it is important to watch the skin reaction closely and dial down the routine back to the basics in case signs of sensitivity come back.
A quick update on this routine: We've got a lot of requests to recommend a product that combines Thiamidol and Niacinamide in one. Unfortunately, I think it doesn't exist - we would need the patent-owner for Thiamidol. Beiersdorf (the company who owns brands Nivea and Eucerin) to come up with one - and they haven't yet. So the option is to use niacinamide in a separate serum - luckily, there are so many on the market. You can browse all the options here: Serums with Niacinamide.