What Not to Mix with Salicylic Acid?
In today’s blog post, we’ll show you how to layer skincare ingredients and what results you can expect once you’ve established a well-rounded, effective skincare routine.
The main ingredient we’re focusing on today is the popular and effective beta hydroxy acid (BHA) called salicylic acid. So if you want to learn more about what ingredients you can and can’t mix with it, stay tuned because everything will become clearer by the end of today’s blog post.
What is Salicylic Acid?
Salicylic acid is one of the most commonly used beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) and is an oil-soluble chemical peel. It’s derived from willow bark and is hailed as an effective and highly efficient ingredient for fighting skin blemishes. You’ll find that, unlike alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), it can penetrate deeper into the skin and reach the underlying layers and pores to remove excess sebum, bacteria, and impurities that can build up over time and ultimately lead to acne and breakouts.
Oily and blemish-prone skin types generally benefit more from using salicylic acid than dry or sensitive skin. This is because salicylic acid has a smaller molecule size than other acids, allowing it to penetrate deeper into the skin. This is often why salicylic acid is too strong for some skin types and causes signs of dryness, irritation, and redness.
If you want to learn more about salicylic acid, read our blog post on its benefits and how to incorporate it into your skincare routine.
What should not be used with salicylic acid?
Here are examples of ingredients that are best avoided with salicylic acid.
Retinol and Salicylic Acid
These two ingredients are two of the most potent ingredients in numerous skincare products. The combination of these two ingredients is like a highly effective, double-strength skin nightmare, causing severe dryness, sensitivity, and increased sensitivity to light. If you want to use these two ingredients in your daily routine, try using a cleanser or toner with salicylic acid during the day and using retinol at night. This will help you avoid irritation but still achieve the desired results.
Glycolic and Salicylic Acid
These two chemical peels remove dead skin cells from the upper layer of the skin. Glycolic acid is considered one of the most potent AHAs, so mixing it with salicylic acid can lead to severe irritation and redness. Instead, if you use these ingredients, consider using them at different times of the day. I recommend using salicylic acid at night because it can penetrate deeper into the skin to clear bacteria, dirt, and impurities from the pores.
Now let’s look at skin ingredients that can be mixed with salicylic acid.
What can salicylic acid be mixed with?
The easiest way to determine which ingredients pair best with salicylic acid is to consider their beneficial properties and see if they complement what BHA does for the skin.
Niacinamide and Salicylic Acid
Since niacinamide is a water-soluble ingredient and salicylic acid is an oil-soluble ingredient, the two ingredients immediately balance each other out and work better together. Niacinamide has moisturizing properties, which means it can absorb every gram of moisture around your face and lock it on the surface of the skin. It maintains this effect throughout the day, keeping the skin’s protective barrier hydrated and full of complexion. By continuously moisturizing the skin, niacinamide can counteract the signs of dryness or redness that are usually caused by using salicylic acid. This allows the two ingredients to work harmoniously together to achieve impressive skin results.
Can salicylic acid and vitamin C be mixed?
When layering skincare ingredients, there’s one factor you always need to keep in mind: pH. I understand if the pH of your skin and skincare is the last thing on your mind, but hopefully over time it will become second nature.
Vitamin C has a reputation for being an unstable ingredient to formulate with, but modern technology and developments in recent years mean that vitamin C can be formulated effectively and maintain a relatively low pH. Salicylic acid, however, is a completely different story, as it’s more acidic. When the two are mixed together, you get – you guessed it – an imbalance and all sorts of breakouts. If you want to use both ingredients together, it’s best to use vitamin C as part of your morning routine. Then in the evening, you can use a salicylic acid serum or similar product to counteract any damage, buildup, and impurities that your skin has absorbed into your skin that day.
Can salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid be used together?
Yes! Some people think that salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid are a better combination than Batman and Robin. Similar to niacinamide, hyaluronic acid acts as a humectant, providing tremendous hydration to the skin, strengthening the skin barrier, and restoring balance, leaving the skin looking plump and youthful, with significantly reduced fine lines and wrinkles. Using these ingredients together helps keep your skin healthy and happy, with no signs of irritation or redness.
Can I apply a moisturizer after using salicylic acid?
Regardless, I highly recommend using a moisturizer after using salicylic acid. This will not only soothe and relax the skin after you apply the potent BHA to it. You’ll also find that the moisturizer not only helps balance and hydrate the skin, but it also forms a physical shield on your face, blocking as many skin-damaging free radicals as possible while helping all the ingredients (including their ingredients) work their magic.
Can I use more than one product with salicylic acid?
As mentioned before, salicylic acid is one of the most potent ingredients in skincare. Simply put, using more than one product with BHA is not a good idea. This isn’t because the ingredient isn’t right for your skin type, but because the acid’s small molecular size means it penetrates the farthest of all the acids, which combined with the exfoliating properties, can be too much for the skin.If you use salicylic acid in multiple products, you will find that your skin becomes irritated and dry, and redness and sensitivity may occur.
Here is a quick summary of which ingredients can be used with salicylic acid and which ones should be avoided. If you have any skincare questions, don’t forget to check me out on the Procoal Instagram.
