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Knowing the right ingredients for your skin is key when it comes to skincare. And even more important thing to know is when to apply certain ingredients. There are certain ingredients that, if used at the wrong time, can make your skin concerns even worse. The reason why timing matters is that some ingredients react differently if exposed to the sun. It can cause inflammation, dark spots, irritation and even premature ageing.
Keep reading to find out which ingredient is right for you and which skincare ingredients you should skip during the day.
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Retinol
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and is a perfect anti-ageing agent. Its antioxidant, tiny molecular structure and exfoliating properties promote cell turnover, reduce dark spots, creases and fine lines, and rebuild collagen.
Retinol can be used during the day only with enough sunscreen protection. The latest versions of retinol have SPF which makes them safe to use during the day. However, estheticians still recommend to use them only at nighttime especially for people with sensitive skin.
Retinol increases skin’s sensitivity which is considered to be because of a thinning of the layer of the dead skin cells. It is highly unstable and degrades to biologically inactive forms if exposed to the sun.
You can try myristoyl nonapeptide-3 and bakuchi/ babchi oil during the day instead of retinol. They are great alternatives for retinoic activity minus the irritation.
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Citrus Oils
Citrus essential oils such as lemon, bergamot, and grapefruit are often found in beauty products like moisturizers and lotions. They are famous for their anti-acne, anti-oxidant and nourishing benefits. However, these oils are also phototoxic meaning they can cause inflammation, redness and discolouration on your skin if exposed to UV light. Citrus oils’ sensitivity to the ultraviolet light is due furanocoumarins found in them which accelerate burns.
If your skin care product contains citrus oils, you may want to skip it during the day and use a cosmetic ingredient called niacinamide. It is a traditionally used as a skin barrier building and anti-ageing agent. It is also considered to be a good ingredient for long-term acne care. Also, it helps protect your skin from UV damage.
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Hydroquinone
It is a perfect lightening and anti-ageing agent that shows results quickly. It also helps in clearing away the hormonal induced melasma or pigmentation and pimple or acne marks. It inhibits the production of melanin making your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Hydroquinone is stable in the sun but it is not recommended to wear during the day because the sun’s skin pigmenting effect is stronger than hydroquinone’s clearing effect.
You can use hydroquinone with sunscreen, carefully covering all the exposed areas with sunscreen as it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun.
You can use botanical lightening ingredients like liquorice extract and kojic acid instead as they are natural alternatives of hydroquinone.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids/ Beta Hydroxy Acids
They are mild chemical exfoliators that keep your pores from clogging. They also clear the dark spots and refining wrinkles and boost cell turnover allowing your skin to absorb better. They are perfect for acne-prone skin.
These acids shed off dead skin cells from the topmost layer of the skin which makes the skin more sensitive to the sun. Therefore, it is advised that you avoid these acids during the day. If you have to use them, make sure that you apply sunscreen lavishly enough to protect all the exposed areas.
While AHAs and BHAs can cause stinging feeling under the sun there are several alternatives that you can use in their places. Azelaic acid is thought to be one of those alternatives. It is found in rye, wheat and barley and it is useful for treating rosacea, acne, and melasma. It is also good for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that results with the sun-induced reaction.
There are gentler options like bromelain and papain enzymes and a mix of bamboo, glucosamine and pea extract that are proven to promote cell turnover. If you want to use AHAs and BHAs, apply them in a lower concentration and follow it by a moisturizer and sunscreen.
