Been wanting to try azelaic acid for months now. Do you have a product recommendation apart from Paula's Choice and The Ordinary?

Azelaic Acid Product

If you only have to topically apply one humectant forever, which between glycerin and hyaluronic acid will you pick?

I'd go for the OG glycerin.🙈

Glycerin vs. Hyaluronic Acid

I'm curious, for those who don't tolerate leave-on salicylic acid well, do you do short contact treatment with it using wash-off products (i.e. cleansers). If yes, what cleanser/s do you use?

I used the Cerave SA Smoothing cleaneser, but since it's not as readily available in my country, I would appreciate some alternative recommendations.

Short Contact Treatment with Salicylic Acid

I want to try more mineral sunscreens this year especially after liking the one from Dear Klairs (Mid Day Blue UV Shield)

Any Non Organic Sunscreen Recommemdation?

Do you use retinoids? If you do,  share what brand of retinoid you are using🙈 I am searching for a decent retinoid to switch to.

Retinoids for Acne

Overall, I love how this product offered my skin a gentler option to use 2% salicylic acid and still derive the same benefits from it without irritation and sensitivity that usually comes with using BHA for an extended period. I can see people with oily and acne-prone skin enjoying this one. This is a great option for people who wants pore and acne care without aggravating skin.

Review~ @isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear Liquid

I have been testing this product for a few months now as part of the @isntree x @go.picky Create Me Project. I must say I have been thoroughly enjoying it!

It has actual salicylic acid at a 2% concentration. Along with it are some humectants like glycerin hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, and sodium hyaluronate. It also boasts chestnut shell extract which is said to help calm skin and control sebum. I have not read any literature about chestnut shell extract in skincare, but in my experience of using the product, I have not had any adverse reaction from it. If any, for a 2% salicylic acid, I find this product way gentler than the other 2% SA products I&#39;ve tried.

I use this in the morning twice or thrice a week depending on how my skin feels. I find it refreshing and hydrating. I always use cotton pads with this product to remind myself that this is a weekly exfoliating toner. It just feels identical to gentle humectant-rich toners that I had to make distinctions to not get carried away and over-exfoliate my skin. I focus on oil-bearing parts of my face (t-zone and inner cheeks) to help with unclogging my pores. With regular use of this product, I saw a significant reduction in how oily my skin gets throughout the day. The pores around my cheeks are also less noticeable.

The only reason you would think twice with this product is when you&#39;re not ready to deal with how demanding storing pure Vit. C serum gets to not ruin the formula.

This 15% pure Ascorbic Acid serum sits on a base of Seabuckthorn water at a whopping 45% concentration. It also has two Vit. C derivatives in the forms of Ethyl Ascorbyl Ether at 1% concentration and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (way more at the bottom of the list). Finally, Ferulic acid and Vit. E are also in the formula to help with Vit. C stability.
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I came from higher concentration Vitamin C serums ranging from 20%-30%, but I can immediately say that this is one of the more &#39;complete&#39; formulas I&#39;ve tried. It does come with a lower concentration but I honestly don&#39;t mind considering that you get extra beneficial ingredients anyways. Moreover, 15% is plenty enough for me, and honestly for most of us. So overall, I&#39;m impressed with the formula: short, but packed with nothing but beneficial ingredients.
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I use this in the morning immediately after cleansing or rinsing my face. It does not sting my skin, which I attribute to its slightly higher pH than other concetrated Vit. C serums. It feels lightweight and absorbs really fast too. One of the best things about this serum (at least for me) is its glowy finish! It looks flattering and healthy-looking imo. As I used it daily, I noticed that it helped heal active breakouts faster. It also helped with  the overall tone and look of my skin--I&#39;d say it made my skin look a lot healthier. It does have an odd scent to it that reminds me of toned down smell of nail polishes, I don&#39;t mind tho for so long as the formula is free of added fragrance and essential oils, which thankfully this is. It&#39;s probabaly just from the combination of all the ingredients.
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Overall, this has easily become my favorite Vitamin C serum for all the reasons stated above. This is a perfect introductory product for people who wants to start incorporating Vitamin C in their routines. The only reason you would think twice with this product is when you&#39;re not ready to deal with how demanding storing pure Vit. C serum gets to not ruin the formula.

What I didn&#39;t like about this is the fragrance. It has this fresh, herbal and manly scent that is not for everyone (including me). It does not linger tho.

Notable Ingredients:
▫️Centella Asiatica Extract
▫️Sodium Hyaluronate
▫️Asiatic Acid, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside
▫️Glycerin
▫️Green Tea Leaf Extract
▫️Licorice Root Extract
▫️Aloe Vera Leaf Extract

This sits on a base of centella asiatica extract, which is an amazing ingredient that has been shown to help accelerate wound healing. This also contains the 4 compounds derived from centella asiatica (asiatic acid, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, and madecassoside), which are calming. Humectants are also in the formula including sodium hyaluronate and the OG, glycerin. Some research-backed botanical extracts are also present. We have green tea extract for soothing, licorice root extract for brightening, and aloe vera leaf extract for moisture retention.

THOUGHTS: This, for me, is a humectant product, which means that I use it on a damp skin prior to applying occlusive moisturizer. Even though this contains alcohol high up in the ingredients list, I don&#39;t find this drying at all, if any it feels very hydrating. I like the texture. It&#39;s not a typical water-y gel as it retains its body even while your spreading it (but it still turns water-y as you massage it around your face or body). I tried using this during a breakout and it helped in calming inflammed, active lesions. I did feel a bit of stinging, but it disappeared after a few seconds (prolly from the alcohol)

Overall, I can see people with oily, resillient skin liking this. If you have men in your life who shaves a lot and do not have sensitive skin, this might be good for them especially as an after-shave gel.

Notable Ingredients:

▫️Panthenol
▫️Hydrolized Hyaluronic Acid
▫️Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
▫️Glycerin
▫️Vitamin E
▫️Oat Bran Extract

Thoughts: This product comes out gel-like with some almond shells suspended in it. I&#39;d  say the almond shells add a nice sensorial experience to handwashing. I was afraid they would be too much for my hands, but they were pretty gentle and pleasant.  Handwashing is not as boring with this product🤪 It lathers pretty well--not too dense but also not cream cleanser like.  I also love how it leaves my skin soft and comfortable, without the usual drying sensation after handwashing.

This one sits on a base of blueberry fruit extract which can be soothing and antiocidant-rich. There are quite a lot of literature surrounding blueberry fruit extract in skincare, so I&#39;m more than happy to see it contained in this product. This also has a derivative of vitamin in the form of ethyl ascorbic acid, which has shown promising data regarding its  skin brightening ability. As with all vitamin c derivatives, this one does not have sufficient amount of data with regards to whether or not it will yield similar effects pure ascorbic acid has been shown to  yield. Lactic and glycolic acid are also in the formula for skin exfoliation.

I use this in the morning thrice a week. Now, I know some of you may think that one shouldn&#39;t use chemical exfoliants in the morning as they make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Yes, but regardless of when you applied them, your skin will still be more senitive to the sun anyway as it is not a matter of whether you still have the chemical exfoliant sitting on your face, but a matter of what chemical exfoliants do to your skin that make it react  to UV more. Moreover, I am capitalizing on the antioxidant benefits from this product, thus I pair it with spf in the morning.

I think that this is a great product for people with oily and congestion-prone skin. I sometimes use this as a morning cleanser subsitute. It helps gently lift off excess oil and gunk from my skin using a cotton pad.

bareskin.care