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Skincare Ingredients Explained

Hand holding H.A. Intensifer serum against a grey background

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Glycolic Acid with Other Skincare Ingredients​

Hyaluronic Acid is the skincare world’s answer to healthy and hydrated skin. Naturally produced by the body, this effective humectant helps the skin to attract and retain water – in fact, it is estimated that HA can hold up to 1000x its weight in water. Unsurprisingly, this hydrating action can have multiple benefits on the skin from plumping fine lines and wrinkles, improving radiance, and protecting the skin barrier.

It's also suitable for all skin types depending on the specific formula as it’s incredibly lightweight and gentle, so it will not generate additional oil to blemish-prone skin types. This makes it ideal for pairing with active ingredients and soothing the skin.

Read on to find out which ingredients hyaluronic acid can be mixed with and the best way of combining them within your skincare routine.

16 May 2025
retinol

What is Retinol?

Pure retinol cream formulations can be used as part of an evidenced-based skincare regimen to help to improve the visible effects of photoageing. A form of vitamin A, retinol is one of the most widely researched and proven skincare ingredients available today. Retinol is a potent ingredient that helps promote cell turnover to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone and blemishes. Formulated with pure retinol and bisabolol (derived from chamomile), SkinCeuticals retinol creams are designed to ensure efficacy while minimising irritation commonly associated with the use of retinol creams.
10 Aug 2020
What makes SkinCeuticals’ products unique?

What makes SkinCeuticals’ formulas unique?

If you’re new to using SkinCeuticals, or are considering investing in our product range, you’re probably wondering what makes our formulas unique. From our ground-breaking research, to our stringent testing processes, here’s everything you need to know about what makes SkinCeuticals a leader in the skincare industry.
How to target and prevent blackheads

How to Prevent & Remove Blackheads

How to target blackheads  Blackheads are a common yet tricky skincare complaint that can affect all skin types, often appearing across the nose, chin and even cheeks. But how can you help to minimise them effectively and prevent more from developing in the future? Follow our expert guide to help keep your pores clean, clear and blackhead free.
A hand reaches for a dropper bottle from a set of three skincare serums, all displayed against a white background. The bottles are labeled "Serum 10," "C E Ferulic," and "Phloretin CF."

When and how to apply SkinCeuticals Serums: How to use multiple serums on face

Serums are a big part of the SkinCeuticals range, designed to help you achieve the results you desire. Whether you're targeting visible ageing signs, or the appearance of blemishes and discoloration, our range offers effective solutions. Discover answers to questions like 'Can you layer serums?' and 'Can you use two different serums for day and night?'. Moreover, explore the benefits of serums for your skin and find the perfect SkinCeuticals serum tailored to your specific concerns. Start exploring now!
A person is dispensing a glycolic cleanser from a tube into their hand, with a modern sink and faucet in the background.

The different strengths of Retinol

If there is one ingredient to include in your anti-ageing skincare routine, it should be retinol. A derivative of vitamin A, retinol is clinically proven to do wonders to the skin – from promoting skin renewal, to brightening skin tone
A close up of a woman with a pipette dropping a single drop of Silymarin on her fingers

How to reduce dark circles under the eyes

Are you tired of waking up every morning with dark circles under your eyes? Dark circles can make you look unrested and older than you are. But don't worry, if you want to know how to reduce dark circles, in this article, we'll explore the different types of dark circles, why they appear and, most importantly, how to get rid of them for good. Say goodbye to tired-looking eyes and hello to a brighter, more youthful look. So, let's get started!
18 Dec 2024
Close up of ferulic acid ingredient - golden coloured molecules

About C E Ferulic: Ingredients & Benefits

We reveal what exactly C E Ferulic, a high-potency Vitamin C antioxidant, is and what makes it our #1 Vitamin C Serum* sold by 10,000 clinics worldwide. Discover how adding our award-winning C E Ferulic Serum into your skincare regime can help you achieve the results you are looking for.
08 May 2024
Salicylic Acid Explained

Salicylic Acid Explained

Salicylic acid is a naturally occurring component derived from many plants and has been used in medicine for thousands of years1. It is particularly abundant in the barks and leaves of willow trees, which were used as a form of pain relief by many ancient civilisations. Salicylic acid was first isolated in the early 1800s2.
10 Aug 2020
Tips For Achieving Youthful Skin Overnight

Tips For Achieving Youthful Skin Overnight

Youthful skin overnight? You may be sceptical and we’re certainly not promising how to get clear skin overnight and reverse time travel while you dream, but science is increasingly showing us why products for use during our hours of sleep should be different to those we use during the day. By Vivienne Parry
Close-up image of Niacinamide skincare ingredient. Light, bubbly liquid with a soft champagne color.

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Niacinamide with Other Skincare Ingredients

Niacinamide is often an overlooked ingredient but it’s actually very beneficial for many different skin types. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that’s mainly used in skincare but B3 can also be found in foods such as legumes, grains, nuts, and fish. But what does it do when applied topically to the skin?

First of all, niacinamide can help to support a healthy skin barrier by reducing moisture loss and dehydration. It’s also proven to calm the skin thanks to its antioxidant properties, as well as improving signs of environmental damage like fine lines and wrinkles.

But when it comes to adding it into your skincare routine, you’re probably wondering how it mixes with other ingredients. Read on to find out the dos and don'ts of mixing niacinamide with other products in your regime.

02 Aug 2024
Woman lifting a pipette with a pink serum to her cheek

Everything you Need to Know About Hyaluronic Acid Serums

Hyaluronic Acid is one of the most talked about skincare ingredients of the moment, and for very good reason. Skin plumping, line smoothing, and skin-barrier strengthening, discover what this incredible humectant can do for your skin and why dermatologists recommend adding it to your routine.

A close up of a woman with a pipette dropping a single drop of Silymarin on her fingers

Find the Right Vitamin C Serum for Your Skin Type

If you’re thinking of adding an antioxidant into your skincare routine like vitamin C, there are a few things to consider first. The first is your skin type – such as dry, oily, or combination – and other main concerns you may have such as congestion, fine lines, and blemishes.

Ahead, we explain what to look for in vitamin C serums for your specific skin type, and everything you need to know before deciding on the formula for you.

07 Aug 2024
A woman receiving a facial treatment, lying on a table with her eyes closed, while a person wearing gloves gently applies a cloth to her forehead.

How to reduce the appearance of forehead wrinkles

Lines across the forehead usually appear in our thirties, gradually deepening as we age. But what can you do about them and how can you reduce their appearance? From changing elements of your lifestyle, to professional in-clinic treatments, and sticking to a daily skincare routine, we reveal three of our most effective tips.
close up of woman’s face, looking into the distance and swiping a reflective cream product onto her cheek

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Retinol With Other Skincare Ingredients

Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and one of the most effective skincare ingredients. Dermatologists love it for its ability to improve a variety of skin concerns, from pigmentation, to visible signs of ageing, to dullness. But as this powerful ingredient has an exfoliating action on the skin, it can cause some photo-sensitivity, so it needs to be used carefully – especially with other products.

Read on to find out the dos and don’ts of mixing retinol with other skincare ingredients!

02 Oct 2024
close up of woman dispensing a golden serum onto her fingertips

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Salicylic Acid With Other Skincare Ingredients

Salicylic acid is considered a wonder ingredient for blemish-prone skin due to the way it promotes the skin’s natural exfoliation process. It’s a beta-hydroxy acid which means it effectively penetrates the pores and sheds dead skin cells.

How to use it within an existing routine? When used correctly, salicylic acid can also be used with a range of other skincare ingredients but it’s important to ensure they complement one another. Read on to learn how to safely use salicylic acid and understand how it works with other ingredients.

03 Oct 2024
Close up: A pump of pale yellow serum sits untouched on a woman's cheek. Her hand rests on the side of her face.

How To Use a Vitamin C Serum on Your Face at Night

Learn how you can elevate your night time skincare routine by using a vitamin C serum. From preparation to application, we've got your night skincare application of vitamin C covered. Read on to learn more.
02 Aug 2024
Hyaluronic acid benefits for skin

Hyaluronic acid benefits for skin

Revered for its plumping, smoothing and soothing benefits, hyaluronic acid is regarded as one of the best skincare ingredients available. Here we reveal why you should introduce this super humectant into your skincare routine and how to find the right hyaluronic acid serum in the SkinCeuticals range - no matter your skin type.
Hand holding H.A. Intensifer serum against a grey background

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Hyaluronic Acid with Other Skincare Ingredients​

Hyaluronic Acid is the skincare world’s answer to healthy and hydrated skin. Naturally produced by the body, this effective humectant helps the skin to attract and retain water – in fact, it is estimated that HA can hold up to 1000x its weight in water. Unsurprisingly, this hydrating action can have multiple benefits on the skin from plumping fine lines and wrinkles, improving radiance, and protecting the skin barrier.

It's also suitable for all skin types depending on the specific formula as it’s incredibly lightweight and gentle, so it will not generate additional oil to blemish-prone skin types. This makes it ideal for pairing with active ingredients and soothing the skin.

Read on to find out which ingredients hyaluronic acid can be mixed with and the best way of combining them within your skincare routine.

24 Jul 2024
ferulic acid

How to help prevent and manage neck wrinkles

Many of us pay plenty of attention to the skin on our faces while completely forgetting about the more delicate area of the neck. But the neck is actually a vital area to include in your routine as the dermis - the layer of skin that holds collagen - is actually much thinner in this area. This means that it also produces fewer lipids, making the skin barrier weaker and more prone to ageing signs and damage.

Read on to find out how to care for the skin on your neck and treat pre-existing ageing signs effectively.

A close up of a woman with a pipette dropping a single drop of Silymarin on her fingers

How to Apply Face Serum for Maximum Results

If you aren’t getting the results you crave from your current skincare routine, a facial serum could be the crucial middle step that you’re missing. From improving skin texture, to reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and diminishing the appearance of discolouration, facial serums can target specific concerns and deliver active ingredients to the deeper layers of the skin.
Ahead, we explain how to apply serum on face properly for best results and why you should add one to your regime.
19 May 2025
A woman’s hand delicately holds a dropper, dispensing a golden serum onto her fingertips


The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Vitamin C With Other Skincare Ingredients

Vitamin C, or L–Ascorbic Acid (a pure form of Vitamin C) as it’s also known, is lauded as one of the most powerful skincare ingredients and for very good reason. While we absorb vitamin C from antioxidant-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables, its benefits can also be enjoyed when it’s applied topically to the skin.

This powerful antioxidant helps to neutralise free radicals in the environment and protect the skin from oxidative stress. This can help to brighten the complexion and prevent premature ageing signs caused by environmental damage.

Another major benefit of vitamin C is that it complements well with many other skincare ingredients, and introducing the ingredient into your routine will generate visible results. Here we answer some of your most common.

22 Jul 2024
Two tubes of skincare products are positioned on a background of orange and white paper. One tube is labeled "Retinol 0.3" and features a black tip, while the other, smaller tube also displays the brand name "Skinceuticals."

Retinol vs retinoid: What's the difference?

Retinol and retinoids have created a buzz in the beauty industry for quite some time, lauded for the way they increase cell turnover in the skin and improve skin tone and texture. But how do retinoids and retinol differ and which one is right for you? Read on to find the answers to five of the most common questions around these supercharged ingredients.
A skincare product display featuring two tubes: Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight treatment and Glycolic Renewal Cleanser Gel from SkinCeuticals, with a creamy background.

Skin Smoothing

No matter your skin type, soft, smooth skin is something we all strive for. In this simple guide, we share three ways to achieve it with serums, professional treatments and night creams and highlight the SkinCeuticals products that can help.
A bottle of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum is placed alongside orange peel shavings on white petri dishes, showcasing the product and its ingredients.

The Dos & Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients

Whether you’re a skincare pro or a complete beginner, understanding which skincare ingredients can be combined together can be confusing. Why is it important? Some active ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C can irritate the skin if used in conjunction with exfoliants such as acids, while more gentle humectants such as hyaluronic acid can make a harmonious pairing with just about everything.
A dropper releasing a drop of liquid from a brown glass bottle of SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF, set against a gradient turquoise background.

Silymarin Explained

Silymarin is a powerful antioxidant known for its ability to calm the skin, reduce ageing signs and protect the skin from environmental damage. Read on to find out more about what it is, where it comes from and how it can help to benefit your skincare routine.
hydroxy acids

A Guide to AHAs

What you want is smooth, even and dewy skin, but what you see in your mirror after a long winter is dull and lacklustre reflection. With summer just a few warm breezes away, help is at hand. Meet hydroxy acids. By Vivienne Parry
10 Aug 2020
A close up swatch of a pale yellow formula, containing ferulic acid, against a white background

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Ferulic Acid with Other Skincare Ingredients

You may be quite familiar with antioxidants such as vitamin C but what about ferulic acid? Ferulic acid was traditionally used in skincare products to stabilize other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E. But in more recent years, it’s started to enjoy more of the spotlight, recognised for its own unique properties such as improving skin tone, and targeting visible ageing signs.

Found in the cell walls of plants such as spinach, apples, and artichokes, ferulic acid is a naturally occurring compound that’s part of a group of chemicals called hydroxycinnamic acids. This means that it can improve the effectiveness of other skincare products while inhibiting the enzymes that create melanin. In short, not only can it neutralize free radicals in our everyday environment, but it’s excellent at helping skin concerns that stem from excess pigment such as hyperpigmentation.

So far, so brilliant. But while we know that it’s certainly a team player with antioxidants, how does it mix with other ingredients in your skincare routine? Read on to discover the do’s and don’t’s of using ferulic acid.

20 Aug 2024
Man applying an eye cream under his eye

How to choose the best eye cream for your eyes

The skin around the eyes is particularly delicate, making it more prone to wrinklesand dark circles- That's why it's benefinicial yo find the right eye cream that addresses these specific concerns. in this warticles, we'll talk what an eye contour is, the essential componets of a good eye contour product, how to avoid dark circles, and which producrs to choose for the best results.

20 May 2025
A person is dispensing a gel cleanser from a tube into their hand while standing near a bathroom faucet with running water.

How to exfoliate your face

From dullness, to congestion, smoothness and even helping the skin to absorb products better, exfoliation is a vital step in every woman’s skincare routine. But what is the best way to safely exfoliate your face and what do you need to know?
A woman receiving a facial treatment in a spa setting, with skincare products from SkinCeuticals displayed in the foreground. A technician is gently applying a product to the woman's face.

Home Facial Massage Guide

From reducing tension, to treating the physical symptoms of stressed skin, and revealing a rejuvenated and radiant complexion, discover the many benefits of facial massage.
Diagram of the molecular structure of Resveratrol, labeled with its chemical formula C14H12O3, alongside a pen on a notepad with grid lines.

The Benefits of Resveratrol on Skin

Over the past 10 years, resveratrol has come to be known as the “longevity molecule.” Resveratrol works in a number of ways to improve skin function and appearance, and studies have proven it to be one of the top antioxidants in anti-ageing skincare. This potent antioxidant’s unique multi-action approach helps neutralise free radicals, which damage cells leading to tissue damage, and promotes the production of the skin’s natural antioxidants1
A person is dispensing a facial cleanser from a tube into their hand near a bathroom sink with running water.

What is azelaic acid?

Discover how azelaic acid can benefit blemish-prone skin and the best way of introducing it to your skincare routine. When it comes to acids, glycolic, salicylic and lactic have been revered for their blemish fighting and skin-smoothing properties for quite some time. But did you know that, while a little less well known, azelaic acid can be just as powerful? Here’s everything you need to know about this ingredient and how to add it into your routine.
glycolic acid

What does glycolic acid do and how should you use it?

A Guide to Glycolic Acid
Glycolic Acid is revered by skincare experts for the gentle yet effective way it targets skincare concerns. Read on to discover the benefits of one of the beauty industry’s favourite ingredients and how it can fit into your everyday routine.
10 Aug 2020
Close up texture shot of Phyto A+ Brightening Treatment – a pale green moisturiser with a raked effect running through

The Dos & Don’ts of Mixing Azelaic Acid With Other Skincare Ingredients

The gentle exfoliator azelaic acid has plenty of benefits when used in skincare formulations. In fact, this naturally derived dicarboxylic acid, found in grains such as wheat and barley, is particularly beneficial when used on blemish-prone skin.

This is due to the way that azelaic acid clears the pores, helping to prevent future blemishes and improve the appearance of existing imperfections. It also increases skin-cell turnover, but as this action can cause some dryness and flaking, it’s important to combine it with complementary ingredients that will keep the skin hydrated.

Read on to find out the do’s and don'ts of mixing azelaic acid with other products in your skincare regime.

24 Aug 2024
A person dispensing a gel cleanser from a tube while standing next to a bathroom sink with a running faucet.

Ingredients Explained: Tripeptide

Here we reveal everything you need to know about Tripeptide Understanding the scientific-sounding ingredients listed on the back of your skincare can make all the difference to the results you achieve. Tripeptide is one such ingredient that can be particularly beneficial in an anti-ageing skincare regime due to the way it smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Read on to learn more about this powerful ingredient – from what it is, to the benefits to expect and how to use it.
Vitamin E Explained

The Benefits of Vitamin E for The Skin

As with most vitamins, we know they are good for us and we may even know that vitamin E is an antioxidant which helps to maintain healthy skin, but do we understand why?
vitamin c and spf

The benefits of using Vitamin C and SPF for your skin

Benefits of using Vitamin C & SPF

An antioxidant serum and protective broad-spectrum sunscreen are two of the most powerful products in any skincare routine – no matter your skin type. But, when used together, their effectiveness increases and provides the skin with double the defence against environmental aggressors. Dr. Jonquille Chantrey, surgeon and international beauty lecturer, explains why Double Defence is so important and answers your most pressing skincare questions.

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