Whoops! My apologies, I honestly wasn’t paying close attention and just word-vomited the first thing that came to mind.

As someone who understands the stigma surrounding mental health issues firsthand, you’d think I’d have kept that in mind. Just edited my post!

Agreed on that completely. I’m very selective in my choices from those lines, as a lot of prestige / med grade products contain alcohol denat. among other poor ingredients, which is shocking for their “medical” reputation and high price point.

I would think that med grade serums with active ingredients are more potent than a $20 serum from another line, but I’m sure that’s not true in all cases

That’s exactly what I was thinking! The snail mucin and hyaluronic aren’t as harsh and hopefully shouldn’t require super careful placement in the regimen.

As for the B3 / B5 product , I wasn’t certain yet as many brands seem to have lots of flashy verbiage on their labels but nothing to back it up with. I’m hoping to find a serum with at least 5% niacinamide (this preferably being near the top of the ingredient list) but obviously without alcohol denat. and added fragrance. Do you have any suggestions or faves?

I’m trying to re-structure my skincare routine currently as I’m looking to incorporate more actives, but am a bit worried about how I should time them and whether it could potentially cause more harm than good.

I already am using Retin-A .05% every other night and CE Feurulic (15% C) every morning prior to moisturizing. I use an AHA / BHA cleanser at night.

I’m looking to add Hyaluronic Acid, B3 / B5, and the Cosrx Snail Mucin Power Essence.

You mention that too many acids / actives can have poor effects - Do you believe incorporating all of that into my routine will do harm? To clarify, I don’t intend to layer any of them, as I will alternate days for their use.

Thank you for the well thought out response! Lots of good info.

I tend to be more focused on active, concentrated ingredients as they tend to yield intense results in my experience, but I have heard so many wonderful things about Korean skincare as well.

Skinceuticals CE is my HG morning serum. I was thinking of alternating it with the Cosrx Snail Mucin Power Essence every other day. Here’s my current routine...

Skin type: Combo - EXTREMELY oily in T-Zone, dry-ish around mouth. I’m 25 and was guilty of tanning throughout college, so I’m very concerned about lines and loss of fullness in my face.

Morning: - Light AHA toner to freshen up and provide a clean surface - Algenist eye balm mixed with ceramidin cream - Skinceuticals CE serum - Ceramidin moisture cream - Kate Somerville SPF 50 setting spray

Evening: - Skinmedica AHA / BHA cleanser - Light rosewater and glycerin toner - Kate Somerville Retinol eye cream - Retin-A (Tretinoin) .05%

As you can probably see, I like to combine products and am always open to improving my routine. I’ve stepped away from all product with alcohol denat., added fragrance, and any product lacking some sort of active or genuinely beneficial concentrated ingredient with fillers and exaggerated marketing.

What Korean products do you like, and where do you think I can fit them into my routine? I like to focus on active anti-aging, pore reducing, smoothing products that also have the ability to address acne scarring. Any input would be much appreciated!

I am also a bit concerned moving from prestige lines to Korean Skincare, as one naturally would assume a $79 product is more potent and containing less fillers than a $16 serum. My ultimate fear is using product that is reminiscent of my cheap drugstore product days back in high school.