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Skin-care routinesare all about two things: your physical needs and personal preferences.

Woman with a short brown bob hair holding a dropper of serum to her face. The image is on an olivesage green background

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Some take a minimalist approach, limiting their stash to three or four products.

“Social media has allowed consumers' knowledge of skin-care ingredients to rocket.

“They’ll ask me aboutniacinamideandceramides, whereas previously, I would be the one telling them first.”

Young man with dots of different coloured face cream over face

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Meet The Experts:

What is skin-care cocktailing?

Unlike a delicious drink, the ingredients in your skin-care cocktail should not be mixed before system.

That can disturb the ingredients and may even cause irritation, defeating the whole purpose of the practice.

Young woman applying face mask at home. Natural Skin Care Routine For Glowing Skin.

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It gives each person the opportunity to customize their regimen in a way that works best for their skin.

This technique increases protection against oxidative stress and UV exposure.

“I find the combination can be too drying and irritating to the skin.”

Young man with short twists in hair applying cream on his face looking at the camera and smiling closeup portrait

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Also, beware of usingbenzoyl peroxidewith other actives in your leave-on products like moisturizers or serums.

Desai says those types of ingredients rarely work well together.

This way, it’s possible for you to avoid any dryness or irritation.

Skin-care actives are powerful, OK?

So they should be used with respect and in the case of certain ingredients, that means sparingly.

If you find yourself with any form of irritation, consider falling back on all chemical exfoliants.

“Focus your routine on hydrating ingredients before adding back any aggressive actives,” Dr. Zubritsk suggests.

It’s also important to space out your product use if you’re dealing with active ingredients.

“I always recommend alternating nights with active treatment products,” Darden shares.

At the end of the day, you don’t want your skin-care routine to make your skin feelworse.

That would be a waste of time and money, no?

Check out these skin-care stories:

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