First there were subscription boxes that personalized your beauty routine by putting together makeup and hair products. Now, there are made-to-order skin-care and at-home spa treatments that cater to your skin’s individual needs.
Customized skin care may be old news to pros like Vancouver-based dermatologist Dr. Jason Rivers, who has been offering the service at his clinic for more than a decade. But the desire to supercharge our skin-care routines has recently given rise to everything from boosters that you can inject into your moisturizer for extra potency (consider it the beauty equivalent of adding a shot of ginger to your green juice) to face masks that you can cocktail together to address various complexion concerns.
Be wary of the ingredients you’re using, especially in concentrated amounts. “People should know that certain ingredients may cause irritation, inflammation and undesired pigment changes if used indiscriminately,” says Dr. Rivers. “For example, some lightening agents may cause a paradoxical darkening of the skin if the concentration of ingredients is too high.” What’s more, mixing different compounds together may create a product that becomes unstable (breaks down quickly), inactive (one ingredient neutralizes the effect of another) or prone to bacterial/fungal contamination. According to Dr. Rivers, some ingredients to be wary of pairing together in high concentrations are retinol, hydroquinone, salicylic acid and glycolic acid.
Click here for the full lowdown, by Jill Dunn, on the Hello! website.