Can you mix and match skincare products?
Is it a good idea to mix and match skincare products? Or should we just stick to products from the same brand since they are always said to work synergistically together?
Is it practical?
In the past when I used to rely mostly on commercially available skincare products, I tried to use products from the same range because I thought they would enhance one another in terms of delivering benefits to my skin. For example getting the serum and the moisturizer from the same brand. But increasingly, I’m finding this too restrictive and in certain cases, quite impossible especially in view that not all the products under the same brand perform well.
Select what works best for you?
Paula Begoun thinks that using different products from different lines is perfectly fine because according to her, if we only buy products from one line, chances are we will end up with some bad products. So to her, the only way to develop a successful skincare or makeup routine is to select what works best for your skin type and needs, not because it’s from a particular line.
Watch out for active ingredients?
However, Kirstie of Beat.ie thinks that if it’s a supermarket brand or something fairly cheap, then mixing and matching is not a problem. But if we’re using skincare with active ingredients like retinol or glycolics, then we should stick to the products in the range because they are designed to work together and missing out steps or products may impact on the results.
Different products, different pH balance?
This is also echoed by Chet Day’s Health & Beyond. According to Chet, applying a hodge-podge of products not formulated to work together is dangerous as mixing brands and products may lead to a form of chemical warfare with the skin. This is because different companies would formulate products with completely different pH balance range; hence mixing and matching the products from different brands may cause the skin to break out.
What do I think?
While I concur with Paula Begoun that we should select products that work for our skin type but I also agree with Kirstie that we need to watch out for products with active ingredients because getting the wrong mix would render your skincare regime useless or in some instances create adverse effects. For example, copper peptide cannot be used with topical vitamin C and if you are not aware of this, you could end up neutralizing the benefits of the product containing copper peptide. As for different pH balance, I don’t see this as a huge problem except for those with sensitive skin. Moreover, if you aren’t layering too many products on your skin, this shouldn’t become a major concern.
What about you?
Do you think it’s okay to mix and match skincare products or do you prefer to use products from one particular skincare line?
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I agree with what you said. First not all products under one brand perform well. I tried using all under a same counter brand and they were too rich for me.
However, I find that it might be better not to mix organic skincare products because of the ingredients and mixing with other products (organic or not) might do more harm, but I could be wrong….
De: I think organic or natural are better used on their own too. As a whole, I think it’s better not to use too many stuff all at once.
I mix and match because some products in the same line break me out while others work well. So, I just distill the best of each brand and hope they play nicely with each other ?
Paris: Yup, cross fingers…
I like mixing of skincare. As my skin is easily sensitive, any products show redness on my hand while testing will be out of my list.
BT: That’s good…that you do a patch test before using them.
hmmmm i mix-match alot, till recently i switched my whole skincare set. ? hope it works magic on me this time!
prettybeautiful: Hope it works well on you! I will watch out for your review!
oh yeah i like too mixing skincare products,i use to buy them from Skinstep.com ,they have different brands of skincare products & i try to use them all.
Vanessa: Thanks for the highlight. I’ve give the site a check soon.
I definitely mix and match mine. I used to only use Clinique a few years ago, and realised that it was breaking my bank. Slowly ventured to other brands and realised they work too. Doesn’t always have to be the same brand ?
Tine: Ya, same here. I used to stick to one brand but now they’re from all over.