You Asked, We Answered: Your Biggest Skin-Care Questions, Answered
In honor of our 2021 Allure Readers' Choice Awards, we're answering readers' biggest and most-burning beauty questions with the return of You Asked, We Answered. Here, we'll supply you with all the solutions to your biggest skin-care concerns.
As part of our annual Readers' Choice Awards, we asked Allure readers some key questions about beauty, including, but not limited to their skin-care routines, with a fun survey. Sure, we're nosy, but we also want to be here to help demystify the intricacies of taking care of your complexion. With all the fancy formulas on the market, in-office and at-home treatments debuting, and injectables spiking in popularity, we get how mindboggling it all can be. More than 1,300 members of the Allure Beauty Enthusiast Community ended up sending in incredible inquiries that we just so happen to have answers to.
Below, we break down the ingredients, devices, and products you're curious about and address the rest of your inquiries with insights from dermatologists and cosmetic chemists.
1. What's the right way to read a skin-care product's label?
Believe it or not, only 37 percent of Allure readers say they always peruse the ingredient list before buying a skin-care product, while 47 percent say they sometimes do. If just glancing at the long list of words that seem unpronounceable boggles your mind, we've got some tips for you.
First and foremost, those super-long ingredient names aren't as scary as they may sound. In fact, they could be the key to the product's success. Take acetyl hexapeptide-8, for example. Cosmetic chemist Ginger King swears by this chemical compound to help stimulate collagen for plumper, firmer skin.
Another trick: Read every single item listed on the bottle. Sure, they are written in order of their concentrations, but just because your favorite falls near the end doesn't mean it's not as powerful as it should be. Many ingredients, like peptides and acids, don't need to be as heavy-handed, as say, glycerin or water, to be effective.
Also, you may not even realize your favorite ingredient is in the serum, moisturizer, or cleanser in question because it's in an alternative form or derivative. Vitamin C, for example, could appear as ascorbic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and methylsilanol ascorbate; while hyaluronic acid may be disguised as sodium acetylated hyaluronate or sodium hyaluronate. Sneaky, right? Now, you'll be well-aware of what you're working with.
Read more about how to decipher ingredient lists.
2. What's the deal with hyaluronic acid?
Speaking of hyaluronic acid, it's one of the top skin-care ingredients readers look for in labels — when they are analyzing what's listed. For those who need a quick rundown on the popular product addition, though, we've got you covered.
Although it's technically an acid, this form of it won't make your skin burn or tingle in any way like glycolic or lactic acids. Instead, it pulls water into your skin to keep it dewy, bouncy, and hydrated. To get more technical, "hyaluronic acid is a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in the skin, [and] it helps to bind water to collagen, trapping it in the skin, so that skin can appear plumper, dewier, and more hydrated," according to Tsippora Shainhouse, a board-certified dermatologist in Santa Monica, California.
For these same reasons, it's the main ingredient in many moisturizers and serum, as well as injectables. The many Restylane and Juvéderm varieties for plumper lips and smoothing fine lines and wrinkles are comprised of hyaluronic acid.
"In dermal fillers, hyaluronic acid presents as a gel-like product that, once injected, attracts water to regenerate volume and recreate lost structure," Shereene Idriss, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, once explained to Allure. "This, in turn, helps reduce the overall sunken or sagging appearance of the face, and softens the overall look of lines and wrinkles."
Check out more about the wonders of hyaluronic acid, as well as our favorite serums spiked with it.
3. Should I incorporate retinol into my skin-care routine?
The short answer is definitely.
According to our survey, retinol is also an ingredient you seek out. We completely understand your eagerness to experiment with vitamin A since it's basically the Beyoncé of skin care; there's nothing retinol can't do. Dullness, acne, dark spots, fine lines — all don't stand a chance if you add retinol to your regimen.
You may have heard retinol horror stories, though, due to its potency, but over the years, dermatologists have suggested measures for Allure readers take to avoid the dreaded redness, flaking, and sensitivity from both prescription and over-the-counter options.
Start off with a pea-sized drop of retinol once or twice a week and work your way up to every day after two or three weeks. You can either add the retinol cream to your favorite moisturizer or you can take the "sandwich" route that New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Shari Marchbein often suggests to her patients.
First, slather on a thin layer of face cream before layering on your retinol. Then, smooth on even more moisturizer. "Studies have shown that this base layer of moisturizer does not dilute or reduce the efficacy of the retinoid, but instead helps with tolerability," according to Marchbein.
Learn more about Allure editors' go-to over-the-counter retinol serums and creams, along with retinol myths you should stop believing.
4. What are the best vitamin C products on the market?
Honestly, we weren't surprised to see vitamin C is a popular ingredient with you all. Allure editors can hardly go a day without one of our friends or family members asking us which vitamin C serum they should invest in to help get their skin glowing.
For those ready to drop some cash, SkinCeuticals' C E Ferulic is the gold standard for vitamin C products that dermatologists recommend time and time again. However, we are well aware not everyone has $166 to spare.
Instead, you may want to check out the $20 Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum, which board-certified dermatologist Angelo Landriscina is a fan of. For dark circles, try Ole Henriksen's Banana Bright Eye Crème, which is a Best of Beauty Award winner, to help fade the deep purple tones while color-correcting them with its yellow hue.
See our comprehensive list of brightening vitamin C options to try.
5. Tell the truth: Do LED light therapy devices really do anything for the skin?
Of the numerous, fascinating in-office skin-care treatments available these days, Allure readers are most curious about LED light therapy. Not only do we have some facts to share on it, but we also have some good news: You can safely indulge in the treatment from the comfort of your home.
Before we get into what exactly LED light therapy devices do (or don't do) for the skin, let's quickly break down the technology. LED (light-emitting diode) is a "lower energy form," in which the light is absorbed by the molecules in the skin. In turn, it "alters the biologic activity or the activity of nearby cells," according to Daniel Belkin, a board-certified dermatologist at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York.
What does this all mean? In non-science speak, LED light therapy can change the path of skin cells for more desirable results, depending on the color of the light. "There is encouraging evidence that blue LED light can alter the microbiome of the skin to improve acne, red LED light can stimulate collagen synthesis, and yellow LED light can reduce redness and healing time," Belkin previously told Allure.
LED light colors may work to differing degrees, according to Bruce Brod, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. "The best evidence is for [blue light], with clinical studies, relatively consistent in showing a reduction in acne bumps when used regularly," he previously told Allure. "Though we know red LED light can stimulate collagen synthesis, clinical results are not as easy to prove."
With all this in mind, dermatologists say at-home LED light therapy devices are completely safe — if you splurge on the right one. "A lot of people are selling regular lights [on Amazon] with colored bulbs and pretending it's LED, Shereene Idriss, a New York City board-certified dermatologist, previously shared with Allure. One of her patient's melasma even got worse because of this.
However, that doesn't take every at-home LED device off the table. Corey L. Hartman, a dermatologist in Birmingham, Alabama, recommends the Peppy Co LED Light Therapy Mask V2, while Melissa Levin, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City is a fan of the Skin Inc Supplement Bar Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light++.
Learn more about LED light therapy for skin.
6. Is there any way to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes?
At the moment, undereye circles are the biggest beauty concern for 38 percent of you. Well, reader, we have some news you probably weren't expecting to hear: Dark circles are hereditary. "The undereye area is one of the thinner areas and is easily neglected in basic skin care," Paul Jarrod Frank, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, previously told Allure. "There is a strong genetic component to dark circles, which is out of people's control."
Fortunately, long-term solutions exist to help diminish discoloration, including incorporating an eye cream into your routine, getting hyaluronic acid filler injected into the tear trough (when you can safely go to the dermatologist, of course), and, in a pinch, wearing undereye patches to combat puffiness. Just be sure to check the products' labels for a few key ingredients known to target dark circles: hyaluronic acid, caffeine, and vitamin C.
Check out Allure editors' favorite eye creams.
7. I'm not quite ready to get fillers or Botox. What are other ways I can treat fine lines and wrinkles?
As for the rest of our readers, 57 percent are more concerned about wrinkles and fine lines right now.
Although in-office injectable treatments, such as neurotoxins (Botox and Dysport) and hyaluronic acid filler (Restylane and Juvéderm), are popular cosmetic options for smoothing fine lines and adding volume to the face, respectively, those treatments may not be for everyone. We don't blame you one bit for having reservations. That's why topical treatments are available, too.
For those looking to smooth fine lines, prevent breakouts, minimize the appearance of pores, and even out skin texture and tone, retinol is your best bet. As mentioned earlier, the vitamin A derivative, known to speed up skin cell turnover in order to give skin all of the above benefits, comes in both prescription and over-the-counter options, depending on your skin's needs and dermatologist's recommendations.
But given the fact that many of us can't safely visit dermatologists' offices due to the ongoing pandemic, Rx creams may be off temporarily the table. Until you can squeeze in an in-person visit with your derm, we recommend picking up one of these under-$30 retinoids at your local drugstore and diligently using it three times a week, building up to daily use, if your skin can tolerate it.
"Many over-the-counter formulas claim you'll see results within weeks," Gary Fisher, a professor of dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School, previously told Allure. "But in my experience, it takes an average of 12 weeks for retinoic acid to produce noticeable changes in the skin. So stick with it for at least that long to see the benefits."
Want to add volume to the skin without the use of needles? Reach for skin-care products with collagen production-boosting ingredients, such as peptides, vitamin C, and again, retinoids.
See our full list of skin-care products that are like Botox in a bottle.
8. How can I find the right moisturizer for my skin type?
On a daily basis, moisturizer is the top product Allure readers slather on. Good choice, everyone. If you're going to rely on any one skin-care product, let it be a moisturizer.
"Moisturizers are an essential part of every skin-care routine," Idriss once told Allure. "Just as our bodies require us to hydrate with water, so does our skin. In the short term, moisturizing perks your skin up, giving you a healthy fullness. In the long term, consistent moisturizing helps decrease the appearance and rate at which fine lines and wrinkles emerge."
Some of you may have been having a hard time tracking down the right formula for your skin type, though. If your complexion is parched, flaky, or irritated, seek out moisturizers that "prevent water loss and repair the skin's moisture barrier," according to aesthetician (and founder of her own skin-care range) Renée Rouleau. Some key ingredients to look for are ceramides, cica, vitamin E, and of course, hyaluronic acid. Rich, oil-based ones, like the Cosrx Balancium Comfort Ceramide Cream and Sioris Enriched by Nature Cream, are the way to go. Same goes for mature skin: the thicker the moisturizer, the better.
Oily, acne-prone skin calls for lightweight, water-based moisturizers with gel consistencies, such as the Best of Beauty Award-winning Tatcha The Water Cream Moisturizer and Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Gel Cream. And make sure to actually layer it onto your skin. "It's a common misconception that oily and acne-prone skin doesn't need moisturizer, but it does," according to board-certified dermatologist Deanne Mraz Robinson.
Check out more of our favorite moisturizers, as well as the best ones for dry skin and oily skin.
9. Can you please tell me how to recreate a spa-like facial at home?
We thought you'd never ask. In fact, half of you say the beauty ritual you do at home now more than ever is an at-home facial. Don't worry – we've been missing our visits to our favorite aestheticians, too. Luckily, they've shared a step-by-step guide to bringing their services to the comfort of our homes.
Spoiler: You'll need a bowl of hot water and a sliced-up orange to really transport yourself to the spa without setting foot outside your bathroom.
Read more about how to give yourself a facial.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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