06/02/2026
More actives do not equal better skin.
This is one of the biggest skincare mistakes I see.
If your skin feels tight, sore, flaky, red, reactive, or youโre breaking out for โno obvious reasonโ โ itโs rarely because youโre not using enough.
Itโs usually because your skin barrier is damaged.
So what is the skin barrier?
Itโs the outermost layer of your skin and acts as your protective shield.
Think of it like a brick wall:
โข Skin cells are the bricks
โข Lipids hold everything together
When the barrier is healthy:
โ๏ธ Skin retains moisture
โ๏ธ Products work as they should
โ๏ธ Less irritation and inflammation
โ๏ธ Smooth, balanced, glowing skin
When itโs compromised:
โ Moisture escapes
โ Irritants and bacteria get in
โ Products sting or burn
โ Breakouts, sensitivity and pigmentation worsen
Where things go wrong
Overloading the skin with strong actives and no structure:
โข Mixing retinol, acids and vitamin C
โข Daily exfoliation
โข Thinking โtingling means itโs workingโ
โข Constantly switching products
This doesnโt speed up results โ it weakens the skin barrier.
Why adding more makes it worse
Actives are powerful. On already stressed skin they:
โข Pe*****te too deeply
โข Trigger inflammation
โข Cause redness, burning and rebound breakouts
So you add more to try and fix itโฆ and the cycle continues.
Real results start with repair, not aggression.
That looks like:
โ๏ธ Gentle cleansing
โ๏ธ Barrier-supporting ingredients
โ๏ธ Hydration and lipids
โ๏ธ Fewer actives, used intentionally
โ๏ธ Consistency over intensity
Once the barrier is strong, actives finally do their job properly.
โจ Calm skin heals faster
โจ Strong skin responds better to treatments
โจ Healthy skin doesnโt need to be attacked daily
If your skincare feels like itโs fighting your skin, itโs time to slow down โ not add more.
Great skin isnโt built through overload.
Itโs built through repair first.
