r/SensitiveSkinSurvival

I have been a long time user of Tretonin 0.5 for the past five years ish. As skincare has become very popular and influencer trends take over social media many of us continue to seek perfection and damage our fragile barriers. I would watch a video and do more and more and consistently fuck up my barrier. Adding a growth factor serum gave me massive cystic acne. Then to fix that I added on azaelic acid to help the hyperpigmentation. Then facial oils to combat the worsening dryness. All on top of Tretonin…an extremely potent rx. Water would literally burn my face and I knew I had fucked up. I stopped Tret for three months and used differin but missed the glow. I slowly incorporated Tret back and dropped azaelic acid. Many ppl on Reddit love aza but I realized I have very sensitive and dry skin and also live in the desert and needed to cut out any other actives back. I stopped double cleansing unless I wear makeup which is about 1-4 times a month. On nights I use Tret I literally just use lotion then Tret instead of a million layers of toner. All of these things seem common sense but for many of us acne forms as a result of a damaged barrier and we do the most to combat it. So happy with where my skin is now ♥️

Routine:

Am: wash with water

Heveblue PDRN toner (love this !!!)

Haru haru probiotic toner

Zeroid intensive cream

Haru Haru wonder spf

Pm:

Vegan yam root cleanser

Cosrx snail mucin

Haru Haru toner

Aestura atobarrier

X3 a week Tret with only the aestura atobarrier. I will probably not increase my usage as I am happy with my skin and previously was doing ever other day

I have combination skin and live in a high altitude dry climate. I used to love the Kiehl’s ultra face cream, but somehow it became irritating on my face after I started a tretinoin routine. So I switched to Korean moisturizers and was blown away by how gentle they felt! I got most of the highly recommended ones for comparison, here are my thoughts:

Beauty of Joseun Dynasty Cream: I’ve used this in the morning under sunscreen and makeup (no pilling). Love the texture and lack of odor, I give it a 10 out of 10.

Purito Oat-In Calming Gel Cream: I’ve also used this in the morning, no pilling under makeup as well. Personally I’m not fond of the gel texture even though it is moisturizing and gentle and has no odor. 8 out of 10.

SKIN1004 - Madagascar Centella Probio-Cica Enrich Cream: I’ve used this over tretinoin and azelaic acid at night. The texture is wonderful and the formulation is very calming. Unfortunately for me, the cream has a slight strange odor, I also despise the deceptive slack-fill packaging. Will not repurchase as long as I have better options. 7 out of 10.

Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream: This feels like a richer version of the Dynasty Cream, I can use less on my face and it’s very easy to spread out. No pilling under makeup. I’ve read about people breaking out from this cream, I have not experienced that. It’s a bit pricier, I’ll still give it 10 out of 10.

Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream: This cream is more watery than the other ones. It’s also gentle, moisturizing and odorless. I don’t love the metal tube packaging though, I’m afraid it’d be prone to cracking with use. It’s also a bit pricier for its size. 7 out of 10.

Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream: Zomg the size of this! And only for $16.29 from Stylevana! I just got it in the mail today and tested on my wrist. The texture seems similar to Aestura, also odorless. I see no reason why it won’t work well on my face. If it does, I might settle on it as my night time moisturizer for the sheer bang for the buck factor. Scoring reserved for now.

P.S. My lovebird Halloween says Hello!

Skin type: oily skin, acne-prone and a little sensitive

I’ve been thinking about getting a new suncreen since this one is kinda boring and does a meh job like BOF Aqua Fresh or Skin1004 suncreen

As seen on the picture there are different strengths.

Would love to hear from other people who use a retinoid and their experience with it.

Let’s learn from each-other.

I (30F) have been on the hunt for a gentle retinol for acne-prone, oily, sensitive skin. I finally gave up on researching Asian skincare (which is typically my preference) and tried out the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum because it was marketed as exactly what I needed.

Turns out this serum contains Isopropyl Myristate, which is known to clog pores and is generally not recommended for use on acne-prone skin.

ETA: it broke me out like crazy so I only figured this^ out when I went to figure out what was going on.

I’m frustrated with myself for not researching the ingredients beforehand, and blindly trusting marketing because I trusted the brand. So I’m just posting here to hopefully save others the trouble, frustration, and breakouts.

All this aside, I’d also love to hear recommendations for gentle retinol serums for acne-prone, sensitive, oily skin!

Reposting this from /skincareaddiction because it got a positive response there, and I thought the community here might appreciate it too.

Some of you might know me from rating every face cleanser and moisturizer I’ve tried. Many have been asking me to cover sunscreen, and this one has been on the list for a while.

About me:

I have combination/sensitive skin that reacts easily to harsh products.

The most important for me in a sunscreen is that it feels comfortable, works under makeup, and doesn’t sting my eyes. If it’s mineral, the white cast should be minimal and manageable.

Quick facts:

- No mineral sunscreen is completely free of white cast. It can be minimized but not erased.

- About 1 in 100 people are allergic to chemical sunscreens.

- SPF 30 blocks \~97% of UVB; SPF 50 blocks \~98%.

- The best chemical sunscreen filters aren’t commercially available in the USA (yet).

I’m Korean and live in Seoul. I’ve spent way too much on Rejuran needles over the years, mostly because I thought topical PDRN was just marketing BS that never actually absorbs.
But I found this xmd stem iii serum that uses the new technology(20nm liposome). This tech was actually featured on the cover of ACS Nano this May (https://www.asiae.co.kr/en/article/2026051209201140128). I heard that 20nm liposome can deliver PDRN at a clinical level deep into the skin.
I’ve been using it for a while now and honestly, my skin feels just as firm as when I was getting the actual injections. So far, so good.
Has anyone else tried this yet?

I have been using grocery store sunscreens and the texture/white casts are making me not want to use sunscreen. This is a major problem since I'm half ginger, pale as hell, and from a European background. I already have a fair amount of moles and freckles and have for years.

As stated, my skin is dry, acne-prone (better since starting spirolactone tho) and sensitive. I don't wear makeup. A hydrated sunscreen 50+ SPF would be great. I'm looking at getting a few sunscreens to try them out but want to make sure I'm picking ones that are likely to be successful, and that's why I'm here. TIA!

Got this moisturizer from Trader Joe’s last year because it was marketed as “very gentle” and “non-irritating.” I never really loved it, so I ended up stashing it at my work desk to use occasionally. Recently I’ve been trying to learn more about skincare and ingredients so I can be more mindful of what I’m using and build a better routine that works for my sensitive skin.

Well I realized the other day why my skin doesn’t like this- it contains retinol! There’s no obvious disclosure for people who may not realize what they’re putting on their skin. It’s frustrating because ingredients like retinol can increase the risk of sun damage, yet it’s not made very clear and there’s no emphasis on the importance of SPF alongside it

I wish companies would add surprise SPF to products instead of retinol to promote sun safety, like how fluoride is added to our water for dental health

Best barrier repair creams for OILY ACNE PRONE SKIN PLS HELP OUT OF A HUNT FOR ONE 😭😋

considering of testing some new sheet masks

which ones are popular in the community?