r/SkincareAddicts

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share the build journey of my first deployed app, because the pipeline I ended up using to get it across the finish line as a non-coder felt a bit absurd, but it worked.

The Project: I built Dermia (https://dermia.up.railway.app) — it’s a fast, free skincare routine builder that checks user inputs against 18 specific allergens and product-ingredient interactions to build safe AM/PM routines.

The Multi-Model Chaos / How I Built It:

1. The Mockup: I started out "vibe coding" in Google AI Studio using Gemini. It was great for the initial frontend layout, but as the codebase grew and technical logic got deep, Gemini started suffering from massive context drift (forgetting components we established 10 prompts ago).
2. Going Local (and hitting a wall): I switched to running Ollama locally to keep building, but running heavy local models for a complex web project wasn't sustainable on my hardware.
3. The Breakthrough: I discovered Ollama has cloud models, which opened up free Claude models for a bit. But I hit massive friction trying to get Qwen to handle Claude's tool-calling logic correctly.
4. The Final Engine: I bit the bullet and upgraded to Ollama Pro ($20 for 50x usage), which gave me access to GLM 5.1. I used GLM 5.1 as my primary "senior dev" to fix the tool-calling bugs, handle the database schemas, and fine-tune the allergen-checking logic.

Where it stands now: The app is live, fully functional, and deployed on Railway. It’s completely free, and you don’t even need an account to test the quiz logic.

I need brutal code/product feedback: Since I have exactly zero formal coding experience, I know there are things here that probably look insane to a real developer. What feels broken? What UI cues instantly scream "AI-generated" to you? If you test out a routine, does the ingredient filtering logic actually hold up?

Hit me with your worst, I want to make this genuinely good.

Hi all,

I’ve been trying to figure out a brightening routine that doesn’t irritate my skin. Vitamin C has always been tricky for me (I tend to get redness and stinging), so I ended up simplifying things and trying a few alternatives.

Here’s what I’m currently doing:

AM

Cleanser
Hydrating toner
Glutathione serum (recent addition)
Moisturizer
SPF

PM

Cleanser
Barrier-focused toner
Niacinamide
Moisturizer

So far, a few things I’ve noticed:

My skin feels less irritated overall compared to when I was using vitamin C
Tone looks a bit more even, but nothing dramatic
The routine layers well and feels pretty low-maintenance

Things I learned the hard way:

My skin really doesn’t tolerate most forms of vitamin C
Over-exfoliating made my hyperpigmentation and redness worse

At this point, I feel like my skin does better with gentler, more consistent routines rather than stronger actives.

Curious what others with sensitive skin prefer for brightening — do you stick with vitamin C, or use something else?

Hiii! I have acne prone and sensitive skin and i have used the skinceuticals daily moisture cream for normal to oily skin and it has worked but i am running out of it and it is very pricey for me right now. Do you have any recommendations please? 🥹🫶🏻

Pre period skin is its own creature and Ive finally figured out a rough sequence that keeps the cysts smaller. Not a fix, more like damage limitation and wanted to share maybe it'd be useful for sb so here you go:

Days 21 to 22, around when I start feeling it coming, drop the actives. No mandelic, no AHA masks, nothing exfoliating. Counter intuitive but my skin gets reactive, more activity makes the cysts bigger.

Days 23 to 24, hypochlorous acid spray twice a day, anti inflammatory without irritating. Tower 28 has been my go to.

Day 25 onwards when the cyst shows up, sulfur spot treatment overnight, ice in the morning, hydraglow by clearstem as moisturizer bc the bakuchiol base doesnt make the surrounding skin panic. NEVER picking, we don't pick.

Through the whole window, more water, less sugar, more sleep when I can. Sugar correlation is real, two days of bad eating and the breakout doubles in size. Supplements stay consistent year round.

How is everyone else handling this part of the cycle?

I used bath & body works from 13-23 y/o. Then I moved to Europe, stopped shaving completely and mainly just used medical grade lotions after seeing online that Bath & Body Works is bad for you

I started shaving again, continued using medical grade lotions (I don’t want to name the brands because I’m not trying to bash any of the brands). Anyways, while using these “medical grade lotions” while shaving I was noticing my skin wasn’t recovering as well as it had been in the past from shaving.

I decided to use Bath & Body Works after shaving over the last week and my legs started looking smooth and unfazed by shaving. I’m so happy that I can shave again and have a close to flawless look on my skin but I’m still haunted by the people who have made TikToks saying it’s cancerous and such.

I did some research and of course, almost every page that is saying it’s bad for you is essentially following up with “try our fragrance free cream” which almost makes it feel like some PR type content.

If your skin reacts well to the lotions, is it really bad for you to use long term?

Curious what people think!

hi im new to skincare my friends and family doesn't care about beauty but i envy anyone with skin smoother than mine
i dont have acne i just want smooth skin and to feel beautiful

I began using tretinoin 0.025% gel once a week on 11th March 2026. From 12th April onward, I increased the frequency to twice a week and have continued with that schedule until now. Despite this, I’ve developed more closed comedones, especially around my T-zone, mouth line, and forehead.

I read that salicylic acid cleansers can help, so I tried the COSRX Salicylic Gentle Cleanser. However, I’m still unsure about what to do next. Should I wait longer to see results, or should I visit a dermatologist now? It’s been almost three months, and instead of improvement, I’m only noticing more closed comedones.

I sat down last weekend and added up everything I spent on skincare in the last 12 months. Over $2000 and for what? For my skin look basically the same as it did a year ago? The problem isn't that I'm not trying. Im trying too hard like I buy something, use it for 2-3 weeks, don't see results or think it's making things worse, toss it, buy the next thing someone recommends on here or TikTok. Rinse and repeat. My derm told me something that kind of hit hard like she said "you're changing too many variables at once so you'll never isolate what works. She told me to pick one simple routine, stick with it for 6 weeks minimum and actually pay attention to what my skin does day by day. Not just glancing in the mirror but really logging it. I know she's right but I don't know how to actually do that consistently. I've tried notes and spreadsheets and I always fall off after a few days.

Is there a better way to do this? How do you guys stay on top of tracking your skin without it being a chore? At this point anything that saves me from another $2000 year of buying random products is worth it

Suggest

Hello everyone, this is my first post in this subreddit! So before I get into my actual question, I will say that I have always had great results with Benzoyl Peroxide as long as I’m using it consistently, It always clears me up great. Every now and again I will get a pimple or two but nothing crazy. I should say I have moderate acne typically in the T-zone and chin with the occasional cheek pimples. Right now I am only using Benzoyl Peroxide, I stopped using it for about a month and wouldn’t you know it my acne returned with a vengeance. So I hopped right back into using it and definitely had a purge phase as well, so it’s probably been around a month and two weeks that I’ve been using it again and I’m starting to clear up pretty good. I use 10% Benzoyl Peroxide gel to clarify. I do however have a good amount of hyperpigmentation just from popping and picking in the past, and I’ve really been reading a lot of the discussions here on this subreddit and also the skincare subreddit as well and understand that Adapalene will fade the hyperpigmentation after a good term of using it. My question is would it be okay/effective if I used both products on alternating nights meaning, Monday-Benzoyl Peroxide, Tuesday-Adapalene and so on and so on. I don’t want to stop using Benzoyl Peroxide because I know it works very well for me, but I would also like to reap the benefits of using Adapalene as well. And before anyone comments about Epiduo, yes I’m aware that it exists, I’d rather not have to pay for a dermatologist appointment and then a prescription as well. Would you say this would be a good idea, and I would benefit from using the Adapalene? I appreciate all of your advice and input on this!

Thanks guys,
Todd :)

So I actually don’t have a lot of acne, not severe anyways. I do have comedomes, minor scars, and some redness. I’m not too sure how to get rid of it. I have a really good routine, but I want to find a better solution. I’ve done tons of research and eventually I do want to work in skincare but I would appreciate any tips!

For context I’m a 20 yr old male, and have been chronically smoking weed for about a year and a half now, mostly wax pens. I’ve recently noticed how tired, puffy and dry my face looks even with my skin care and trying to keep my face hydrated, and I decided today that I’m quitting.