The long read — Skin
Your barrier is not broken. It is over-managed.
Eleven steps, four acids and a peel on Sunday. We asked four dermatologists what actually happens to skin that is asked to do too much, and what a two-week reset really looks like, night by night.
2xA week is all retinoid beginners need. Nightly is how beginners quit.
12wkThe honest window before you judge any hair-shedding treatment.
SPFThe only anti-ageing step with fifty years of evidence behind it.
7hSleep is a skincare step. Cortisol undoes what the serum was hired to do.
The files
Everything we published this week
Skin
A dermatologist can guess your bathroom shelf before she sees your face
We sat in on a week of consultations. The most common presentation was not a condition. It was a routine.
The ingredient index
What to layer, what to leave a night between
| Active | What it actually does | Use it | Pairs with | Not the same night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | An antioxidant that also inhibits pigment transfer; unstable in water at high pH. | - | - | - |
| Salicylic acid | A beta hydroxy acid that is oil-soluble, so it works inside the pore rather than only on the surface. | - | - | - |
| Retinol | The most studied over-the-counter retinoid; two conversion steps from retinoic acid. | - | - | Salicylic acid |
| Niacinamide | Supports barrier lipid synthesis and moderates sebum. One of the few actives that plays well with everything. | AM or PM, daily | - | - |
| Glycolic acid | An alpha hydroxy acid that loosens the bonds between surface corneocytes. | PM, 1-2x a week | - | - |
| Retinal | A retinoid one conversion step from retinoic acid, so it works faster than retinol at similar tolerability. | PM, 2x a week to start | Niacinamide | Glycolic acid |
Most of what I treat in clinic is not a skin condition. It is a routine.
Tested
Bought at retail. Scores are not for sale.
- 8.3
Encapsulated Retinal Serum 0.3%
A 0.3% encapsulated retinal serum aimed at first-time retinoid users. We ran it against prescription tretinoin 0.025% and a drugstore retinol on nine testers, photographed fortnightly in fixed light.
The Letter
One letter a week.
No miracle in the subject line.
What we tested, what we dropped, and the one thing worth your money. Unsubscribe in a click.