This week, we’re highlighting the ingredients that, for lack of better words, are doing “the Lord’s work” on our skin. When shopping for skincare products, look for these seven power houses:

It’s time to learn all about active ingredients. Before we get started, it’s important to note that some of these are not always safe to use during pregnancy, so definitely check with your OB before incorporating these into your routine! Okay, let’s get started!

First up, acids!

Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) - AHAs are pretty gentle chemical exfoliants that work to break down dead skin cells so that new skin cells can be generated, leading to a smoother, clearer and brighter complexion. These gentle exfoliants are not water soluble, meaning they do not penetrate deeply into your skin, making them safe for all skin types. AHAs are usually found in most anti-aging products, but they’re also great for treating acne as they unclog pores filled with dirt, debri and sebum. Glycolic acid and lactic acid are the most common AHAs used in products.

Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) - Otherwise known as salicylic acid, BHAs work similarly to AHAs, yet also very different. BHAs are also chemical exfoliants, however, they are oil soluble (whereas AHAs are water soluble), meaning they penetrate deeper down into your skin to clear pores of excess dirt, debris and sebum. They aid in fighting bacteria on the skin’s surface and clear out the most congested of pores. Since they penetrate much deeper than AHAs, BHAs are most suitable for oily, congested skin (acne prone).

AHAs and BHAs can be used together, but you may need to alter the frequency of the use of these ingredients based on your skin type. When you first start incorporating AHAs & BHAs into your regimen, you may experience breakouts initially as your skin adjusts to the new overall skin cell cycle pattern. Our fav kd product picks with AHAs and BHAs are our flexin’ my complexion toning pads and our pure + lather cleanser.

Other commonly used active ingredients: 

Peptides - Peptides bond together and create protein, which is the foundation of our skin. These little miracle workers penetrate the skin and signal it to create more collagen (and we all love collagen!). Our fav kd peptide product pick is 100% our youth or dare moisturizer, which you’ll quickly notice is the MVP of all things nourishing for your skin. Our hello bright eyes peptide treatment is another unsung hero of a product as it targets the delicate eye area, which is naturally thinner than the rest of your skin, plumping it up, smoothing it out and concealing dark circles. This product also gets bonus points because it’s universally tinted and instantly conceals tired, dark undereyes. The cooling applicator depuffs any eye bags you may have as well. Just when you thought skin drench was only a hyaluronic acid system, this little bottle is also packed with peptides!

Hyaluronic Acid - HA is the HYPE when it comes to locking in and retaining moisture. Hyaluronic acid comes in many different forms, but is most commonly found as a serum or added into moisturizer. Our bodies naturally contain hyaluronic acid on its own, however, like most good things, HA diminishes as we age. This active ingredient is commonly found in anti-aging products as well and is a great ingredient to add to keep youthful, radiant skin. 

Our favorite kd hyaluronic acid picks: skin drench, of course, but you can find HA in many of our other products for added moisture. Youth or dare moisturizer is jammed packed full of amazing ingredients including hyaluronic acid! Both clean + sheer and eternal summer are two spfs that will keep your skin hydrated AND protect it from harmful UV rays, making it the perfect sunscreen for every single day. The hello bright eyes peptide treatment also contains HA to hydrate the undereye area to diminish signs of aging. Lastly, our best-selling perfect pout lip serum utilizes hyaluronic acid to perfect and plump your pout while keeping your lips moisturized all day long.

Niacinamide - This ingredient is loved for its ability to fight inflammation, correcting redness, dark spots and other pigmentation. A derivative of vitamin B, Niacinamide also strengthens our skin, improving elasticity and giving it an extra boost of fatty acids for plumper skin. Our clean + sheer spf and our youth or dare moisturizer contain niacinamide, and so does our good morning sunshine eye cream (say goodbye to dark circles and sun spots!) 

Two other active ingredients we love so much we have entire blog posts about:

Vitamin C - You know we love this one for its versatility. In fact, we love this one so much we did an entire blog post about it. Read that here + shop our best-selling glow up serum.

Retinol - Retinol also speeds up skin cell turnover which makes it an anti-aging must-have. Read our blog post here + shop our retinol serum.

Want to learn more about your skin and which active ingredients would benefit your skin the most? Book a virtual or in-person skin consultation! (Bonus: it’s complimentary!)