Salicylic acid, retinol, niacinamide: a plain guide to the actives
What each ingredient does, who it suits, what not to combine, and how to read an ingredient list without a chemistry degree.
An "active" is simply the ingredient doing the work. Everything else in the bottle is there to carry it, preserve it, or make it feel pleasant.
You do not need many. You need the right two or three, used consistently.
Salicylic acid — for congestion and breakouts
A beta-hydroxy acid, and the important word is oil-soluble. That is what lets it get inside a pore, where the blockage actually is. Alpha-hydroxy acids like glycolic work on the surface; salicylic works in the pore.
Suits: oily and combination skin, blackheads, breakouts. Where: Acne Face Wash.
Retinol — for renewal and marks
A vitamin A derivative, and the ingredient with the deepest research behind it. It speeds up cell turnover, which helps with post-acne marks, uneven texture and fine lines.
Suits: most skin, introduced slowly. Two or three nights a week to begin. Rules: night only, sunscreen daily, and not during pregnancy without asking your doctor. Where: Acne No-mark Recuperate Lotion and Whitening Lotion.
Niacinamide — the peacemaker
Vitamin B3. Helps with uneven tone, supports the skin barrier, and is unusually well tolerated. If stronger actives have irritated you before, this is where to start.
Suits: everyone, essentially. Where: Herbal Fairness Cream.
Hyaluronic acid — hydration without oil
Not an acid in the exfoliating sense. It is a humectant: it draws water into the upper layers of skin. That is how you hydrate oily skin without adding grease.
Where: Mosturising Lotion.
Kaolin — for oil, gently
A mild clay that absorbs excess oil without the aggressive tightening of bentonite. It is why a good clay mask stays soft rather than cracking.
Where: Tea Tree Acne Collagen Cream Mask.
Tea tree oil — for blemishes
Melaleuca alternifolia. Long used on blemish-prone skin, and the anchor of the TJs acne range.
Where: Tea Tree Acne Gel.
What not to combine
- Retinol and acids on the same night. Both increase turnover; together they mostly increase irritation. Alternate nights.
- Retinol and a scrub together. Same reason.
- Four new actives at once. If something reacts, you will not know which one.
Niacinamide, by contrast, sits comfortably alongside almost anything.
Reading an ingredient list
Ingredients are listed by quantity, most first. Two useful habits:
Look at the top five. That is the bulk of the formula. If the ingredient being advertised appears near the end, there is very little of it.
Watch for stated percentages. Most brands avoid them. When you see one — Soothing & Calming Lotion states aloe vera at 10% — you can judge the formula rather than trust an adjective.
We publish every ingredient list exactly as printed on the pack. Where a label is not legible in our photography, we publish nothing rather than guess.
A sensible starting routine
Morning: cleanse, moisturise, sunscreen. Evening: cleanse, treat (one active), moisturise.
That is it. Add a weekly mask when it is working. Resist adding a fifth product because someone online said so.
