Vitamin C, niacinamide, retinol, alpha-hydroxy acids, bakuchiol, and hyaluronic acid: these are some of the trending, high-performance skincare actives you see everywhere on social media right now.
At Formula Botanica, we love them too – and for good reason. These high-performance actives are not only accessible to home formulators but also capable of delivering impressive results when used correctly. But that raises the big question: should you mix them?
While TikTok beauty gurus debate over which actives should (or shouldn’t) be layered in your skincare routine, we’re taking it a step further. In this post, we’ll break down the do’s and don’ts of combining actives in skincare formulations – and what we found might surprise you.
Formulating with actives vs. using actives
Did you know that many of the so-called “forbidden” active ingredient pairings aren’t actually incompatible when formulated correctly?
The key issue isn’t the actives themselves but rather how they’re used. When layering multiple finished skincare products, each containing different actives, you have little control over their exact concentrations. This can decrease a product’s effectiveness or, worse, increase the risk of irritation.
But when you formulate your own skincare, you take control. By following supplier guidelines and applying your formulation expertise, you can design products where multiple actives work together safely and effectively.
In fact, combining actives in a single formula isn’t just possible – it can be optimal. Certain ingredients create powerful synergies when precisely balanced, enhancing their benefits while minimising potential downsides. For example, using separate AHA and bakuchiol products may cause irritation, but when carefully formulated together at the right percentages, they can complement each other beautifully.
The truth? Most high-performance actives aren’t inherently incompatible. The real challenge lies in formulation skills – managing pH, solubility, and stability to ensure they work harmoniously.
If you’re ready to learn these skills, enrol in Formula Botanica’s Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation.
Now, let’s explore some of the best active ingredient combinations to formulate with – along with our tips for maximising their safety and efficacy.
Top 5 high-performance combinations to elevate your formulations
Here are some of the most effective high-performance pairings of active ingredients that will take your formulations to the next level. We’ll also share essential formulation tips to ensure your finished skincare products are not only high-performance but also safe and stable.
1. Vitamin C + vitamin B3 (niacinamide)
There’s a myth saying that vitamin C and vitamin B3 shouldn’t be mixed. But this simply isn’t true.
Niacinamide is a gentle, anti-inflammatory ingredient known for its brightening properties and is safe to use with many actives. In fact, we already covered niacinamide in this post:
When paired with vitamin C, niacinamide could boost the brightening effects of both. The key to success is adjusting the pH so that both ingredients work optimally.
L-ascorbic acid (the most potent form of vitamin C) prefers a lower pH environment, while niacinamide prefers a more neutral pH of around 6. There are other (more stable) forms of vitamin C – such as water-soluble options effective at higher pH levels, or oil-soluble forms that are only pH-dependent in water-based formulas such as emulsions. You can learn more about vitamin C and its multiple forms below:
4 vitamin C skincare myths every formulator should know
Formulation tip: L-ascorbic acid is very effective, but oxidises easily and is challenging to stabilise. To expand your knowledge, you can visit our membership site, The Lab at Formula Botanica, where you’ll find comprehensive Mini Labs dedicated to formulating with both vitamin C and vitamin B3
2. Vitamin C + vitamin A
Combining vitamins C and A in one product is technically doable, but not advisable, particularly if you’re a beginner formulator. Both vitamins are renowned for brightening the skin, smoothing fine lines, and boosting collagen production, but they work in different ways.
Vitamin C is best used during the day as it protects the skin from oxidative damage caused by UV exposure. In contrast, vitamin A is more effective at night, as it can be degraded by sunlight. While it is possible to combine both in a nighttime formula, extra care must be taken to avoid increasing the risk of irritation, especially when using potent retinoids.
However, there’s a fantastic alternative for beginner formulators: bakuchiol. This gentle plant-derived ingredient from the babchi plant mimics the benefits of retinol without the sun sensitivity or irritation associated with retinoids.
Bakuchiol pairs perfectly with oil-soluble vitamin C esters like ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate or tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, creating a harmonious, non-irritating combination ideal for anhydrous serums. Learn more about retinol alternatives and their benefits below:
Top 5 natural retinol alternatives and why you should use them
Formulation tip: Carotenoids, called pro-vitamin A, occur in many plant oils, such as rosehip fruit oil and sea buckthorn berry oil, and convert to retinol in the skin – some varieties of rosehip oil even contain a tiny amount of the retinoid tretinoin.
If you’d like to explore more advanced formulation theory and practice and have already mastered core elements such as pH and solubility, consider enrolling in our Advanced Diploma in Organic Cosmetic Science.
3. AHAs + vitamin A
AHAs and vitamin A (including retinol, retinoids and retinol alternatives) are wonderful for minimising the appearance of fine lines and mitigating the signs of acne, and they all do this in the same way – by increasing cell turnover and exfoliating the skin. So, you can see how using several separate products containing these actives in a skincare routine could cause irritation.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t combine them in a skincare formulation. It’s a balancing act: You can adjust the percentages and pH (which is crucial when including AHAs) so that the formula doesn’t cause over-exfoliation or deactivate the AHA. Combining AHAs (or an oil-soluble BHA) with bakuchiol instead of retinoids is a gentler way to achieve very similar results. You can learn more about bakuchiol in this article):
Formulation tip: Understanding the nuances of working with vitamin A, its various forms, and alternatives can be challenging at first. However, we’ve made it easier for you with our in-depth Mini Labs available on our membership site, The Lab at Formula Botanica, where we explore alternatives in detail. These high-performance ingredients are also covered extensively in our Advanced Diploma in Organic Cosmetic Science.
4. Vitamin C + AHAs/BHAs
This is a match made in formulation heaven. The brightening and antioxidant action of vitamin C complements the smoothing, exfoliating and moisturising action of the AHA or BHA. Another bonus of this combination is that there are water-soluble and oil-soluble forms of vitamin C and hydroxy acids (AHA is water-soluble and BHA is oil-soluble).
Formulation tip: Water-soluble versions of vitamin C and AHAs both perform better at a low pH so there’s built-in compatibility. Likewise, combining an oil-soluble vitamin C ester with a similarly oil-soluble BHA is easy to formulate. And since vitamin C in any form does not exfoliate, it won’t push the skin-smoothing effects of the AHAs beyond the tipping point.
If you’d like to learn more about vitamin C and the forms best suited to different types of formulations, check out our Vitamin C Mini Lab on our exclusive membership site, The Lab at Formula Botanica.
5. Hyaluronic acid + everything
Last but certainly not least, hyaluronic acid (HYA) is a powerful humectant that is naturally present in your skin. It is one of the gentlest and most beneficial actives that you can add to a formula. Hyaluronic acid also combines well with nearly everything – with just a couple of things to note.
If you use it in the water phase of your formula, pay attention to its ionic charge – HYA is anionic so mixing it with cationic ingredients will impact stability. Lower pH can also degrade some types of HYA, which can happen if you’re using AHAs. You can learn more about hyaluronic acid below:
Hydration revolution: the formulator’s guide to hyaluronic acid
Formulation tip: The rule of thumb is to check the pH stability of all active ingredients in a formula. If you’d like to learn more about hyaluronic acid, check out our Hyaluronic Acid Mini Lab on our exclusive membership site, The Lab at Formula Botanica.
Bonus: Formulate a high-performance vitamin C serum
Before we wrap up, we have a special bonus for you! Here’s a free formula to help you create an oil-based vitamin C serum that will give your skin a radiant glow:
If you’re new to formulating with high-performance actives, this serum is the perfect place to start. It features ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, a powerful yet gentle vitamin C derivative. You can also swap it for tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and customise the plant and essential oils to suit your skin’s needs.
Ready to formulate your own high-performance skincare?
We hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, leave us a comment below and let us know which actives you will be experimenting with first – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Once you start creating your own skincare products, you’ll quickly see how exciting it is to work with powerful actives. Some are easy to incorporate at any level, while others require more expertise to ensure your formulas are safe, stable, and effective – especially when blending multiple actives.
At Formula Botanica, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring our in-depth blog posts, engaging with our Lab membership, or enrolling in our International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur Program, we have the resources to help you elevate your formulation skills. Start your formulation journey with us today!
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Shauna is a former freelance writer at Formula Botanica. Her love of beauty began with creating a make-your-own cosmetics kit for kids. A former aesthetician, Shauna is also an active formulator and perfumer, and a member of the Formula Botanica community.
