Recommended Active Ingredients for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin

Based on your skin concerns (oily, minor acne) and interest in creating a custom serum suitable for use with a facial massage machine, here are some ingredient examples from the categories we discussed (oil control, anti-aging, antioxidant, skin brightening) that are generally well-suited for lightweight, water-based or silicone-based serums and can be effectively delivered with a facial machine.

These ingredients can help address oiliness, improve skin clarity, and provide preventative anti-aging benefits without being overly heavy for oily skin.

For Oil Control and Acne:

• Zinc PCA: Helps reduce excess oil production and has antibacterial properties, making it good for acne-prone skin. It can also help accelerate wound healing, which is beneficial for acne marks.
• Pure MSM™ (Methylsulfonylmethane): Can help control oil production and has anti-inflammatory properties, which can be helpful for acne.
• Azelaic Acid (Liquid Azelaic™): This form of Azelaic Acid is water-soluble and can help reduce oiliness, unclog pores, reduce acne, and also has skin brightening effects to help with post-acne marks.

For Skin Brightening and Improving Skin Tone:

• Safe-B3™ or Extreme-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide): A versatile ingredient that helps reduce redness and dark spots, improves skin barrier function, reduces oiliness, and offers antioxidant benefits. It works well with N-Acetyl Glucosamine for brightening.
• GlucoBright™ (Acetyl Glucosamine): Works synergistically with Niacinamide to improve skin tone and reduce hyperpigmentation. It also helps the skin produce hyaluronic acid for gentle hydration and can aid in mild exfoliation.

For Soothing and Skin Barrier Support:

• Panthenol (Vitamin B5) or D-Panthenol Care: Helps to soothe the skin, reduce redness and inflammation, and supports wound healing, which is excellent for skin with minor acne. It also acts as a humectant, providing hydration without feeling heavy.
• Aloe Vera Extract: Known for its soothing and moisturizing properties, it can help calm irritated skin and provide lightweight hydration.

For Anti-aging (Preventative):

• Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (eq Argireline): A peptide that helps reduce the appearance of expression lines by targeting muscle contractions. While Matrixyl 3000 stimulates collagen, Argireline focuses on the muscle-related wrinkles, which can be a good preventative measure.

Creating Your Custom Tester Serum

As the staff confirmed, you can indeed select active ingredients from different groups (Whitening, Moisturizing, Anti-aging, etc.) to add to a base like Ultra Light Serum. The key is to choose ingredients that are compatible with the base and each other, and to keep the total concentration of added active ingredients within the recommended limit (typically not exceeding 25% in total, but always check the specific usage rate for each ingredient).

For use with a facial massage machine, water-soluble or lightweight liquid ingredients are generally preferred as they can be effectively delivered into the skin by the device. The ingredients listed above are typically water-soluble or suitable for incorporation into lightweight serum formulations.

When selecting ingredients for your tester, you might start with a combination targeting your primary concerns: oil control, acne support, and reducing post-acne marks. For example, a combination of Zinc PCA, Niacinamide, and Vitamin B5 would address oiliness, inflammation, acne marks, and barrier support. You could then add Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 if you also want to include preventative anti-aging benefits.

Remember to check the recommended usage rate for each specific ingredient product you choose from the store to ensure you are formulating within safe and effective concentrations.

Regarding the formula you previously proposed (Azelaic Acid 5%, Aloe Vera 3%, B3 5%, MSM 5%, Matrixyl™ 3000 5% in Ultra Light Serum), the staff correctly pointed out that Matrixyl 3000 might be more for existing wrinkles, but including it for prevention is fine if desired. The total concentration of these actives (5+3+5+5+5 = 23%) is within the general guideline of not exceeding 25%. However, as the staff mentioned, silicone gel bases can sometimes pill or feel heavy when combined with many other ingredients or layered with other products like sunscreen. Using such a formula separately might be best. For use with a machine, ensuring the final texture is not too thick or prone to pilling is important for smooth application and effective delivery. The individual ingredients listed above are generally suitable for machine use when formulated into a lightweight serum.

You can indeed order custom testers with your chosen ingredients from the store.