Dr Alexis Stephens.

"To date, I only know that this ingredient is in Eucerin. They, in fact, patented it. The one that I know of does have fragrance, so if you're sensitive to fragrance, that's definitely something to note. Maybe hold out for a fragrance-free version. But if you're not, this might be something that you want to incorporate into your routine, especially if you need to take a holiday from hydroquinone or if you're just looking for something that is proven to be equally effective without the known side effects. It's a very exciting ingredient and it just may be the hydroquinone alternative we've all been waiting for with far less side effects."

"I apply La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 to the corners of the eyes, the nose, and the mouth, the extra sensitive areas of the face where I definitely don't want any retinoid irritation. It has shea butter in addition to the centella asiatica extract and the panthenol, and it's just a little bit more occlusive. You do not need to use this particular balm; the point is to just add a little extra protection to the areas of the skin that are the thinnest, that are the most prone to irritation. This is where retinol tends to gather at nighttime while we're sleeping, and that's why a lot of people end up stopping their retinoid too early, because they didn't take these extra measures to protect the most sensitive parts of the skin."

"If you're dealing with sensitive or sensitized skin, your moisturizer really matters because I'm sure you've all experienced when you just put moisturizer on your skin it's still stinging or burning if it's the wrong one. My recommendation would be to go with something like Vanicream Moisturizing Cream that is free of pretty much everything that can cause any irritants or sensitivity on the skin."

"If you have very dry skin and despite using a moisturizing antioxidant or a moisturizing sunscreen you still feel dry throughout the day, you're going to want to moisturize in between using your antioxidant and your sunscreen. So you might want to use something like the La Roche-Posay Double Repair. This is a great moisturizer with nice soothing ingredients that can help to repair your skin barrier so hopefully with time you can actually just use a moisturizing sunscreen as the last step of the morning."

"I love the Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C Plus Glutathione Clinical Serum. You guys know how I feel about tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate -- it's such a good vitamin C, it's a stable vitamin, and there were a lot more clinical studies this year that showed that. Why do I love this product? It can help you to brighten your skin, it can help with collagen, it can help with fine lines, it can help with uneven skin tone -- it's a fantastic product for many different things. And that glutathione antioxidant is going to help to fight off the environmental stressors that promote all of the things that we don't want, so we need something in our daily routine that can help to combat that. Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is basically like L-ascorbic acid -- the vitamin C that has the most clinical data backing it up, but also very irritating to many people's skin, including mine. THD is when the L-ascorbic acid molecule is found in the center of the compound and then surrounded by four hexyl lipids, making it very lipid-soluble, which our skin loves. It means it's going to penetrate the skin better, so once you put this on the skin it can actually get deep down into the skin, and then only once it's in the cell it gets cleaved and the L-ascorbic acid is released. That is why it's very stable and very effective."

"One of the best well-known ones for carrier peptides that help to transport different trace elements like copper into the skin is from The Ordinary. I really love the Biossance Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum. This one has copper tripeptide 1 and tetrapeptide 30, which is a fantastic brightening peptide. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and blocks the transfer of melanin to the surrounding cells."

"The Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid has acetyl hexapeptide-8, which is one of the ingredients that are considered the botox in a bottle and it's marketed as Argireline. I really like this one, it's just a really lightweight gel-like serum. There are several different benefits of peptides and one of them is hydrating and moisturizing the skin. The Rhode skin care line is really geared towards hydrating and moisturizing, nourishing the skin barrier."

"My favorite cleanser launch of the year is the Krave Beauty Makeup Rewind Transforming Jelly Oil Cleanser. This is used as the first step of your double cleanse to break up makeup or sunscreen first, and then you go in with a second cleanse afterwards. I love this because it features grape seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin E, so all those omega fatty acids that are great and nourishing for your skin. It allows you to really get off any stubborn makeup, especially around the eyes where you really shouldn't be tugging or rubbing too hard to get rid of any type of waterproof mascara. It's fantastic. It feels so good on the skin and it really gets the job done in an easy and efficient manner."

"For those days when I need something a little bit extra I'll use the Slather by Topicals, this is an exfoliating body serum that features retinol, lactic acid, urea, and squalene. I love how they have this kind of dichotomy of ingredients right, you've got this good nourishing and loving ingredients but you've got the heavy hitters that can help with exfoliating the skin and you can also bring in the hydration properties of the skin. If you want buttery, soft, smooth skin you definitely should be exfoliating maybe two times a week or so on the body and this is a great product to do it."

"This one here is the Olay Retinol Body Rinse Off and it has retinol but it also has niacinamide or vitamin B3 in there which really helps with discoloration whether that's red or brown discoloration. And then the retinol in this wash off product is fantastic because that short form of contact really works well for those with sensitive skin. If you have KP my friend you most likely have sensitive skin so it's a really great option."

"For oily acne prone skin you really want to consider reaching for a sunscreen that has zinc oxide in the formula. It doesn't have to be the only filter, this is actually a hybrid with both inorganic and organic filters, but zinc can really help to absorb some of the excess oil that's clearly associated with oily acne prone skin and also zinc has a lot of great properties for acne. One of the sunscreens that I recommend literally all day to my patients and it's a huge patient favorite is the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46. This comes in both tinted and non-tinted options and again it's a hybrid sunscreen which really helps with the blendability of the sunscreen. The tinted option has the iron oxides in there which can really help if your acne healed with hyperpigmentation."

"Vertical lines, which are a result of our sleep position, cannot be treated with Botox and fillers -- in fact they can linger and become more stubborn with age, so prevention is going to be absolutely key. Think about it: every night the typical pillow is compressing against our face, especially if you are a side or stomach sleeper, leading to those dreaded lines and creases. This is the Sleep and Glow Omnia Pillow, and it is my best kept beauty secret. I've been using this pillow for years -- it's been a game changer for not only me but also for the patients that I've recommended it to, and everyone in my family loves it too. The Omnia Pillow has this really innovative 3D structure where your face is cradled, kind of floating all night, by these two side cradles that make sure your face is floating as opposed to being smooshed by the pillow. Untouched and uncreased is basically the goal we're going for all night, and it helps you wake up without sleep creases, looking refreshed and not puffy in the morning. It's actually super comfortable -- it has a memory foam to it -- and because it was designed by an orthopedist, it's going to help promote proper neck and back alignment, which gets so much more important as we have more birthdays. This year Sleep and Glow also launched their copper pillowcase, which is great for anyone battling acne and anti-aging at the same time, and I love that this pillowcase is going to help cut down on that."

"This year Sleep and Glow launched their Copper Pillowcase, which is great for any of us that are battling acne and anti-aging at the same time. Acne is not over; it's still something that a lot of us are dealing with, and I love that this pillowcase is going to help cut down on that. The Copper Pillowcase can really help to minimize the bacteria buildup that happens on the pillowcase, and think about it, we are sleeping hopefully between 7 and 8 hours a night, so this should really help. I'm going to be using my own discount code to order one of those copper pillowcases."

"Dermatica specializes in personalized science-backed skin care in which your personalized formula will meet your skin goals whether it's acne, acne scars, aging, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, melasma, or just improving your skin glow. After you answer some questions and identify your primary concerns, you'll meet with a dermatology consultant who will go over your case and give you a personalized formula. They make the process so incredibly seamless and easy for you to access your dermatologist, get appropriate care, and get prescription strength medication that wouldn't necessarily be readily available over the counter. Sometimes your hyperpigmentation or your acne or whatever other condition you are trying to treat really needs more than what over-the-counter products can offer. It can be extremely difficult to get into a dermatologist, the wait can either be really long or you may not have someone accessible to you, so it's amazing that there are services like Dermatica that can offer you these types of prescription medications that you could normally only get by visiting a dermatologist."

"I have also tried the Vital Proteins Collagen Gummies, which have 2.5 g of Verisol as well. I did not get along well with Vital Proteins' actual collagen, it for sure caused acne for me, but I've not had any problem with the gummies. Honestly, though, I don't take them a lot. I try to be very mindful of what I'm eating, and they have 5 g of total sugars. If I'm going to get sugar, I want to get it from my food and not necessarily from a gummy."

"I love the spray because it is so hydrating. It's got anti-inflammatory and soothing properties, perfect for if you're going to be using something irritating like a retinol. On top of the fact that it has panthenol, the B5, it also has madagasca side, which is an extract of centella asiatica, so anti-inflammatory, soothing properties. This is something that I love to just rehydrate my skin with."