Dr. Mamina.

"Neosporin is a triple antibiotic ointment. It contains neomycin, polymyxin B, and bacitracin. Neomycin is one of the most common contact allergens in all of dermatology. We see Neosporin contact dermatitis regularly in our practice. Someone applies it to a small wound and within days they have a full allergic reaction spreading beyond the wound site and it freaks people out because it almost looks like a really bad infection. The skin is red, swollen, but a telltale sign is that it's very itchy too. And in most cases it looks way worse than the original wound. Interestingly, one of the other antibiotic ingredients, bacitracin, does have a meaningful allergy track record as well. The frustrating part is that plain petroleum jelly like Vaseline does the same job just as effectively. Moist wound healing is what promotes healing and minimizes scarring and infections and plain petrolatum delivers that without any allergy risk."

"I love the rich cream. They have their famous ingredient, the TFC8 complex, a proprietary molecule or formula that includes stem cell properties, and they also use a lot of antioxidant rich ingredients in their product. I definitely do see benefits with the rich cream. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. Because I do think the rich cream does work, I'm going to give it a four, but it's just very expensive. I don't want people to feel pressure that they have to get it."

"I really like this moisturizer. It's super hydrating and it also leaves you with a really nice glow, and I love how it has SPF in it. It honestly does come with a lot of products, so I feel like this is really worth the cost, and it's also super gentle on my skin. I'm a huge fan of that moisturizer. It's a moisturizer that I've been recommending for years to my patients, especially the ones with acne. I just find that it's very soothing for people who can get dry or irritated potentially from other acne products or Accutane. This one is the SPF version, there's a version with SPF and one without, so it's easy to just recommend using both in your skincare routine, one in the morning and one at night. The La Roche-Posay products do have spring water, which has soothing properties, minerals, and prebiotics, and this one, the double repair moisturizer, has shea butter, niacinamide, ceramides, all ingredients that I really like in a moisturizer. This one is dermatologist approved."

"Plain petroleum jelly like Vaseline Original Healing Jelly does the same job just as effectively. Moist wound healing is what promotes healing and minimizes scarring and infections, and plain petrolatum delivers that without any allergy risk. Vaseline Original Healing Jelly is older than most of us, costs $2, and outperforms Neosporin for wound care. The dermatology community has known this for years."

"There's a side effect that's super rare -- I don't think I've ever seen it in somebody who's used a prostaglandin analog eyelash serum, but it has been seen with glaucoma drugs, and that is pigmentary change in your iris, which is the colored part of your eye. The concerning thing about this side effect is that if it does happen, it's permanent. It's usually more common in green or hazel eyes, and people end up getting a brown speck in their eye. I used to recommend these eyelash serums because for a long time they were the only options with real efficacy, but that has changed. There are now lash serums that grow lashes through different mechanisms and they are mostly peptide-based without the prostaglandin risks, and those are what I recommend."

"ALASTIN Restorative Skin Complex uses elastin and collagen building peptides. Well-formulated peptide products can definitely make a noticeable difference in skin texture and strength when used consistently. Peptides can help signal collagen production and improve firmness over time, but they're not meant to replace stronger actives like retinoids. They work best when layered with proven actives."

"Rice water can be nourishing for the scalp skin, and healthy skin provides fertile ground for healthy hair follicles, but we still need more studies. Fermented rice water theoretically is supposed to help your scalp microbiome, but there are cases where it could throw off your scalp microbiome. It might help your hair look healthier, but it's not like a guaranteed growth treatment. I don't think it should replace your tried-and-true medical therapies that we know work. If you're dealing with real hair loss, I wouldn't just bank everything on rice water."

"There's pumpkin seed oil. There was a very compelling study in 2014 that showed a 40% increase in hair count with pumpkin seed oil supplementation over 24 weeks compared to placebo. This also has a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor activity similar to finasteride, but it's more gentle and available without a prescription. I do recommend this broadly for anyone dealing with androgenetic or hormonally driven hair thinning."

"In the La Roche-Posay line they have their Mela B3 serum. It has the proprietary La Roche-Posay spring water in it so I love it, it's soothing and this ingredient has so much research behind it, like multiple years of research, and it's not harsh on the skin either. So I do like that for people who may have sensitive skin and they're looking for something to still help lighten dark spots on their face."

"They're super hydrating and they make your skin look so glowy. I love these dew drops and they also have niacinamide in it so it's going to help control your oil. It's very hydrating, it has hyaluronic acid and it has watermelon in it which does have some hydrating properties. Niacinamide can help nourish your skin barrier so it can further help add to that hydration to the skin. What I thought was most interesting about this product was the glow that it left on your face, so if you want kind of like that shiny dewy hydrating glow this is for you. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to look really shiny and dewy and glowy, so it's sort of personal preference. As a hydrating ingredient I think it's fine. This product is extra, like it probably has more things than you may need. I think it's more fun and if you like that shiny dewy hydrated glowy look I would say go for it."

"Design flaw. The particles are jagged and irregular, which means that they create micro tears in the skin barrier rather than gently buffing the surface. Those micro tears can cause inflammation, they can accelerate barrier breakdown, and they can worsen acne in people who are already prone to it. The apricot kernel specifically has a shape under a microscope that is genuinely damaging to the skin. There have actually been lawsuits about this, and the data is not on St. Ives Apricot Scrub's side."

"First Aid Beauty, also a Sephora brand. I am a fan of a lot of their products. They make great products that are targeted toward keratosis pilaris, which is an issue we see a lot in the derm practice. So, I do recommend First Aid Beauty products often to my patients. I also love their ingrown hair peel pads, which is great for people with ingrown hair. So, use alongside a retinoid. I'm also a big fan of their radiance peel pads. I think that those are gentle and are great exfoliant for people who want something to improve texture, hyperpigmentation, but don't want anything too harsh. Huge fan. The price point's not terrible."

"EltaMD is a clinical brand, just because a lot of derm offices sell it. It's a sunscreen brand and they have so many sunscreens. We love EltaMD because very well studied, very well formulated. Definitely a lot of science behind the formulations. All the sunscreens have zinc oxide in it to ensure that there's good UVA coverage. They also make sure that they have tints that are available and that suit well for all skin tones. Their most viral product is the UV Clear. That one is great for people with oily or acne prone skin."

"This is a favorite. So low-level laser and red light devices are FDA cleared for hair loss and do have a solid and growing evidence base. It works by stimulating mitochondrial activity in your follicular cells. This increases energy and extends the growth phase of your hair. Good quality red light cap or helmet that's used consistently, typically several times per week, is definitely a meaningful adjunct to a hair loss regimen."

"My top recommendations, Current Body Skin LED light therapy mask. This is the one I call the best value in the professional-grade mask category. It's FDA cleared, uses 633 nanometer red and 830 nanometer near infrared, and the clinical data behind it is real. One of the most widely used masks globally, and for good reason. It performs at a level you'd expect from a device costing significantly more."

"This is FDA cleared. It's widely available at Sephora and Amazon, which makes it very accessible. It's a solid entry-level option for somebody wanting to try clinical grade mask without committing to the higher price points. The radiance is lower than Omnilux or Current Body, which means sessions may need to be a little longer to reach an equivalent dose, but it works and the ease of access is definitely a genuine advantage."

"I honestly love this eye cream. I feel like it really has made a difference. Honestly, this is like one of the only products that has actually helped my under eyes. This eye cream has vitamin C, it has THD ascorbate vitamin C, which I am a fan of, and it's great for people who have sensitive skin. Ascorbic acid can be a little irritating for some people, so it's a nice form of vitamin C. It also has a peptide that can help with collagen production, so theoretically it can help with fine lines and wrinkles. It has caffeine, and I am a fan of caffeine in eye creams because the issues around the eyes are different from the rest of the face. We want to work on hiding dark circles, helping to kind of depuff any kind of swelling that we might have, and I think caffeine is something to look for in eye creams."

"SK-II is a J beauty brand that's also a luxury brand and they are famous for their facial treatment essence. I'm a huge fan of this product. This product has a yeast ferment filtrate with galactomyces that has been found to help brighten the skin. And there's other goodies in there that really nourish the skin. Like it just seems like water, it seems like it does nothing but it does so much. It hydrates, nourishes, helps brighten the skin. I think their treatment essence is where they shine. Super expensive though."

"There's an extract from a fern plant called polypodium leucotomos that's shown to enhance your skin's ability to defend against UV radiation. Heliocare is the most popular brand with polypodium leucotomos containing supplements. This is something I do recommend for people who are at high risk for skin cancers including melanoma or for people who are going to be outside for prolonged periods of time, people who burn pretty easily even with sunscreen and other sun protective measures."

"This one is interesting. So it does have some gentle exfoliating enzymes in it, proteases as well as other fruit enzymes. I would be very cautious with somebody in their teens because your skin cell turnover is still pretty good. I would be okay with this one just because the enzymes look pretty gentle and it also has gentle ingredients. It looks like there's glycerin and panthenol, allantoin, and some sodium hyaluronate. So this does look like it's going to be nourishing in addition to very gently exfoliating. I like it."

"I think that these are so cute I love to wear them I feel like they just look so cute on but I don't think that they do anything to help my skin and help my pimples. These just didn't personally do anything for my skin. I think they're cute and I'm glad that they exist but I don't think that they should be a treatment for your pimples. I am a fan of pimple patches as a way for people to avoid touching their pimples, it keeps the pimple protected and in a way it can provide an environment for that pimple to heal because of that moisture and occlusion, but I do find other types of hydrocolloid patches to be a little bit better. So I wouldn't run and get this one. If you want something cute and you happen to be like a pimple picker then maybe you can do this one, but if you're dealing with acne I would start with some good topical products. You want to treat your whole face not just like individual pimples. Of course if you have like a big annoying pimple there's a time and a place for patches like these and spot treatment but you really want to treat your whole face with topical treatments whether it's a retinol salicylic acid product adapalene and prevent the pimples from coming out in the first place. But there's probably better options."

"I'm a really big fan of the oral supplement Sun Powder which has Helioare and then glutathione. Glutathione is one of your body's master antioxidants. It works by shifting pigment production towards a lighter type of melanin. Some studies show that skin brightening effects, especially in oral or sublingual forms, can be helpful. You want to look for liposomal delivery systems for better absorption. Sun Powder has glutathione with polypodonium leucotomos."