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How To Take Better Care of Your Skin

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  • About
    • Contact
  • Acne Science
    • Accutane
  • Regimen Rituals
    • Sensitive Skin
    • Anti-Aging
  • Ingredient Spotlight
    • Adapalene
    • Azelaic Acid
    • Benzoyl Peroxide
    • Glycolic Acid
    • Hyaluronic Acid
    • Lactic Acid
    • Niacinamide
    • Retinol
    • Salicylic Acid
    • Tretinoin
    • Vitamin C
  • Product Reviews
    • Product Recommendations
  • The Acne Solution

Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician

My name is Simone and I am a certified skin specialist. I created this website to teach my readers how to take great care of their skin and I also like to occasionally share my honest opinions on skincare products I've tried. You can learn more about me here.

Can You Mix Niacinamide With Retinol?

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Can You Mix Niacinamide With Retinol?

Yes, you can mix niacinamide with retinol, and in fact, doing so will put your skin on the fast track for impressive results. Niacinamide and retinol are two ingredients that often raise doubts about whether they can be safely used in combination with other actives. That is because both actives … Read more

Categories Niacinamide, Product Recommendations, Retinol

15 Best Skincare Products For Acne On A Budget

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Skincare Products For Acne On A Budget

Acne is a stubborn skin condition that can stick around for a long time if not treated. But unfortunately, acne medications and visits to the dermatologist or an esthetician aren’t an option for everyone, and as much as I like to advise you to seek professional help, I understand this … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

Does Masturbation Cause Acne? (An Esthetician Explains)

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
does masturbation really cause acne and pimples

Masturbation is a topic that carries many misconceptions with it. One of these is that masturbation has a negative effect on your skin. Some people believe that masturbating or having sex can lead to acne breakouts, especially in puberty. But does masturbation really cause acne? No, masturbation does not cause … Read more

Categories Acne Science

10 Best Paula’s Choice Products For Hyperpigmentation

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Paula's Choice Products For Hyperpigmentation

This article is a continuation of my newest series, where I give product recommendations for different skin concerns from one famous brand. In my last Paula’s Choice Recommendations article, I talked about the best products for acne-prone skin. So, since acne and hyperpigmentation go hand in hand, I decided to … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

Can You Use Niacinamide And Vitamin C Together?

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Can You Use Niacinamide And Vitamin C Together?

I’m not really sure who came up with the idea that you can’t use niacinamide and vitamin C together, but this is one of those skincare myths that spread around like wildfire and left many people concerned about combining these two actives. In this article, we will talk about the … Read more

Categories Niacinamide, Product Recommendations, Vitamin C

10 Best Products For Acne-Prone Skin By The Ordinary

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Products For Acne-Prone Skin By The Ordinary - The Skincare Culture

I was a committed lover of The Ordinary, and most of their products used to be my holy grails up until about a year ago. However, since I got stuck in quarantine and started growing my blog, I also started experimenting with other brands so that I can write reviews … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

19 Best Products To Repair The Skin Barrier

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Products To Repair The Skin Barrier

A damaged skin barrier is a result of excessive cleansing with harsh cleansers or soaps, over-exfoliation, not enough moisturizing, and not protecting your skin from UV rays. When your skin barrier is damaged, your skin struggles to hold onto moisture, and this will lead to uncomfortable sensations such as dryness, … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations, Sensitive Skincare

15 Best Sunscreens To Use While On Accutane

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Sunscreens While On Accutane

Accutane has a high success rate in treating acne; however, the medication is known to cause side effects, such as dryness, redness, sensitivity, and irritation. This medication will also increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, and along with the uncomfortable burning sensation you may experience, there is the added … Read more

Categories Accutane, Product Recommendations

10 Best Korean Sunscreens For Acne-Prone Skin

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician

If you are a K-beauty fan and are using at least one social media platform, I’m going to assume that you’ve at least heard about the sunscreen drama that’s been going on for a few months now. As a quick reminder, it all started in December of 2020 when INCIDecoder, … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

10 Best Paula’s Choice Products For Acne-Prone Skin

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Paula's Choice Products For Acne-Prone Skin

Paula’s Choice was launched back in 1995 as one of the first online beauty brands, and they have been coming out with banger after banger ever since. Paula Begoun, who is the owner of the brand, has been working in the beauty industry from an early age back in 1975, … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

10 Best Products To Instantly Soothe Irritated Skin

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Products To Instantly Soothe Irritated Skin

Whether it’s a reaction from a certain product, long-term damage, or an intense procedure – your skin can easily become irritated and feel uncomfortable. Irritated skin usually means that your skin’s barrier has been compromised, and as a result of this – it is incapable of protecting you from external … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations, Sensitive Skincare

Australian Gold Mineral Lotion SPF 50 Review

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Australian Gold Mineral Lotion SPF 50 Review - The Skincare Culture

With summer rapidly approaching on the tiny island where I live, I had to stock up on high protection sunscreens and decided to try something new this time. After reading so many positive reviews about the Australian Gold sunscreens, I decided to pick one out and see what the hype … Read more

Categories Product Reviews

8 Common Ingredients Found in Skincare Products

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
COMMON skincare ingredients

All of us want to use good skincare products that are going to complement and improve our skin. However, knowing which ingredients to avoid in skincare products can be challenging, especially if you don’t have the time to do your research. If you are just a regular person who wants … Read more

Categories Acne Science

The 3 Ingredients To Avoid In Facial Cleansers

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Ingredients To Avoid In Facial Cleansers

Cleansing is one of the most important steps in a skincare routine. However, knowing which ingredients to look for in a cleanser (and which to avoid) can make or break your routine. I’ve given many suggestions regarding the best cleaners for different skin types and conditions in the past, so … Read more

Categories Acne Science

Are Chemicals In Skincare Bad?

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
are the chemicals in skincare products bad for you

There is nothing like a little bit of controversy in order to generate some media buzz and draw attention towards the message many companies are trying to spread. For over a decade there have been recurring reports in both the media and on hundreds of internet sites relating to potentially … Read more

Categories Regimen Rituals, Sensitive Skincare

8 Ingredients To Avoid In Skincare Products

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Ingredients To Avoid In Skincare Products

Ingredients are the most important thing you should pay attention to when choosing skincare products. This is because some ingredients can improve your skin’s condition while others can exacerbate your skin concerns. However, ingredients are challenging to understand, mainly because there is so much confusion that stems from individual bias. … Read more

Categories Acne Science

8 Best Powder Sunscreens With High SPF

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Powder Sunscreens With High SPF

As if sunscreen isn’t already annoying enough to wear, the approaching hot summer months aren’t making things any easier. Sunscreens usually have heavy, greasy, and white cast-y formulations that don’t sit well under makeup and are quite literally impossible to reapply without having to retouch the entire look. Which is … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

DefenAge 2-Minute Reveal Masque Review

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
DefenAge 2-Minute Reveal Masque Review

In this article, I will review DefenAge 2-Minute Reveal Masque that was sent to me as a sample. If you have been following me for a little while, you may know that I’m not a huge fan of face masks. This is due to a couple of reasons. First, face … Read more

Categories Product Reviews

10 Best Antioxidant Serums for Hyperpigmentation & Aging

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Best Antioxidant Facial Serums

Antioxidants represent an entire crew of molecules that effectively deactivate free radicals and prevent them from damaging the DNA of the cells in your body. They do this by boosting the production of the body’s enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase that go on to protect the cells from … Read more

Categories Product Recommendations

Natura Bisse Stabilizing Cleansing Mask Review

by Simone Sydel | Licensed Esthetician
Natura Bisse - Stabilizing Cleansing Mask Review

If you are already familiar with the Natura Bisse Stabilizing Cleansing Mask, chances are you’ve heard about it from a famous makeup artist and skincare influencer on Instagram – Nam Vo. Nam Vo swore by using this facial mask on her Instagram story a little over a year ago, and it has … Read more

Categories Product Reviews
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simone sydel skincare

Welcome! My name is Simone Sydel and I am a certified skin specialist.

I created this website to teach my readers how to take great care of their skin.

Occasionally I also share my honest opinions on skincare products I’ve tried.

You can learn more about me here and you can also follow me on Twitter. 

– Simone Sydel.

PS: If you have oily/acne-prone skin, you should check out my ingredients handbook for acne-prone skin.

Affiliate Disclaimer

TheSkinCareCulture.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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