Ask & You Shall Recieve: Is it OK to Mix and Match Skincare?

Rachel asked, "I'm wondering do people use loads of different bits of skincare ranges according to what they like or do they use all the one range? I have always used an entire range as far back as I can remember even when I was 16 and using Simple"

It's an interesting question actually and I think a lot of people are confused about it. In general, we're told that products in a range are designed to work in harmony with each other, and so you should only use them together. But that doesn't always take into account the huge variations that can exist with people - we don't all happily fall into camps of normal skin, normal to dry, oily, and so on. So an entire range might not suit you, or there may be bits in it (like a toner) that you just don't want to use.

I've asked the pros about this before and the general concensus is that if it's a supermarket brand or something fairly cheap, then mixing and matching is absolutely grand. But if you're using skincare with active ingredients like retinol or glycolics, such as the umpteen Dr brands on the market, then you should stick to the products in the range because they really, absolutely are designed to work together, and missing out steps or products may impact on the results you get.

So, if you want to mix your Nivea with your Simple - do! But maybe leave Dr Murad to do his work all on his own.