Can I use benzoyl peroxide and retinoids that benzoyl peroxide breaks down together?

Piel's routine check says: Caution

Benzoyl peroxide can break most retinoids down when they go on together, so both do less. Use them at different times of day. This applies when applied at the same time.

This one is not about irritation. Benzoyl peroxide is an oxidiser and most retinoids oxidise with it, so applied together a share of each is spent on the other rather than on skin.

Nothing stings and nothing looks wrong — the routine simply does less than it should, which is why Piel flags a pair that feels fine.

Different times of day keeps both intact: benzoyl peroxide in the morning and the retinoid at night, or on alternate days if the morning is already full. Waiting between layers does not help here the way it does with irritation, because the two have to be on skin at different times, not in a different order.

Check a product with Piel

Search any product by name, or add one with its ingredient list, and Piel checks it against your skin profile.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play