• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents New York Shop
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
Subscribe Give A Gift
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
  • Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
  • Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
  • Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
  • Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
  • Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
  • Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
  • Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Advertiser Content from
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.
Sponsored By StriVectin Sponsored By StriVectin
Jan. 15, 2021

We Asked a Skincare Super-User to Debunk Beauty Jargon

Photo-Illustration: Courtesy of StriVectin
Kirbie Johnson

Anyone who’s ever dabbled in skincare knows that the industry is full of terms that, at best, can be a little confusing, and, at worst, can require pulling out your phone at the beauty store to look up what on earth niacin is. Reading ingredient labels might make you flash back to failing high school chemistry, and putting together a skincare routine feels like a daunting task. My routine should have how many steps? What’s all this about alpha hydroxy acids? Wait, are exfoliating and retexturizing the same thing? And, while we’re here, how often do I even need to exfoliate?

To explain this wide world of beauty jargon, we asked someone who knows a lot about skincare: Kirbie Johnson, the co-host of the podcast Gloss Angeles and a longtime beauty journalist with more than a decade of experience covering the industry. On her podcast, she and her co-host provide fun and practical beauty advice — breaking down everything you need to know about the ingredients in your skincare and makeup, as well as telling you about the products she thinks are actually worth it, based on her own trial and error.

One of the products she recommends? StriVectin’s new Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum, which helps exfoliate and hydrate the skin. Its formula is designed to help you wake up to a more radiant-looking complexion, plus visibly minimize pores and fine lines*. We asked Johnson to help us decode some of the serum’s ingredients below, in plain terms, so you don’t need to do any frantic internet searching. Read on for Johnson’s no-nonsense skincare glossary, plus her personal takes on commonly-asked beauty questions.

StriVectin Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum
$79 at Ulta Beauty

What is lactic acid?
Lactic acid, the main ingredient in StriVectin’s new Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum, can be helpful for a skin “glow up.” It helps give a razzle dazzle-effect because it’s known to visibly brighten and smooth the complexion. If you search lactic acid, you’ll notice it’s found in things like milk and tomato juice. (Don’t worry, you need not douse your face in either.) Lactic acid is one of the most-researched alpha hydroxy acids, which is why you will often find it in many exfoliating serums alone, or with its BFF glycolic acid. When you notice an immediate glow from a product, it’s usually the handiwork of lactic acid. It’s also considered more hydrating than other AHAs. And a fun fact: the lactic acid in StriVectin’s serum is vegan, meaning it’s derived from plants versus milk (or animal) products. This is typical for most lactic acid products in the U.S., but it’s good to be conscious of it!

On that note, what are alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs)?
AHAs are water-soluble acids that work to help remove the top layer of dead skin cells and include ingredients like glycolic, lactic, mandelic, malic, tartaric, and citric acid.

Why are acids important in a skincare routine? How do you use them? 
Love acids. I embrace acids. Don’t become a chronic over-exfoliator, but I like to use them a few times a week. Alpha hydroxy acids are great for giving that immediate glowy look to the skin. Beta hydroxy acids are oil-soluble, so they get deeper within the pore to remove dead skin and sebum — this is why a lot of products include both AHAs and BHAs. There are acids that hydrate too, like hyaluronic acid and lactic acid.

Photo: Courtesy of StriVectin

How often do I really need to exfoliate? 
As a reformed chronic over-exfoliator, it’s important not to overdo it with exfoliation. Doing too much can lead to all kinds of issues, like inflammation, which can be linked to acne, pigmentation, skin dehydration, and more. If you’re doing the most with your skincare routine and you feel like it’s a never-ending cycle of dry skin and breakouts, I’d suggest to take a step back.

Most products will state how often they should be used. The great thing about the Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum is that, as the name states, it’s formulated for nightly use, so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it. Lactic acid is generally more gentle than other chemical exfoliants, and I personally don’t experience issues when using it nightly. That said, if you’re just getting started with an exfoliator, in my opinion, you may want to use the product three days on, three days off so you reap the benefits of the chemical exfoliant, don’t get confused about when to incorporate it into your skincare routine, and see how your skin reacts. If you have super-sensitive skin, it’s better to start slow, maybe one to two times a week, to start and build up to nightly.

What’s the difference between “exfoliating” and “retexturizing”?
Great question. Exfoliating is the removal of dead skin. You can do this via physical exfoliants, like a scrub, or chemical exfoliants like alpha hydroxy, beta hydroxy, or polyhydroxy acids. Many “resurfacing” or “retexturizing” products will likely include chemical exfoliants for this reason, or even ingredients like retinol. They can help with things like pigmentation, smoothness and dull skin.

Moving back to ingredients. What’s niacin?
Also known as vitamin B3, what can’t this ingredient do? I find it helps with fine lines because of its hydrating properties, and with brightening. It’s become popular in the past few years because of its do-it-all characteristics. One reason I enjoy using the Nightly Retexturizing Serum is because StriVectin’s patented form of niacin helps strengthen the skin barrier and helps enhance the performance of the serum’s other ingredients. The brand is known for this form of niacin, and it’s found in your other favorite StriVectin products, too.

Photo-Illustration: Courtesy of StriVectin

Speaking of other ingredients: can we talk about the wild world of “botanical extracts”?
There are so many botanical ingredients that are touted in skincare these days, mostly due to the “clean” beauty movement. And yes, I know essential oils sometimes get a bad rap, but blue cypress deserves recognition. It’s an essential oil from the cypress tree and helps with redness, something I’m clocking as a common skin concern this year. It’s soothing … and often touted as an anti-inflammatory ingredient. Another lovely botanical in skincare is hibiscus. It’s a gorgeous flower, but its potential for skin benefits are stunning, too: It [contains a compound called myricetin] that helps visibly smooth fine lines. It is a natural alpha hydroxy acid but also an antioxidant, which makes it great for AM or PM use. It’s been popular in Korean beauty for several years because of its visual anti-aging benefits.

Last thing: you hear about how important it is to use sunscreen after using an acid. Why?
You’re not doing yourself any favors if you avoid sunscreen or apply it improperly. Acids can make your skin more photosensitive, and if you’ve been working hard to exfoliate your skin for a smoother complexion or less pigmentation and don’t apply SPF after, it’s kind of like dumping your money into a garbage bin. Definitely use sunscreen after applying StriVectin’s Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum, and as a general rule, I wear SPF 30 every day.

*Results based on an expert clinical grader’s evaluation of 35 panelists who used StriVectin Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum one time. The evaluation showed improved radiance for 100% of panelists and improved softness for 97% of panelists. 

This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

Tags:

  • advertiser content
  • new york stories
  • beauty
  • skincare
  • strivectin
  • guide
  • More
Show Leave a Comment
Here’s What All the Beauty Buzzwords Actually Mean

Most Viewed Stories

  1. The Return of the Marriage Plot
  2. A Bianca Censori Primer
  3. The Pandemic Skip
  4. Este Haim Is Letting Her Freak Flag Fly
  5. A Four-Hour Phone Call With Erykah Badu
  1. The Return of the Marriage Plot
  2. What Happened to Maya Kowalski
  3. The Pandemic Skip
  4. A Bianca Censori Primer
  5. Why Can’t Our Friendship Survive Your Baby? 

Best of The Cut

  • The Cost of Straight Hair
  • Dylan Mulvaney’s Girlhood, Interrupted
  • The Real Houselife of Jenna Lyons
  • Fashion’s Talent Problem
  • A Four-Hour Phone Call With Erykah Badu
See All

The Latest

always shopping Yesterday at 4:25 p.m.
18 Best Gift Ideas Under $50 That Are Actually Fun On a budget? No problem.
oh? Yesterday at 3:45 p.m.
Sophie Turner and Taylor Swift Went Out for Spaghetti … Twice What do you think they talked about?
mfw spring 2024 Yesterday at 3:35 p.m.
In a Big Shift, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons Go Glam Plus: a Tom Ford debut.
sure why not Yesterday at 3:09 p.m.
What If Emma Corrin and Rami Malek Kissed … in the Park? Just two thespians enjoying a romantic dog walk.
life after roe Yesterday at 3:05 p.m.
Nebraska Mom Gets Two Years in Prison in Abortion-Pill Case The woman was accused of helping her daughter self-manage an abortion, which in itself is not illegal, and disposing of the remains.
friday sales Yesterday at 2:47 p.m.
21 Things on Sale You’ll Want to Buy: From Ole Henriksen to Outdoor Voices Including extra-strength vitamin-C serum, work-appropriate backpacks, and golf shoes.
zodiac seasons Yesterday at 2:45 p.m.
Your Guide to Libra Season Libra season brings an energy that’s sociable, harmonious, and fair-minded.
By Claire Comstock-Gay
lfw spring 2024 Yesterday at 2:38 p.m.
Skepta Just Wants to Get the Pleats Right We spent 20 minutes with the British artist as he strived to get his collection runway-ready.
mfw spring 2024 Yesterday at 12:31 p.m.
The Best Street Style From Milan Fashion Week See our favorite looks from outside the shows.
celebrity Yesterday at 12:00 p.m.
A Bianca Censori Primer The woman inside the pantyhose.
the approval matrix Yesterday at 12:00 p.m.
The Sun Sets on WFH Our guide to what’s highbrow, lowbrow, brilliant, and despicable.
explainers Yesterday at 11:50 a.m.
What We Know About the Russell Brand Rape Allegations Several women have come forward with accounts of sexual assault and abuse by the comedian.
gone sale-ing Yesterday at 11:40 a.m.
10 Things You Don’t Have to Pay Full Price for This Week Deals from Outdoor Voices, Everlane, Ulta, and more.
crime Yesterday at 10:47 a.m.
A One-Year-Old Died From a Suspected Fentanyl Overdose at a Bronx Day-Care Police says they found a stash of the drug under a trap door, near a play area for the children.
the group portrait Yesterday at 8:00 a.m.
Give the Liberty Their Crown How New York’s WNBA team became the hottest ticket — with the rowdiest crowd — in town.
By Emma Carmichael
it girl Yesterday at 8:00 a.m.
Este Haim Is Letting Her Freak Flag Fly Haim’s bassist, vocalist, and eldest sister knows exactly what she likes.
the body politic Yesterday at 8:00 a.m.
The Return of the Marriage Plot Why everyone is suddenly so eager for men and women to get hitched.
power Sept. 21, 2023
A Designer Is Now Suing Lizzo for Working Conditions on Tour Asha Daniels alleges she worked 20-hour days without breaks in an “unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture” on the singer’s Special Tour.
back to college Sept. 21, 2023
Five Students Show Us Their First-Day-of-School Outfits One student’s approach to back-to-school dressing is “put-together but not in a try-hard way.”
milan fashion week Sept. 21, 2023
Does Gen Z Want ‘In Your Face’? Glenn Martens of Diesel answers that question.
More Stories
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.