aernox

I have read that it shouldn’t be used at the same time as retinol due to PH requirements

You can use a chemical exfoliant and a retinoid in the same routine. You don't have to worry about pH once the product is on your skin and absorbed. One concern is just that both can be pretty irritating, so using them together might be overly harsh on your skin. Maybe start slowly introducing them one at a time until you're ready, and always see how your skin is reacting. If you decide to exfoliate in the morning, keep in mind that AHAs make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so sunscreen becomes extra important.

I have also heard about Vitamin E, though I’ve never used it.

Your CeraVe Moisturizing Cream contains tocopherol, so you're already using it. I don't think you need to seek out a separate product.

Debian Stable + KDE Plasma

I doubt anyone knows about it, but I really like the design of WoltLab Burning Board 3.

I feel like the visual layouts of forums (like the one I mentioned) lend themselves to better social interaction between users and let them get to know each other more easily. On here, I often see posts from the same people across communities, but it only becomes apparent to me after some time because the design is very minimalist (there's really just a name over the comment), whereas in forums everyone creates their own profile picture and text and a signature; that makes everything more personal, I think. I can appreciate both though.

This is a really interesting but difficult question, because no matter what, I'd sacrifice something!

I don't know if you mean product categories or also specific brands, so I'm just going to mention both.

It would probably be this though: a cleanser, a retinoid, and sunscreen.

1. I don't think I could do without cleansing, because it's the fundamental basis of my routine. Yeah, it's boring and doesn't seem to do much on the surface, but removing dead skin, dirt, oil, and applied products is necessary. My skin also feels really good after cleansing and I don't want to imagine weeks worth of greasy sunscreen build-up on my face. The cleanser I'm currently using is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Aqua Gel – I love its surfactant system, how it feels, and the fact that it comes in a pump!

2. Some kind of retinoid, preferably tretinoin, for sure, simply because of their proven "anti-aging" benefits. Also for acne, I guess.

3. Sunscreen (with antioxidants) would be another must, mainly to reduce photo-aging and skin cancer risk. Currently using La Roche Posay UVMune 400 because of new the Mexoryl 400 filter. It's the best sunscreen I've used, not only in terms of protection but also due to how it spreads and how non-greasy it feels on my skin. Personally, it's enough moisturization for me.

With this setup, I'm missing out on exfoliation, so if I could have the chance to NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE, I'd pick some AHA/BHA instead of sunscreen and never see the light of day, haha.

To get the advertised spf you’re supposed to apply about 1/4 a teaspoon per section of body

That depends on factors like the amount of skin you have in one part of the body (face – neck – legs etc.), which even in one area can vary greatly between individuals. Those recommendations are also kind of confusing sometimes as they might not tell you what exactly is meant (does "face" include the neck? What about the ears?). They're pretty diverse, too – some tell you to apply 1/4 of a teaspoon on your face, others say 1/2 a teaspoon for your face, head, and neck … In addition, you'd have to know what they mean by teaspoon: a metric teaspoon (5 mL), one teaspoon in the US customary system (about 4.93 mL, although that's (hopefully) reserved for culinary measurements), or a random teaspoon they found in their kitchen drawer? It's a mess.

SPF is tested at 2 mg per cm^2^, and this is also the amount that is used in most studies, so that might be your best bet to get the labelled protection. It's also one of the reasons why higher SPF is generally better as you could "get away" with applying a lower amount while not realistically sacrificing protection too much.

But good luck actually applying that much reliably consistently. I guess if you don't want to exactly measure the amount of skin on your face and the appropriate amount of sunscreen (even just once), just try to apply liberally? It's a really tricky process to communicate to consumers, which is why those approximate recommendations exist; otherwise, you might put a lot of people off using sunscreen altogether.