Been trying to find it today because I've heard great things but apparently it's impossible to find. I found a couple online but with crazy shipping for BC. I thought it would be easier to find because it seems like a pretty simple product but I guess not? Whole Foods, pharmacies, grocery stores, nothing

Hi everyone! 💗 I’m 27F from Canada and need help building an affordable skincare routine.
I believe I have combination or dehydrated skin (possibly both?). My T-zone feels dry and tight immediately after cleansing but becomes extremely oily throughout the day, especially under makeup. My cheekbones are normal to dry.
My main concerns:
Sebaceous filaments across my nose and cheeks (white, waxy/stringy substance when squeezed).
Whiteheads around my nose, chin, and below my lower lip.
Large pores and uneven skin texture (I don’t think I have closed comedones).
Occasional pimples, mild acne scarring, and leftover marks.
Excessively oily T-zone that makes makeup greasy.
Dull, uneven complexion. My face is noticeably darker than my hands and the rest of my body. I want to restore brightness, not change my natural skin tone.

I’m looking for a complete AM/PM routine that’s effective without being overly complicated (ideally somewhere between 3 and 10 steps).
I’m curious about salicylic acid, niacinamide, retinol, vitamin C, and other actives. Which ones would help, how often should I use them, and how can I avoid damaging my skin barrier?
I’d also appreciate recommendations for lightweight products that work well under makeup and help control oil.
Budget: Affordable drugstore. Nothing too expensive! 😭
Please please please recommend specific products AND brands, not just ingredients! I’d love to know which affordable brands are actually worth buying and how often to use each product.
My goal is smoother, brighter, clearer skin with less noticeable pores, whiteheads, sebaceous filaments, acne marks, and oiliness.
Thank you!!💕

I've heard the stories before. I knew better.

My mom needed to refill a product for her eczema, and while in Walmart for a few things we can only get there, we price checked. It was substantially cheaper on Amazon for a larger volume. To me, not a big difference which capitalist overlord gets the money for mass produced skincare products.

The Cerave Nightly Exfoliating Treatment I want to try was the same price between Walmart and Amazon, but I decided to throw it in the Amazon order to get free same-day shipping so my mom would have relief faster.

I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like the Cerave bottle was not only used, but that someone had opened the pump and bottle. A bunch of the product was spilled inside the cap, and on the side of the product and onto the cardboard packaging. The mess was old enough that it oxidized into an orangey mess, with some green parts that look like mould! I don't know how the pump head would get dislodged and have product leak like that without someone having opened it :(

Amazon accepted the return without trouble, but I have pictures just in case.

I went to Walmart to buy a replacement that looks clean in the box, but Cerave doesn't seem to have any kind of anti-tamper seal on this product? It's icking me out a little and now I'm questioning if I want it at all, or if I want to look for something else that's tamper proof.

I've successfully bought cosmetic products from Amazon in the past, but I think now I'm going to limit it to products that have an anti-tamper sticker or seal.

Yuck!

I finished the full bottle, which lasted around 6 months when using a pump or two every evening. I use it after a first care serum as the second step of my evening skincare routine and it absorbs quickly. The product has a very watery texture and is pale yellow in color.

It’s helped reduce the general redness around some areas of my face (chin and around nose), and also reduce the severity of hormonal acne that I get. Both problems still exist, but the improvement is visible. I thinnnnk my PIEs also fades more quickly, but I wasn’t paying close attention and might be because of the vit C serum (also regime labs) that I’m also using.

My only complaint is the pump itself, which both pushes the liquid out with too much pressure but also dribbles over the bottle itself. Otherwise the package is sturdy. You can kind of see the liquid level inside if you hold it up to a strong light source.

I haven’t tried any other azelaic acid product, so unfortunately can’t compare, but I’m happy to keep repurchasing this despite its price tag ($69). Shipping was very quick iirc.

I recorded it saying the vitamin C by Timeless but it came out funky.

I've been on the hunt for a good sunscreen for years now. I've stalked and posted countless posts for it and have tried many more. It's been a while since I've checked, so I just thought I'd post something to see if anything changed.

I'm looking for a sunscreen that's:

- Safe for oily, acne prone skin (so non-comedogenic and not glowy)

- Has a satin finish preferably (natural to matte)

- Can be used under makeup

- No ghost cast, but I'm open to trying tone ups (I know a little counterintuitive)

- Won't burn eyes

I'm open to anything. Western, Asian, etc...

I prefer sunscreens that are easily accessible in Canada, but if there's one you swear by, I'll try it out.

---

Sunscreens I remember trying but we're still too shiny:

BoJ Aqua, Biore Aqua, prem (weird cast to it), LRP fluid, canmake mermaid gel, Neutrogena ultra sheer face serum, Olay matte finish...

My doctor prescribed me 0.025 tretinoin cream, but I was told by two separate pharmacies that the cream is discontinued and that they do not carry it and cannot order it. They suggested I try the gel. I’m just confused why the doctor would prescribe me the cream if it was discontinued? Is this a nation-wide thing or does it depend on province or region?

Has anyone been able to get the 0.025 cream? This is in Victoria, BC for reference! :)

Hi everyone, I'm looking for skincare products available in Canada that do not contain Butylene Glycol as I seem to be allergic to it. I'm looking for cleansers, moisturizers and sunscreen. Any product recs are greatly appreciated :)

Anyone tried both especially in winter? How do they compare for you?

Anyone know what's going on the with the Inkey List Azelaic Acid at Sephora? It looks like it's not in stock anywhere. My skin was loving it but I ran out and got The Ordinary because it was in stock and I hate it a lot. Thinking I might just suck it up and pay $7 for shipping to get Inkey List off their website direct.

I am currently using Om Organics heavier moisturizer and it is not nearly hydrating enough. I need recommendations for a heavy lifting moisturizer that won't break me out.

Hi guys! I’m in my late teens (from Ontario) and have been dealing with acne for many years. I saw a dermatologist last year to get a professional opinion, and I wanted to ask if my experience is typical or if it might be worth looking for another dermatologist. The referral process can be quite long, so I was hoping to get more out of my appointments before deciding whether to switch, but I’m not sure if I should continue with them.

During my first appointment, I felt like the doctor didn’t take much time to examine my skin. They didn’t look at it up close and seemed to rely mainly on my referral sheet, which described my acne as moderate to severe, before bringing up Accutane. I explained that I’d prefer to explore other options first, if available, and they recommended Cabtreo instead.

What left me a little confused was that we didn’t really discuss what treatments I’d tried before, my acne history, or what factors might be contributing to it. I found myself having to lead the conversation and provide more information about my history in hopes of learning about other possible treatment options. The initial discussion felt very brief, and I wasn’t sure whether this was normal for a dermatology appointment.

I did agree to try Cabtreo since it was the alternative recommended to me. It has improved my skin compared to how it was before, but I still have active acne to deal with almost every day. I also had one follow-up appointment, but that was quite brief as well, lasting around 30 seconds. The assistant mainly asked whether I needed more of the moisturizer they provided.

I’m not trying to bash the dermatologist or suggest that they’re doing anything wrong. I’m genuinely just unsure what to expect from these appointments and whether this is a typical experience. Should I give it more time, or would it be worth looking for a dermatologist who takes a more thorough approach to understanding my acne and discussing treatment options? I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences!

Edit: The post says there are 5 comments but I can’t see any of them 😔 Maybe it’s a glitch?

Edit 2: I had an appointment today at the same derm office but with a different doctor, and they told me that my acne and hyperpigmentation most likely will need Accutane to get rid of it. I had this appointment lined up and yesterday I was nervous so I posted this thread lol. Does anyone know how OHIP or insurance works for such medications?

Looking to try hypochlorous acid on my very oily, very acne prone skin… what do you guys recommend?

Hello! Has anyone been able to get a compound pharmacy to create an estriol cream for the face? How did you approach your family doctor or dermatologist about getting a prescription?

Does anyone know a good non-American alternative to Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum? I'm down to the last bottle in my pre-boycott stash, and I'd love to have something I can comparably just plug into my routine rather than having to figure out how to change things up.

Is it illegal to order adapalene from Dermstore , iherb, etc & ship to Canada ?

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for a Mineral Sunscreen that is tinted. Ideally to give some coverage as I’m trying to simplify my routine.

Ideally clean brands.

ThankS!

Looking for a good moisturizer for winter time my face gets really dry

Hey all, I'm on the hunt for a new sunscreen, specifically chemical (I can't do mineral at all). I feel like a common theme of chemical sunscreens is that they're often dewy and hydrating. That's def great, but I already apply some toners and serums beforehand, so these sunscreens end up way too sticky for me.

Does anybody have any recs on chemical sunscreens that dry down almost matte? Often times the ones that do contain a lot of alcohol, which is too much for my sensitive skin. Thank you!

I do dance, but my glasses keep slipping down so I’d like to use some kind of glue to keep them in place and that’s also safe for around the eyes

Hi! I’m currently in Athens, around Victoria Square, and I’m trying to find a few specific skincare products:
Garnier Ambre Solaire Natural Bronzer Self-Tan Face Drops
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
CeraVe Moisturising Lotion Refill
Does anyone know which physical stores around Victoria Square / central Athens would have the best chance of having these in stock?
I’m also happy to order online, but ideally I’d like delivery to a BOX NOW or another parcel locker/pick-up point, because I don’t have a Greek phone number. Some Greek websites I tried require a Greek +30 number during checkout.
It doesn’t have to be one store, I can order from different shops if needed. I’m mainly looking for reliable stores with reasonable prices and preferably quick delivery within Athens.
If anyone knows specific pharmacies, beauty stores, websites, or parcel-locker delivery options that stock these products, I’d really appreciate the recommendations.
Thanks!

Hi.

Been a long time user of tactupump forte 0.3% adapalene and I am starting to consider better options as I found adapalene causes just too much irritation and it isn’t as effective as I’d want it to be.

Mainly interested in using it for a bit of the recurring cystic acne I’ve been experiencing over the years and while tactupump has helped substantially, I think recent research points towards Tazarotene 0.1% being a better option for both the acne and the acne scarring.

My issue is that in Canada, Tazarotene 0.1% is discontinued as a prescription drug. I have an appointment with my doctor this week to discuss alternatives to tactupump and I’m heavily leaning towards Tazarotene 0.1%.

Does anyone have any experience with compounding pharmacies making 0.1% in Canada?

Also, for more oily skin, should I try to get gel or is the cream fine? I don’t have the biggest issues with creams but I do experience some oily skin (which I have recently discovered is heavily linked to the type of shampoo I use).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I want to preface this by saying I know kids shouldn’t use skin care. But my daughter’s cheeks are dry and flaky, and I was hoping to wait until it got colder to worry about this.

So my first question is, I already use Bubble skincare on myself. Is it safe to use on my 4 year old, or should I get kid specific moisturizer?

If I do get her her own, what brands do you recommend? I’d like to buy her something Canadian but definitely cruelty free.