If truth be told, skin care can feel like a cruel game of sacrifices. In the pursuit for solving a problem, you can trigger other, unexpected reactions to show up. 

Sims explains she had this problem with hydroquinone. The skin-lightening active is often used for treating melasma and fading age spots—and for lots of folks, it’s very effective at doing so. But it comes with some pretty famous drawbacks: It’s not only irritating, but it can make you more sensitive to the sun, which will ultimately make dark spots worse. 

“I had to get off that cycle,” she says of her skin care journey. Now she uses her brand’s YSE Beauty The Problem Solver Brightening Treatment, which features tranexamic acid, licorice root, niacinamide, and pomegranate seed oil.

Another great example is retinol, an ingredient loved for its ability to treat acne and smooth wrinkles. “There are so many incredible retinols on the market, but if you don’t know how to use them, you’re going to end up dry or irritated,” she says. “You have to ask yourself, What do you really need?”