I believe the number one question I receive is, "Does my skincare regimen have to include products all from the same brand?" My answer, an emphatic "NO" with only a few exceptions. There is no evidence I've seen where a typical over the counter regimen needs to be all inclusive to the same line. I say, choose the tried and true products we know work or more importantly what you know works best for you. A good example would be vitamin C products. Some lines have a better delivery and absorbability than others. I love MD Skincare's cleanser because it is a cleanser and toner in one which is a difficult combo to find. I also like their glycolic acid pads because they are easy to use and don't tend to irritate my skin.

You, on the other hand may like a stronger formulation and may want a glycolic product with a higher percentage of glycolic acid. However, remember as a sidenote that too can be misleading as there is more to strength and efficacy than the percentage of glycolic acid. Things such as a lower ph need to be taken into consideration. This means that perhaps you too may love the MD Skincare cleanser but perhaps want to cross the brand line so to speak and choose your glycolic acid from a line dedicated to stronger glycolic formulations such as Glyderm or perhaps MD Forte. For other antiaging and antioxidant treatments, you may want to jump lines to use products with newer, cutting edge science such as TNS Recovery Complex (a serum originally derived from circumcised skin and used in burn units for skin repair and rejuvenation) or Allergan's Prevage which uses the new antioxidant idebenone.

Your last step in your regimen is protection but what if the sunscreen in your line uses chemical instead of physical protection and you're sensitive to chemical SPF, obviously you would need to cross lines to incorporate a zinc or titanium based sunscreen to keep your skin protected. It's ok! Do it! Virtually the only reason a brand wants you to keep within line in my opinion would be for their own financial gain.