Earlier this year, I embarked on a course of Roaccutane for the third time in my life (it’s okay if you gasped a little). If your response to that is “Isn’t accutane supposed to get rid of acne forever?” That would be a fair question. For most people who take it, it’s a one-and-done kind of situation, but this hasn’t been the case for me. I haven’t been on it since I was a teenager — for reference I’m now 24 — but in the last three or so years, my acne came back and after trying everything, I decided (along with the help of my dermatologist) that it was time for round three. 

If you’ve ever been on Roaccutane, or an isotretinoin drug under a different name, you’d know one of the biggest side effects is dryness. Dry lips, dry skin, dry scalp — pretty much all the oil you once produced starts to go. This is essential to the process, but pretty unpleasant to experience. 

So, as a veteran of Roaccutane, I’ve pretty much nailed my dry skin routine. ‘Routine’ might be a little generous as the process is essentially ‘all the moisturising products as often as possible’, but nonetheless, I’ve got it down pat. Here’s everything I use, if you’re still figuring yours out:

Dermal Therapy Lip Balm

This one comes first because I don’t think it’ll come as a surprise to anyone — Dermal Therapy is the holy grail for many Roaccutane users. Dry lips are one of the most common, and most frustrating side effects of the drug, and I have tried SO MANY lip balms trying to combat them. Even against high-end and expensive formulas, I keep coming back to good old Dermal Therapy. As someone who applies lip balm approximately every 27 minutes, the roughly $6 price point is also a game changer (and you can often get it for even less on sale).

Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil

There’s nothing quite like taking off your makeup at the end of a long day — and this cleansing oil does it oh so well. It’s super gentle, emulsifies like a dream, and truly does take off makeup better than most products I’ve tried. The oil formula makes it the ideal cleanser for dry skin, the squalene is perfect for a little boost of hydration and the whole experience honestly feels quite luxe (a pretty impressive feat for an oil, if you ask me). 

Biossance Squalane + Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser

I am a double cleanse girly, and the Biossance Gentle Cleanser is the perfect follow up to the cleansing oil. While oils and balms are great for taking off makeup, they can leave the skin feeling a little, well, oily (shocker). As the name suggests, it’s super gentle on the skin and doesn’t leave you feeling stripped or tight in the way that many cleansers can (we’ve all had that post-cleanse ‘can’t move my face’ feeling before — right?).

Urban Jungle Melt Me Softly Cleansing Balm

Another cleanser!? Yes, I’m not sorry. I alternate between this one and the Biossance oil for makeup removal and truly, I can’t pick a favourite. There’s something so satisfying about a balm formula, the way it melts into your skin is kind of unmatched if you ask me. Urban Jungle’s is at a great price point and packed with super nourishing oils. As a bonus, you get to support a relatively new Aussie brand when you buy from them. 

Patchology Hydrate Sheet Mask

Until recently, I was very anti anti sheet mask; firstly because so many of them cause irritation for me, and secondly because I don’t love the feeling of them on my skin. That was until I found this one from Patchology. It’s super hydrating, packed with hyaluronic acid and betaine, and doesn’t irritate my skin at all. Best of all: you only have to leave it on for five minutes. A two pack of these is also only $17, which as far as good sheet masks go, is pretty good if you ask me.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 

A classic for good reason, I love my hyaluronic acid for easy hydration and plumping. I use it morning and night on a damp face (because hyaluronic acid absorbs 1000 times its weight in water) before moisturising. The Ordinary truly is the best for affordable, no BS skincare, and its Hyaluronic Acid is no exception to this.

QV Ultra Calming Moisturiser 

Another fave from the chemist — I haven’t found a moisturiser as gentle and soothing as this one yet. And bonus: it’s only $20. I have sensitive skin even without harsh medication, so I tend to keep my choice in moisturiser pretty low-key — I just want it to moisturise — no fragrance, actives, or extras where I don’t need them. The QV moisturiser is moisturising without feeling heavy or greasy on the face, and its B5-enriched formula is perfect for soothing my cranky, irritated skin. 

Conserving Beauty Conserve You Face Oil 

A little known fact when it comes to skincare and skin types is that dehydrated skin and dry skin are two very different things. Dehydrated skin is lacking in water, while dry skin is lacking in oil. So, isotretinoin predominantly makes you dry, meaning you need to stock up on oil. The Conserve You Face Oil is truly one of the nicest products I’ve ever used. I don’t even know how to describe it, it just feels so…good? On top of helping with dryness, it also helps reduce redness and acne scarring, it’s fragrance free and anti-inflammatory, and it gives you back a little bit of that glow that it can feel like you’re losing when your skin isn’t at its best or is going through treatment. As a bonus, Conserving Beauty is a sustainable, cruelty free, and vegan brand.

UltraViolette Fave Fluid SPF 50+

Repeat after me: SPF. IS. EVERYTHING. This is true all the time, but especially for someone on Roaccutane, as it makes you extra sensitive to the sun. So no, it’s not a dry skin product, but it’s also arguably more important than any other product in this article, so it gets an honourable mention. I love Fave Fluid because it’s super lightweight and non-greasy — two qualities that can be hard to find in a good SPF. It would also be rude not to shout out the brand’s Preen Screen reapplication mist — your new bestie for SPF touch ups throughout the day. 

So, that’s my list. Full disclosure: I know I should be using a body moisturiser too, but I have not been disciplined enough to get into the routine of doing it regularly, so am yet to find my holy grail. The same goes for hand creams. 

If you’re struggling with the perils of Roaccutane-induced dry skin, hang in there because it does get better. It sucks; I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t, but there are things you can do to ease the struggle a little.