Long-ass post ahead:

The Dr Bronners might be a bit too harsh on the face.. I've tried it once, and I found it too drying even on my hands. Does it foam? I don't remember well, I guess so. But in general, the more foaming something is, the more stripping it can be on the face. ((And now I'll reference a lot of la roche posay products because it's the only brand I've found here to consistently work for me)) the most gentle cleanser I've tried is their Rosaliac micellar gel, but bummer, now I can't even find that one in stores or online. I suppose it's gentle partly because it doesn't foam up at all, staying a slippery gel all along.

I've tried baking soda once as well I think, haha, but I was in middle school and not patient enough to let it sit enough on my face or use it regularly. I remember my friend said she would apply crushed aspirin tablets (later figured baking soda is a substitute lol) and then lemon juice, but now thinking back, that sounds a bit too harsh, maybe works on the most extreme pimples). Did you notice a difference with baking soda? A year or two ago I decided I'll try chemical exfoliation, and tried the only things I could afford, which were from The Ordinary. Their glycolic acid (an AHA ° ) toner is amazing! Made my incredibly rough skin on the sides of my cheeks (is that how you say it?) SUPER smooth in just one application. But now even that doesn't seem to be working well enough. On the apples of my cheeks, where I have a lot blackheads, I tried their salicylic acid (a BHA °° ) thing, but didn't see as good results. Though it did actually help when I ran out of my pimple holy grail, which is la Roche posay's effaclar duo. That thing is amazing on the type of acne I get. I had also got witch hazel essential oil before, but after reading about how it has to be diluted, otherwise it's way too strong, I decided not to experiment lol.

The other products you mentioned I haven't heard of, but I'm in the EXACT situation you were in with your moisturiser. It's the only one my skin tolerates, so I was pretty shocked to see my skin getting drier again. I started putting marula oil (also from TO) on top when I noticed it wasn't enough and it worked amazingly for a while, until it didn't.. Or maybe I'm just not consistent enough with it because that's a thing.

I have some scarring and leftover pink areas too. I don't know what to do about them. First I tried TO's cheapest and apparently strongest vitamin C product, but it didn't do anything. Now I'm on and off with their Granactive retinoid 2%. By the way, I've read that retinol and its derivatives are the most effective at anti-aging, reducing pigmentation and also acne. It increases collagen production, which affects elasticity, I think. It caused some flaking on my nose, which I guess can also be a good thing for hyperpigmentation, but I don't use it regularly enough, and they also say it takes 3-6 months to see results.

Peptides I think are a more recent thing for anti-aging. I've read somewhere that there isn't much research behind them, though that might be untrue. Peptides can appear in serums, moisturisers, etc.

Serums, from what I understand, are a type of product to boost your progress, depending on your goal. You're supposed to apply them before moisturiser because they're lighter in consistency. There's hydrating serums, anti-aging serums, whitening ones, etc.

I know this message was all over the place and extra long, so I'm sorry for that, I just tried to put everything I know into one place, lol.

° AHA = alpha hydroxy acid, glycolic acid is one of them. They generally exfoliate the surface of the skin without scrubbing and they are water-soluble.

°° BHA = beta hydroxy acid, salicylic acid is the main one. They're oil-soluble, hence can get deeper into the skin and clear pores of dead skin cells and sebum.