With so many skin care products and treatment options out there, you can quickly get overwhelmed when trying to figure out the best skin care routine. Fortunately, with just a bit of information and a helpful guide, you can cut through all the confusion and find the best order to apply skin care products for your unique skin and beauty needs.
Your Options for Skin Care
One of the more frustrating things about contemporary skin care is the ever-growing number of products and skin care options at your disposal. Your choices include cleansers, toners, moisturizers, sunscreens, serums, face oils, eye creams, retinol, spot treatments, and many more! What’s even more confusing is that you are likely getting different layering advice for both day and night.1
The most important thing to look at when layering skin care products is which treatment options are best for everyday use and which should be used only in special circumstances. For example, face oils are only necessary if you have particularly dry skin, and certain acne treatments are only needed if you have an outbreak. Otherwise, your skin care regimen can be simplified into a few key elements.
Does skin care order matter?
The layering order of your skin care products matters. Of course, with any skin care and beauty regimen, there will always be caveats depending on the nature of your skin and the products you use. But with most skin care routines, the layering order of each product can make a huge difference in factors like absorption and sun protection.2
Maximize active ingredients
All skin care products that you use in your day-to-day life will contain both active and inactive ingredients. But don’t let these terms confuse you. The “active” ingredients are not doing all of the work, and the “inactive” ingredients are not useless. In general, active ingredients have a direct effect on your skin, while inactive ingredients affect the way the other ingredients work together, even if they do not have a direct impact on your skin. Inactive ingredients can bind active ingredients together, maintain consistency, control the release of active ingredients into your skin, and so on.
The order of the products plays a major role in how well the active ingredients in each can do what they need to do to give you the best skin possible. If the order is off, the ingredients in one product can interfere with the active ingredients in another and prevent the latter from working correctly.
Absorption factors
Skin care products work best when your skin can absorb them in full. Layering in a less-than-ideal order can prevent the active ingredients in some of your products from being fully absorbed. This will make the products less effective in treating your skin or hiding blemishes.
Sun protection
Layering order is also essential for sun protection. Some ingredients, such as vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids, can make your skin more vulnerable to sun damage. If you include sunscreen in your skin care routine, it’s important to layer after any product containing these ingredients.
How To Layer Skin Care Products
Build your core routine around the products your skin needs the most. For most people, the three most important skin care products are cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreen.
When it comes to effectively ordering the layer of your skin care products, there are a few rules to keep in mind:
- Cleanse your face first. This will wash away any residual products, oils, or dirt from your skin and let the other products do what they need to do.
- For other products, such as serums and spot treatments, order by consistency.3 Generally, the softest and lightest products should go on your skin first.
- Next, apply a moisturizer. With your skin already cleansed, the moisturizer will absorb into your skin better and prevent any dryness.
- Your sunscreen should go on last. As you’ve already seen, some products can make your skin more susceptible to sun damage. Putting sunscreen on the outer layer of your skin care products means you will always have sufficient protection when you go out in the sun.
If you add additional products, the order can vary. A good order for layering skin care products is as follows:4
- Cleanser
- Exfoliator
- Toner
- Essence
- Serum
- Eye cream
- Retinoid
- Moisturizer
- Face Oil
- Sunscreen
Learn More Skin Care Tips With My Skincare Routine
So, to sum up, go from lighter to thicker, start with a cleanser, add a moisturizer and any accessories in the middle, and cap it off with sun protection. Of course, as with anything related to personal beauty and care, the best order to apply skin care products for you may differ from what works with others. You may work through trial and error to find your ideal layer. But these rules should give you a good foundation to experiment with.
Despite the often complicated world of skin care, you can always find excellent resources to determine your best skin care routine. My Skincare Routine has in-depth articles, step-by-step guides, and helpful blog posts on popular skin care topics. If you want the best skin care routine to highlight your natural beauty, visit today!
SOURCES:
- Cosmopolitan. “Your Skincare Routine Order Explained.”
- Masterclass.com. “How to Layer Skincare: 9 Skincare Routine Steps.”
- Allure. “How to Layer Your Skin-Care Products in the Correct Order.”
- Vogue. “All Your Questions About Skin-Care Layering, Answered.”