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The more product-intense you go, the more important this order becomes.
Jamie Grill
There’s a reason cleansing comes first, serum sits beneath moisturizer, and sunscreen goes on last.
Below, the detailed breakdown of every single step in your daily skin care routine.
As for how that breaks down in terms of product order?
Clara Hendler
And always apply SPF last.
Why does skin care routine order matter?
Moisturizer then seals in hydration, and sunscreen provides essential protection against UV damage.
mayrum
This systematic approach maximizes the efficacy of each skin care product.
Fortunately, the same rules apply to serums as they do to skin care overall.
For instance, vitamin C is always daytime; phyto serum or retinol is typically nighttime.
That said, lots of people like to usehydrating serumsas well.
This also works for anyone with especially sensitive skin all year round.
So the sequence is moisturizer, retinol, moisturizer.
This method is used for those who have difficulty tolerating retinols and need a slower acclimation process.
As for why and how this works?
It’s also a good idea to sandwich when increasing the strength of your retinol or retinoid.
When to apply makeup and sunscreen
Obviously, sunscreen should always go last.
But what about when you’re wearing makeup?
Its best to apply sunscreen separately before these products.
The best order to apply skin care products: a step-by-step guide
1.
Makeup remover/cleansing oil
Do this step: At night only.
But at night it makes your cleanser’s job a lot easier.
you could alsodouble-cleansewith an emulsifying oil, which gets rid of the need to buy cotton rounds.
(We like thesereusable makeup remover padstoo.)
Cleanser
Do this step: Morning and night.
Now that your makeup layer is gone, you’re free to proceed with washing your face.
Thebest cleanserfor you will depend on your skin bang out.
For normal or dry skin, I favor a hydrating cleanser with peptides, she says.
Eye cream
The first product to go on your face?Eye cream.
The reason is simplebecause you’ll probably forget to do it otherwise.
Tatcha The Silk Peony Melting Eye Cream (0.5 fl.
Old-school toners were meant to balance skin pH and counteract alkaline soaps, before soap-free cleansers became popular.
(Check out our guide toglycolic acid benefitsfor more info.)
Essences, on the other hand, tend to be more hydrating.
To apply, soak a cotton pad in liquid and gently pat it over your face.
Alternatively, you’ve got the option to use your hands to do the same thing.
Serums are formulated with smaller molecular-weight actives so they penetrate into deeper skin layers, says Dr. Ciraldo.
If you apply your serum after a thicker formulation, the active ingredients may not penetrate as well.
While you should apply serum twice a day, you shouldn’t be using the same formulation.
Serum actives differ for day and night, says Dr. Rabach.
(Just check that to choose one that’sproperly stabilizedfor maximum effect.)
At night, opt for a serum withpeptides and growth factorsto repair skin.
Dr. Ciraldo further splits up her preferred serum ingredients by skin jot down.
For acne-prone skin, look for stem cells, retinol, and green tea, she says.
For dehydrated skin, look for lipids, hyaluronic acid, and peptides.
Whether you want to clear breakouts or fade fine linesor basically do anything to your faceretinol is your friend.
Dermatologists often recommend easing into daily tool slowly.
Start three times a week for the first week or two, says Dr. Ciraldo.
From there you’ve got the option to gradually increase the frequency of program.
Most will apply theirretinol layerafter their serums and before moisturizer, but there is one exception.
This helps you still get the benefits, but decreases the potential for irritation.
To take it a step further, you could also apply retinol over your moisturizer.
Experiment with this step, and see where it fits best in your routine.
I also recommend looking for ceramides, which seal the outer layers of skin.
Dr. Ciraldo says that many of her patients prefer to use separate formulas for their morning and nighttime routines.
This has more to do with how moisturizers feel than anything else.
Dr. Ciraldo’s additional tip is to double up on your serum and moisturizer actives.
According to Dr. Ciraldo, you should spot-treat after you’ve applied your moisturizer, not before.
You’ll also dilute its effectiveness.
Wait for your a.m./p.m.
moisturizer to sink in, then carefully pat over the affected areas.
The two most common over-the-counter ingredients for spot treatments arebenzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid.
Acne Treatment Gel
Bed Bath & Beyond
Indie Lee Blemish Lotion
9.
Oils provide a protective barrier to help prevent moisture from evaporating, she says.
Anything applied over it may not be offering as much benefit to your skin because it cant get through.
Dr. Ciraldo also says it’s okay to mix oils with your moisturizer if you prefer.
Sunscreen
Do this step: In the morning only.
Sunscreen needs to go over face oil so you can be most effective.
Putting an oil on top of your sunscreen can decrease its efficacy.
There are two types of sunscreens to choose from for your final step: physical and chemical.
Physical blockers contain minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and work by reflecting light away from your skin.
Chemical formulas also come with the benefit of not leaving a white cast on darker skin tones.
So using a zinc-based sunscreen no longer necessarily means your face will have that white cast.
No matter what your personal preference is, there are sunscreens for every need.
