It’s 2022 and skincare is everywhere, yet the one question I still get asked is about the correct order of skincare routines. And it makes sense: With the influx of ex–high school friends turned Facebook “skincare consultants,” the rise of trendy celebrity beauty products, and the overwhelming drugstore skincare selection, everyone is now stuck googling the difference between a toner and a serum, whether or not face oil goes before moisturizer (spoiler: n-o-p-e), which products actually get rid of hormonal acne, and how to get good skin with as little effort as humanly possible. Show
So that’s where I come in, along with a few dermatologists: Shereene Idriss, MD, and Mona Gohara, MD. Below, we broke down the correct skincare routine order plus the steps you can skip (!) and the best products for your exact skin type, from oily to sensitive to dry to acne-prone. But before we get started, let’s talk about why the order of your skincare matters plus the simplest, easiest, laziest routine to try first. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. How to Layer Your Skincare in the Right Order“The rule of thumb when applying skincare is to apply the lightest first and the heaviest last, since thinner products can’t penetrate thicker products,” says Dr. Idriss. So, for example, if you were to incorrectly layer a serum over your moisturizer, that serum would be rendered almost ineffective. Similarly, if you were to layer your moisturizer over a face oil, that moisturizer would be blocked from properly hydrating your skin, leading to skin barrier irritation and dryness over time. The Correct Skincare Routine Order Need a preview of what a full skincare routine should look like in the proper order? Here’s a little guide to screenshot. But before you freak out at seeing a 10-step routine, don’t worry: You really only need three products for a great, simple routine (more on that below). Pin it, save it, screenshot it, memorize it, whatever. Just get it into your brain, and then read our breakdown and product recommendations, below. John FrancisWhat’s the Simplest Skincare Routine for Beginners?PSA: You do not need a 10-step skincare routine (or even a 5-step routine). Virtually all faces and skin types do far better—see: less irritation, allergic reactions, and breakouts—with fewer products, so if you’re just starting out, keep it simple:
That’s it. Three products. Seriously. It’s not glamorous, but good skin doesn’t need to be (just ask your dermatologist or anyone on the Cosmo beauty team—simple is always better). Of course, if you’re looking to add more products to your routine, you certainly can. Got dry skin? You can always incorporate a face oil or a hydrating serum. Dealing with breakouts? Try using a retinoid or an acne toner. As long as you go slow and keep it simple, you’ll be golden. Now for the goodies…. Skincare Routine Order Step 1: Cleanser⏰: Morning and NightPlease, for the love of the beauty gods, remove your makeup and wash your face before slathering on your products. “For ingredients to absorb properly, you need clean skin that’s totally free of oil and grime,” says Dr. Gohara. ↠ SHEET MASKS Which means if you want to do things right—and, like, why you here if not tho?—skip the makeup wipes (they leave behind a layer of gunky residue that can break you out and irritate your face) and opt for a cleansing oil, which dissolves all makeup without stripping your skin. Then follow up with a gentle, creamy cleanser (especially if you have acne-prone skin). And don’t complain about this being a two-step process—it’s one of the only required steps in this entire routine. I’m not even a little sorry. Nope. NOPE! How to Choose the Best Cleanser for Your Skin Type
Your step 1 cleansers:Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil Makeup Remover Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil Eczema Honey Honey and Oatmeal Facial Cleanser Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser Step 2: Toner⏰: Morning and/or NightFace toners used to be terrible, alcohol-based liquids that irritated the hell out of your face. But today’s (good) toners are filled with either gentle, hydrating ingredients to coddle dry and sensitive skin or with chemical exfoliants to treat acne, oil, and bumps. “Toners are not meant to be something that sits around on your skin and feels heavy,” says Dr. Gohara. “They’re essentially just priming your face for ingredients to be better absorbed later on.” ↠ ESSENCES Reminder: Toner (like most of the steps on this list) is totally optional. And if yours smells like nail polish remover or pure alcohol? Ditch it. Fast. Since there are a million different toners on the market, here’s what to look for in the right formula: How to Choose the Best Toner for Your Skin Type
Your step 2 toners:First Aid Beauty Oil-Minimizing Toner With Salicylic Acid Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence Banila Co Dear Hydration Intense Essence Step 3: Serum⏰: Morning and/or Night Ah, serums—the product you probs keep buying, never really using, and getting panicked that you’re neglecting out of confusion. But I gotchu. “Serums are essentially just shots of extremely concentrated nutrients, hydrators, and antioxidants that really amp up your skin health as soon as you apply them,” says Dr. Gohara. “People often skip out on using them, but they’re honestly the heavy lifters of your skincare routine.” Basically, think of toners like a sip of beer and serums like a straight shot of tequila. Although, once again, serums are totally optional, they’re often a good first step in leveling up your skincare routine and boosting your skin health. In the Morning… For almost all skin types, Dr. Gohara (and every other derm in existence) swears by using vitamin C serum every morning, which protects your skin from the inflammation and damage caused by environmental damage during the day while also brightening dark spots and uneven tones over time. Vitamin C serum is the MVP for dry, oily, and acne-prone skin, but it’s also a little strong. So if your skin is sensitive, use it every other morning (or every two mornings) instead. At Night… All skin types can benefit from using a serum filled with hyaluronic acid, which pulls water from the air into your skin to keep it hydrated while you sleep. “If you’re using acne treatments or anti-aging products, which can be drying and irritating, you want to prep your skin with as much moisture as possible first,” says Dr. Idriss. Basically, a hydrating serum is a 10/10 idea if you’re also using retinol. Your step 3 serums:Buttah Skin Vitamin C Serum Epi.Logic Daily Dose Vitamin C Serum The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA Rose Ingleton MD Calming Hydration Booster Serum Step 4: Eye Cream⏰: Morning and/or NightEye creams tend to be lighter and thinner than face moisturizers, so make sure to apply them before you slather on your creams and oils (remember: light products go first and heaviest products go last). An important note: Even though eye creams seem like the be-all and end-all of skincare (and anti-aging), they’re honestly not necessary for most people. “As long as you’re using moisturizer and sunscreen, your eye area is already getting the TLC it needs,” says Dr. Gohara. But if you wanna try one out, here’s how to choose: In the Morning… Regardless of your skin type, look for an eye cream that has a rollerball applicator (“the cold steel ball helps a bit with fluid retention—aka under-eye bags—especially if you keep the cream in the fridge between uses,” says Dr. Gohara) and/or a formula filled with caffeine, which helps temporarily constrict and tighten puffy under-eyes within 20 minutes. At Night… Also regardless of your skin type: “Most people think their night eye cream has to contain some sort of retinol to help with fine lines, but in reality, your eye area is delicate and at risk for rashes and irritation, so you want to be gentle,” says Dr. Gohara. “Instead, tap on a simple, hydrating eye cream that’ll protect your under-eyes and repair your skin barrier overnight.” Yes, you can—and should!—use a retinol around your eyes, but “it’s better to apply retinoids to your whole face rather than to just spot-treat parts of it,” she says. (Don’t worry, retinol options will come later on.) Your step 4 eye cream:Olay Eyes Depuffing Eye Roller BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector Cetaphil Deep Hydration Refreshing Eye Serum RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream Step 5: Spot Treatment⏰: Morning or Night (Preferred)Ideally, spot treatments are best applied at night (whether they’re for zits, scars, or dark spots), because that’s when your body is working hardest to repair itself. But if you’ve already used an acid-based or acne-fighting toner and/or you’re planning to layer on a retinol, try spot-treating in the morning instead, so you don’t irritate your skin with too much at once. Regardless of when you apply your spot treatment, make sure to tap it on before your moisturizer so it can really penetrate your skin and do its thang without having another barrier to penetrate (before?! What?! Yes, just trust the process and keep reading). For Dark Spots and Acne Scars… Dr. Idriss recommends using a spot treatment with either hydroquinone (a skin-bleaching ingredient that works fast but can be irritating on anyone with even slightly sensitive skin) or niacinamide (aka vitamin B3), which gently brightens marks and scars over time. Niacinamide can be used daily—most formulas won’t cause irritation—but hydroquinone should be used every three days until you know how your skin responds to it. No irritation after a week? Move it up to every other day. For Pimples and Breakouts… For acne, Dr. Gohara stands by tried-and-true benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid—but not together, unless you want to irritate your skin. Benzoyl peroxide kills acne-causing bacteria (use it for classic whiteheads), while salicylic acid dissolves oil and skin cells (use it for little clogged pores and inflamed bumps). How to apply ↠ Regardless of which you choose, the application is the same: Dab a thin layer (seriously—more isn’t merrier here) over your spot or zit and wait at least a full minute for it to dry. Then, to prevent the treatment from getting wiped around your face, apply your moisturizer around the spots first. When your face is fully moisturized, tap a layer of moisturizer directly over the spot treatment to seal it in without sliding it around. Your step 5 spot treatments:Dark Spots (Hydroquinone) Urban Skin Rx Even Tone Night Treatment Topicals Faded Serum for Dark Spots and Discoloration Pimples (Benzoyl Peroxide) Neutrogena Stubborn Acne A.M. Treatment Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel Step 6: Moisturizer⏰: Morning and NightYou need to be using a moisturizer. Always. Twice a day. No matter what. I don’t care if your skin is hella oily or easily broken out or sad or scared (there’s a formula for you, promise!), because it’s the only thing that’ll keep your skin barrier—aka the very temperamental thing responsible for making your face look good—healthy and happy. “A moisturizer not only infuses your skin with hydration, but it also helps trap in all the products underneath it to make the ingredients even more effective,” says Dr. Idriss. You can use the same moisturizer morning and night, but if you plan to skip sunscreen (shame), your a.m. formula needs to have at least SPF 30. And remember to let it sink in for 5 to 10 minutes before applying makeup (if this is the end of your morning skincare routine and makeup is your next step). How to Choose the Best Moisturizer for Your Skin Type
Your step 6 moisturizers:Community Sixty-Six Oil Control Moisturizer with Niacinamide Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid MoisturizerCredit: Courtesy Image Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face CreamCredit: Courtesy Image Burt's Bees Sensitive Solutions Calming Day Lotion “Wait, What About Anti-Aging Creams?”You can also tiptoe into the retinol game by using an anti-aging night cream in the p.m., which has a “watered-down” dose of retinoids that tends to be gentler, especially on sensitive skin. That being said, it’s often easier to use your regular moisturizer and just add a retinol on top (see: the next step). Step 7: Retinol⏰: Night“Retinoids—the general term for all vitamin A derivatives, including retinol—sink into your skin to speed up cell turnover, causing your body to churn out fresher, smoother, less wrinkled skin over time,” says Dr. Gohara. Good things take time, though, so remember that retinoids take four to six months of consistent use to give you results. But just because it might take half a year to see your wrinkles smooth out doesn’t mean you won’t see more immediate results in other ways. “Retinoids trigger collagen production and cellular exfoliation,” adds Dr. Gohara, “which means they’ll also fade dark spots, smooth scars, clear pores, prevent breakouts, and brighten skin.” Basically, retinoids are the closest thing to magic that dermatologists have. How to Use Them… If you’re new to retinoids, make sure to start slow to mitigate the initial adjustment period of flakes and sensitivity. “Apply a pea-size drop to your entire face one night a week for one week, then two nights a week for two weeks, then three nights a week for three weeks, and then every other night indefinitely,” says Dr. Gohara. Skip This Step if… You’re already using (or planning to use) a night cream with retinoids, because doubling up won’t make the anti-aging results more effective—it’ll just cause inflammation. And if you do have extra-sensitive skin, apply a layer of moisturizer both 10 minutes before and after applying your retinol to reduce irritation without totally diluting the treatment. Essentially, sandwich your face in moisture. Your step 7 retinoids:BareMinerals Ageless 10 PhytoRetinol Night Concentrate No7 Pure Retinol Night Repair Cream Shani Darden Retinol Reform Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1% Step 8: Oil⏰: Morning and/or Night“Face oils are occlusive, meaning they seal in all the ingredients and moisture you just applied to your face to keep them from evaporating as quickly,” says Dr. Idriss. On their own, oils actually don’t moisturize your skin that well, but when you layer them over products, they help increase your routine’s efficacy while also leaving skin soft and smooth. Just make sure to always, always apply your oils last. Yes, you read that correctly: last. “Oils can easily penetrate moisturizers, serums, and treatments, but no products can penetrate an oil, which means they need to be applied last,” says Dr. Gohara. And don’t think that oils are just for dry skin—certain oils, like rose-hip and jojoba, can decrease excess oil in acne-prone skin, while marula and aloe oils can soothe sensitive, easily irritated skin. Your step 8 face oils:Good Molecules Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil Beauty Bakerie Wake & Bake Face Oil Kreyòl Essence Haitian Moringa Oil African Botanics Pure Marula Oil Step 9: Sunscreen⏰: MorningOkay, yes, I know I said oils go last, but technically, sunscreen is the absolute last step. Why? “Oils are still working to penetrate and treat your skin, which is why they would go last in your skincare routine, but sunscreen isn’t trying to penetrate anything—it’s just there to protect your face and act as armor against the outside world,” says Dr. Gohara. “Basically, it’s not adding anything to your skin—it’s protecting your skin.” But before you tell yourself that the SPF 15 in your foundation or moisturizer is good enough, know this: “The absolute bare minimum SPF you need on your face is SPF 30,” says Dr. Gohara. Unless, you know, you’re cool with premature aging, worsened acne scars, and an increased cancer risk. Your step 9 sunscreens:Cleure Zinc Oxide Natural SPF 30 Sunscreen EleVen Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35 Tula Mineral Magic Oil-Free Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Black Girl Sunscreen Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 Step 10: Celebrate⏰: NOWBecause you finally learned virtually everything (ish) in the world about skincare. You may now refer to yourself as a mini dermatologist (but, like, maybe not in front of any actual doctors, k?). Now, please, go deck out your face and bask in the glory of knowledge. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Meet the Experts:Why trust Cosmopolitan?Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks. What are the 7 steps of skin care?7 Steps to a Comprehensive Skin Care Routine. Cleanse. Great skin starts with a gentle yet thorough cleanse. ... . Prep & Tone. ... . Refine & Hydrate. ... . Strengthen Skin & Address Concerns. ... . Moisturise Well. ... . Protect. ... . Treat and Maintain Glowy, Youthful-looking Skin.. What are the 5 basic of skin care?The Basic Skincare Rules Everyone Should Know. Cleanse Once and Then Cleanse Again. Double cleansing requires washing your face not once but twice. ... . Always Layer Products in the Right Order. ... . Know Your Skin Type. ... . Take the Time to Exfoliate. ... . Always Wear Sunscreen.. What is the correct skin care routine order?Here's the best order of skin care products to make sure you get the most out of them:. STEP 1: (DOUBLE) CLEANSER. ... . STEP 2: TONERS, ESSENCES AND BOOSTERS. ... . STEP 3: EYE CREAM. ... . STEP 4: TREATMENT SERUMS, CREAMS AND PADS. ... . STEP 5: HYDRATING MASK OR FACE OIL. ... . STEP 6: MOISTURIZER OR NIGHT CREAM.. What are the 10 steps of skin care?It goes a bit like this: a balm or oil cleanser (1), a foaming cleanser (2), an exfoliant (3), a toner (4), an essence (5), an ampoule or serum (6), a sheet mask (7), an eye cream (8), a moisturizer (9), and then either a thicker night cream or sleeping mask or an SPF (10).
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