You have good products. You are just not sure which one goes first, or whether it matters. It does. The order decides what reaches your skin, what sits on top, and whether your sunscreen can do its job.
The Rule Behind the Order
Treatments go on clean skin first, so nothing stands between them and your skin. Lighter, watery textures go before richer ones. Moisturizer comes after your serums to hold them in. Sunscreen is always the last morning step, because it only works as an even film on top of everything else.
Your Morning Routine
- Cleanse. Start with a clean surface. Shop Cleansers and Toners.
- Mist, if your routine has one. HyaCyn is a hypochlorous acid mist that leaves skin feeling fresh and clean, not a toner. Let it dry fully before anything goes on top.
- Plated, right after cleansing. Plated goes on straight after cleansing and any mist, so it meets clean skin.
- Vitamin C or antioxidant serum. Your daytime protection against the free radicals light and pollution create. Shop Vitamin C.
- Moisturizer. Always before sunscreen, never after. Shop Moisturizers.
- Eye cream. The step right before sunscreen. Shop Eye.
- Sunscreen, last. Every morning, whatever the weather. Shop Daily Sun Protection.
Your Evening Routine
- Cleanse. Take off sunscreen and makeup completely, so your night treatments reach skin.
- Exfoliate, on the nights your routine calls for it. Shop Scrubs and Exfoliants.
- Mist, then Plated. Same order as the morning.
- Retinol or your treatment serum. Night is when these do their work. Shop Retinol and Vitamin A.
- Moisturizer. Holds everything in and supports your barrier overnight.
- Eye cream, last. At night it is the final step.
Sunscreen Is the Step That Makes the Rest Work
Everything you do for your skin in the evening, light can undo by the afternoon. Two things decide whether sunscreen works, and neither one is the number on the label. The first is how much you use. SPF is measured at a density most people never apply, and when you use less, protection falls faster than the amount you skip. [1] Two finger lengths covers face and neck. The second is reapplication, about every two hours, indoors and by a window too, because the film wears off through the day. Tie it to washing your hands, and keep one sunscreen by the sink and one in your bag.
SPF does not add up across products, so the SPF in your foundation is a bonus, never the plan.
Small Changes That Make a Big Difference
- Add one new product at a time. You will know exactly what your skin is responding to.
- Give each step a moment. Let a layer settle before the next one goes on.
- Bring it down your neck. Your routine covers more than your face.
Questions
How long should I wait between steps?
Until the step before has settled, usually under a minute. HyaCyn is the one to wait for: it needs to dry fully before you layer anything over it.
Where does vitamin C go if I also use retinol?
Vitamin C in the morning, retinol at night. See our vitamin C serum guide.
Do I need every step?
No. The best routine is the one you will keep. A skin therapist can tell you which steps your skin needs and which it does not.
Why a Routine Made for You Works Better
General advice is written for everyone, so it has to assume nothing about you. It can tell you what is safe. It cannot tell you what will work for your skin.
A skin therapist looks at your skin, your health, your lifestyle, what you use now and what you want to change, then builds a routine you will actually keep and adjusts it as your skin responds. That is why we guarantee our products when they are part of a routine designed by one of our skin therapists.
References
1. Faurschou A, Wulf HC. The relation between sun protection factor and amount of sunscreen applied in vivo. Br J Dermatol. 2007;156(4):716-719. PMID 17493070
