In brief
- You work from thin to thick: a watery serum first, a thick cream later.
- In the daytime you always finish with sun protection, as the last layer over everything.
- A skincare routine of three steps that you do every day works better than one of seven that you drop after two weeks.
- If nothing stings or feels tight, you are doing fine. Your skin does not need to feel a product to benefit from it.
Written by Nilay, owner and beauty therapist at Moons BeautyUpdated on
Why the order really matters.
The top layer of your skin is built to keep things out, and that includes your skincare. A product that goes onto clean skin first has the best chance of getting somewhere. Everything that comes after has to get through the layer you have just put on.
That is why thin before thick works. A watery serum sinks in, and a thick cream settles over it like a blanket. If you do it the other way round, the serum stays on top of the cream and does little more than shine. That is why people sometimes say an expensive product did nothing: it was in the wrong place in the line-up.
There is a second reason as well. Some active ingredients work against each other when they are on your skin at the same time. You spread those across the day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Which ones those are is covered in the active ingredients.
The morning in three to four steps.
In the morning you want two things: to start clean and to protect your skin for the day.
Cleanse, or just water
If you cleansed thoroughly the evening before, water in the morning is often enough. With oily skin, or after a rich night cream, use a mild cleanser. If it foams a lot and your skin feels squeaky clean afterwards, it is too strong.
Serum with an active ingredient
This is where vitamin C or niacinamide goes. One serum is enough. With two or three at once it mainly gets more expensive and busier on your skin.
Moisturiser
Your moisturiser keeps the moisture in and makes your skin comfortable. With oily skin that can be a light gel, with dry skin something richer. We almost never recommend skipping it, not even with oily skin.
Sun protection
Always last, over everything. In the long term this step has the most effect, and yet it is skipped most often. That applies in the Netherlands too.
The evening is where you build something up.
In the evening you first take everything off. After that there is room for the active ingredients that cannot be used during the day.
Double cleanse if you wear make-up or sunscreen
First something oil-based that loosens make-up and sunscreen, then your usual cleanser for the skin itself. At home this step is skipped most often, and that is exactly why the products after it do less than they promise.
Optionally an acid or a retinol
Use them on different evenings, and start gently with twice a week. If it stings or flakes, use the same product less often.
Serum
Hyaluronic acid on slightly damp skin, or something calming if your skin is unsettled. On an evening with an acid you can safely skip this step.
Moisturiser
The moisturiser seals and keeps everything in. With dry skin you can use something richer in the evening than during the day.
Good to know about your routine.
Cleansing thoroughly once a day is enough
Cleansing hard twice a day breaks down your skin barrier. Your skin then actually makes more sebum to make up for the shortfall, and you get irritation on top. Cleanse thoroughly in the evening and gently in the morning, or with water only.
A product works even if you feel nothing
Stinging is a reaction of your skin and says nothing about the result. Most active ingredients do their work without you noticing anything. If it feels unpleasant, that is a sign to cut back.
Oily skin needs a moisturiser too
If you leave out the moisturiser, your skin makes up for it with extra sebum. A light gel keeps the moisture in without feeling heavy. There is more on this under oily skin.
A short routine often gives the most
Most of the skin that comes to us gets too much at home rather than too little. Three products that you use every day do more than seven that sit half used in the cupboard.
A new routine you build up gradually.
Add one product at a time and give it two weeks. If you change three things at once and your skin reacts, you do not know which one caused it. That sounds slow, but it saves you months of searching.
With a new routine, allow four to six weeks before you see anything. That is about the pace at which your skin renews itself. What you see sooner is usually moisture and smoothness. That is a gain too, even if it is not a built-up result yet.
The most important thing is also the dullest: keeping it up. A routine that you only do three times a week because it is too long loses out to three steps that you do every evening. Even if those products look less pretty on the bathroom shelf.
Frequently asked questions about the order of your products
Serum before or after the moisturiser?
Serum first, moisturiser over it. A serum is thinner and has to get its chance first. The moisturiser then seals it in and keeps the moisture in.
Do I need to cleanse in the morning too?
If you cleansed well in the evening, water in the morning is often enough. With oily skin or after a rich night cream, a mild cleanser is more pleasant.
How many products do I need at least?
Three: a mild cleanser, a moisturiser that suits your skin and sun protection for the daytime. Everything else is an extra, and you choose it based on what your skin needs.
Can I use vitamin C and retinol together?
It is better to use them at different times: vitamin C in the morning, retinol in the evening. Using them together causes irritation more often than extra effect.
How long should I wait between two products?
Until the previous layer has sunk in, so about half a minute. You do not need to time it exactly. Only with an acid or retinol is a short wait kinder to your skin.
Can I have my routine checked in the salon?
Yes. Bring your products to the first skin appointment for €69.00, or take a photo of them. We go through them together and you hear what you can leave out.
From reading to doing
