— Does The Order Of Your Skincare Routine Really Matter?

Skincare routines can get confusing. First, you have to research the appropriate ingredients for your specific skin concerns, then comes factoring in the price of each ingredient and time you have to dedicate to the process. But as it turns out, having an arsenal of acne-fighting, brightening, and calming cleansers, serums, moisturizers, and masks at your disposal are only as crucial as the order in which you apply.

“The order in which products are applied to your skin is critical,” says Dr. Alicia Zalka, an East Coast-based dermatologist. “Most of us spend hard-earned dollars and precious time on our skincare routine, so why lose out on the optimization of the effort?”

As a dermatologist, Dr. Zalka has access to loads of products but finds that if too many layers go on someone’s face, the products dilute and cancel each other out. Before spending an absurd amount of money on any more products, I turned Dr. Alicia Zalka to break it all down.

What is the correct order to apply skincare products?

When performing your skincare routine, Dr. Zalka suggests focusing on products that “protect” your skin—SPF, primers, BB and CC creams—for the morning time, and “correct” your skin in the night, such as heavier moisturizers, retinol products, and hand creams.

Morning

  1. Cleanse
  2. Serum or toner or exfoliating pad
  3. Moisturizer or oil (or both)
  4. Sunscreen

Night

  1. Cleanse
  2. Serum or toner or exfoliating pad
  3. Retinol
  4. Heavier moisturizer or oil (or both)

How long wait should you wait between skincare steps?

Slathering on product after product isn’t effective if you’re not pausing after each application. “You should wait about 30 seconds to one minute [between application], which allows the product to penetrate and gives you time to do other steps in your beauty routine (e.g., brushing your hair, brushing your teeth, and flossing your teeth),” says Dr. Zalka.

Remember: SPF should always go last!

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Zare Rose Makin

Zare Rose Makin

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6 thoughts on “Does The Order Of Your Skincare Routine Really Matter?”

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