Skincare Routine Order Builder
Tick the products you own to see the order to apply them in, as one list for the morning and one for the night. Sunscreen is always the last morning step, and a retinoid only appears at night.
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Tick the products you own to see your morning and night order.
This is general information, not medical advice. It cannot take your own health history into account. For anything that worries you, speak to a doctor, midwife or pharmacist.
How it works
The builder sorts your products into a fixed order. Morning: cleanser, toner, essence, vitamin C serum, spot treatment, other serum, eye cream, moisturiser, face oil, sunscreen. Night: cleanser, toner, essence, exfoliant or retinoid, spot treatment, other serum, eye cream, moisturiser, face oil. Products you did not tick are left out.
The backbone comes from the American Academy of Dermatology: wash your face, apply any medication or treatment, then moisturiser and sunscreen. It also says to put sunscreen on after your other skincare products and under make-up, to apply vitamin C in the morning before sunscreen, and to apply a retinoid before bed.
The finer order inside that backbone, with watery products such as toner and essence before thicker creams and oils, is the common thinnest-to-thickest convention. It is a sensible habit, not something tested in trials, so treat it as a default and follow the directions on your own products where they differ.
Exfoliant is placed at night because the FDA says AHAs make skin more sensitive to UV light. If you tick both an exfoliant and a retinoid, the builder gives them one shared step to use on different nights, because the American Academy of Dermatology warns that exfoliating while using a retinoid may worsen dry skin.
What it cannot tell you
- It sorts product types, not your actual products. A pack that says morning only, night only, or wait before the next step should be followed over this list.
- More steps do not mean better skin. The American Academy of Dermatology says using too many products may irritate the skin. You do not need every product on the list.
- It is not medical advice. Retinoids should not be used during pregnancy. If a doctor or pharmacist prescribed a treatment, use it the way they told you.
- See a doctor, pharmacist or dermatologist for a reaction to a product, a rash, or acne that is leaving scars.
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Common questions
Apply skincare in this order: cleanser, any treatment, moisturiser, then sunscreen in the morning. That is the order the American Academy of Dermatology gives. Within it, most people put thin, watery products such as toner and serum on before thicker creams and oils.
Sunscreen goes on after moisturiser, as the last skincare step in the morning. The American Academy of Dermatology says to always put sunscreen on after other skincare products and beneath make-up. Sunscreen is not needed at night.
Retinol is used at night. The American Academy of Dermatology says retinoids can make skin more sensitive to the sun, so dermatologists advise using them before bed and wearing sun protection during the day.
It is better not to use an exfoliating acid and retinol on the same night. The American Academy of Dermatology says exfoliating while using a retinoid may worsen dry skin or cause breakouts. Most people put them on different nights.
Vitamin C serum is usually applied in the morning, after washing your face and before sunscreen. That is the timing a dermatologist quoted by the American Academy of Dermatology gives her patients. Vitamin C does not replace sunscreen.