The experts from SkinCeuticals are here to break down the latest skin care trend.

This fall’s top trend isn’t laid-back suiting or knee-high boots—it’s skin cycling! Coined by Dr. Whitney Bowe, this skin care approach is getting a lot of attention and delivering impressive results. Skin cycling might be right for you if are looking to simplify your routine or if you have many skin care products to choose from in your medicine cabinet and aren’t 100% sure when to use them. You can practice skin cycling with any skin care brand, and it’s a great match for SkinCeuticals’ science-backed lineup. We’ll break down everything you need to know to get started, including:

• What is skin cycling?

• What does a skin cycling schedule look like?

• How to try skin cycling with SkinCeuticals

What is skin cycling?

In essence, skin cycling is using specific ingredients on certain nights and giving your skin a chance to recover in between. While some products yield best results when used twice a day or daily, this cyclical schedule allows you to reap the maximum benefits of certain active ingredients, such as retinol and some exfoliating acids, while minimizing the chance of irritation by giving your skin a break between applications.

What does a skin cycling schedule look like?

A basic skin cycling approach includes cleansing and moisturizing your face every night and then cycling through a different treatment afterward. Your skin cycling schedule might look like this:

Night 1: Exfoliate

Night 2: Retinol

Nights 3 and 4: Barrier repair

How to try skin cycling with SkinCeuticals

When you skin cycle with SkinCeuticals, it’s easy to get the most out of your skin care regimen. Regardless of the skin cycling day, your morning regimen remains the same. First, cleanse with SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser (which is the only cleanser you need for day and night when skin cycling). Then, apply SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic and follow with SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier. Moisturize with SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 and complete your routine with Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 for broad spectrum sun protection.

When skin cycling, your nighttime regimen is where the magic happens. Focusing on one active ingredient per night prevents over-stressing your skin and allows it to reap the maximum benefits of each.

Night 1: Exfoliation

• Cleanse with SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser

• Use an exfoliating serum, such as SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense Salicylic Acid Serum

• Moisturize with SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2

Night 2: Retinol

• Cleanse with SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser

• Use SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel as your serum step

• Apply SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 Refining + Anti-Aging Night Cream (or the concentration most suitable for your skin’s conditioning and tolerance—beginners can start with the 0.3% concentration)

• Moisturize with Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2

Nights 3 and 4: Barrier repair

• Cleanse with SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser

• Use SkinCeuticals Hyalyronic Acid Intensifier as your serum step

• Moisturize with SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2

• Top with SkinCeuticals Hydra Balm to lock in moisture

Nightly retinol use is ideal for achieving optimal skin improvement, especially when it comes to visible signs of skin aging, refining pore appearance and minimizing breakouts. With that said, if you’re a retinol beginner, skin cycling provides an opportunity for you to gradually increase your skin’s retinol tolerance and work your way up to daily use without the side effects that may come along with using too much retinol too soon.

At the end of the day (literally), skin cycling with SkinCeuticals can help establish a consistent skin care regimen with products proven to be effective, which is a foolproof way to get visible anti-aging and skin-improving results.

You can check out more from SkinCeuticals in our blog post, 5 SkinCeuticals redness relief products for post-procedure skin.