You can have all the best skin care products on your beauty shelf, but if you’re not applying them correctly, you’re likely not getting their full benefits. With multiple products, figuring out the best steps for a skin care routine can be confusing. For instance, should you apply eye cream before or after moisturizer? And retinol before or after moisturizer?
With some dermatologist-approved advice on how to layer skin care products in the most effective order, we’re making it easier than ever to streamline your routine. Here, we’re tackling some frequently asked questions about how to layer skin care, including:
How to layer your skin care products
"One of the most common questions I get every day from my patients is which order to apply face products. Skin care order can have an impact on the efficacy of each product. The easy answer is 'thin to thick', which basically means applying your thinnest skin care product first and the thickest last, but there are a few exceptions," explains Dr. Joel Schlessinger, board-certified dermatologist, Mohs surgeon and cosmetic surgeon, and Founder of LovelySkin.com.
Products such as toners, serums and oils have the thinnest consistency and absorb easily into clean, dry skin. These products have a harder time penetrating through thicker products, like moisturizers, creams and balms. Thinner skin treatment products tend to have higher concentrations of active ingredients in comparison to moisturizers, so these should be applied first to ensure optimal effectiveness.
Below is a list of skin care products in order of how Dr. Schlessinger recommends applying them, from thinnest to thickest both for your morning skin care routine and nighttime skin care routine:
1) Toner
2) Serum
3) Oil
4) Emulsion
5) Lotion
6) Cream
7) Balm
8) Sunscreen
Understanding each step of your skin care routine
Depending on your skin’s unique needs, your skin care routine may not include every product type mentioned above. Lotions, creams and balms are different types of moisturizers, so you may not need all three. If you have oily skin, you may find that a daytime skin care routine of toner, serum, moisturizer and sunscreen works best. To be sure you’re getting the most out of your regimen, we’re breaking down the types of skin care products you may want to incorporate into your daily routine.
Toner
Face toners are exceptionally light and designed to help prep your skin, allowing other skin care treatments to absorb more fully. There are many types of toners available that can help exfoliate, brighten, provide antioxidant protection and balance skin’s pH. So, no matter what your skin concerns are, there’s a toner for your unique needs.
Serum
Facial treatment serums have light consistencies, but they can vary from feeling water-like to having a thicker gel texture. Serums typically have the highest concentrations of active ingredients, so it’s best to apply them directly after toning skin to help those ingredients fully absorb. If you're wondering how to layer serums, when in doubt, apply your lightest serums first.
Oil
Facial oils are slightly thicker than serums, and while they often contain a good concentration of active ingredients themselves, they’re also meant to provide nourishing hydration. If you apply a serum over oil, the serum’s ingredients can have a harder time penetrating the oil to get to your skin.
Emulsion
Emulsions feel like a light lotion and bridge the gap between a treatment product and a moisturizer. They often contain skin-nourishing ingredients, such as vitamin C, retinol and hyaluronic acid, and are formulated to provide light moisture, so they’re great for oily or combination skin types.
Lotion
Face lotions are thicker than serums, oils or emulsions, but not as rich as a typical cream. Lotions are best applied after treatment products as they help lock in moisture and active ingredients. If you love the benefits of a particular face lotion but find that it just doesn’t provide enough moisture, you may want to skip this step and opt for a moisturizer or cream that offers similar benefits.
Cream
Face creams help deliver intense hydration to skin while sealing in the benefits of your other treatment products. They often contain nourishing ingredients such as shea butter, avocado oil, and advanced actives like antioxidants and peptides. Types of creams to consider adding to your skin care routine include day cream, eye cream, neck cream, moisturizer with sunscreen and a night cream.
Balm
For extremely dry or irritation-prone skin, balms provide soothing comfort in some of the richest formulations available. Balms are usually very emollient and may need to be warmed in the hands before applying on skin. Because of their rich, thick texture, any products with thinner consistencies applied over them will have difficulty penetrating through.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen should always be the last step in your skin care routine, after applying any other skin care product. Whether you're using a mineral or chemical-based formula, sunscreens provide optimal sun protection when they create a physical barrier between your skin and damaging UVA and UVB rays.
Skin care layering FAQs: Which comes first?
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s answer some frequently asked questions about how to layer skin care products:
Should I apply serum or moisturizer first?
Face serums tend to have a thinner consistency and should be applied after cleansing and toning but before any moisturizers, creams or balms.
Do you apply sunscreen before or after moisturizer?
No matter how many skin care products are in your routine, sunscreen should always be the last step. Whether you’re using a mineral or chemical sunscreen or both—sunscreen is the most effective when it’s applied as the top layer in your routine.
What's better, applying serum or night cream first?
Going back to the ‘thinnest to thickest’ rule, night creams are thicker in texture and should be the last step in your nighttime skin care routine. Night creams often contain occlusive ingredients that help lock in moisture, so if you apply your serum after your night cream, it would be less likely to fully penetrate into the skin.
The best way to layer skin care products from 3 top brands
“There is definitely an advantage to using one skin care line from start to finish,” explains Dr. Schlessinger. “You can feel confident that every product has been formulated to work well together when layered in the brand’s intended sequence.” Here, we break down how to apply products for a full skin care routine from three reliable brands, including LovelySkin’s own LovelySkin LUXE line, developed by Dr. Schlessinger himself.
LovelySkin LUXE skin care routine
This six-step facial routine from LovelySkin LUXE is designed to help you achieve the appearance of more youthful-looking skin thanks to afaLUXE™, a proprietary blend of amino-based filaggrin antioxidants, Dead Sea minerals and vitamin C that work together to encourage natural exfoliation with minimal irritation.
1) Start off by washing your face with LovelySkin LUXE Clarifying Gel Cleanser, a staff favorite that helps keep skin clear with salicylic acid, glycolic acid and afaLUXE™.
2) Next, spritz on LovelySkin LUXE Toner Mist to help maintain your skin’s natural moisture balance and improve hydration.
3) Help address dull texture, fine lines and breakouts with LovelySkin LUXE Exfoliating Gel Mild 11%, a gel-like serum that helps boost collagen production, minimize the appearance of large pores, smooth rough texture and improve acne with afaLUXE™.
4) Infuse your skin with an extra boost of hydration by applying LovelySkin LUXE HA Peptide Serum, which contains hyaluronic acid to help firm and plump skin, Persian silk tree extract to combat the signs of skin fatigue and apple stem cells to help repair cellular damage from aging and environmental stressors.
5) The next step is LovelySkin LUXE Ultra-Rich Peptide Moisturizer, a nourishing face cream that helps minimize the appearance of fine lines, reduce inflammation and protect against damaging free radicals with a blend of peptides, argan oil and afaLUXE™.
6) Because sun protection always comes last, finish your skincare routine by applying your favorite broad-spectrum sunscreen.
SkinMedica skin care routine
Rooted in science, SkinMedica offers a variety of anti-aging skin care products that provide visible, clinically proven results. This five-step regimen is a fantastic option if you're looking to take your anti-aging skin care efforts to the next level.
1) Begin your routine by cleansing your face with SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, which washes away makeup and excess oil while also improving skin texture with the help of salicylic acid. See why people love this cleanser on the SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser Reviews page.
2) Next is a face serum. SkinMedica TNS+ Advanced Serum is a powerful anti-aging formula that helps firm and lift skin, smoothing the appearance of fine lines with a blend of growth factors, peptides and marine extracts.
3) To target hyperpigmentation, layer on SkinMedica Even & Correct Advanced Brightening Treatment Serum. This effective brightening treatment uses a proprietary LTN Complex, which includes lotus seed extract (LSE), tranexamic acid and niacinamide, to improve the look of discoloration and dark spots.
4) Next comes SkinMedica Rejuvenative Moisturizer, locks in moisture with hyaluronic acid while vitamin E helps brighten and smooth.
5) Lastly, protect your skin against the sun’s damaging rays with SkinMedica Total Defense + Repair SPF 34 - Untinted. This innovative formula provides broad-spectrum protection with a blend of chemical and mineral sunscreens that provide a sheer finish.
Obagi skin care routine
Renowned for their proven, highly-effective skin care products, Obagi has a solution to help you tackle your most pressing skin care concerns, including signs of aging, discoloration and more. Enriched with active ingredients, this six-step Obagi skin care routine has you covered.
1) Kick off your day by cleansing with Obagi Nu-Derm Gentle Cleanser #1, a mild cleansing gel that purifies skin without leaving it feeling tight or dry—just refreshed and balanced.
2) Next, sweep on Obagi Nu-Derm Toner #2 to help restore your skin’s pH level, leaving it feeling renewed and prepped for the treatment products ahead.
3) Target discoloration with Obagi Nu-Derm Clear Fx #3, a tone-evening skin treatment formulated to help improve the appearance of dark spots with 7% arbutin.
4) The next step is gentle exfoliation with Obagi Nu-Derm Exfoderm Forte #4, a lightweight lotion that can help boost cell turnover with 3% phytic acid.
5) Next, apply Obagi Hydrate Facial Moisturizer, formulated with nourishing shea butter, mango butter and olive oil to keep skin smooth, soft and comforted.
6) Finish with Obagi Sun Shield Matte Broad Spectrum SPF 50, a mattifying sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum protection with a nourishing blend of mineral and chemical sunscreens.
Looking to add a new serum to your routine? You can read our tips on how to choose the best face serum for you and more on the LovelySkin Skin Care Blog.
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