Skincare Routine Order – The Right Way To Apply Your Products

So you found yourself in the depths of skincare TikTok and you bought tons of new products – and no idea how to order your skincare in a routine. Sound familiar? Let’s break it down.

I want to preface this by saying that you don’t need all of these steps in your skincare routine – I always believe that simpler is better. But if you have the products and are trying to figure out where to use them in your routine, here’s a guide that can help you out:

This is a general skincare routine order of how to use your products. Feel free to omit the steps you don’t have in your routine 🙂

Now let’s break it down category by category on how you should apply your products:

Cleansers/Wash-Off Treatments

In the morning, you can just use one cleanser as the first step in your routine. If you double cleanse at night, you can go in with your oil/cream/balm cleanser, and follow with your water-based cleanser.

Follow with any “wash-off” treatments like masks or scrubs.

From here, follow this rule of thumb: Skincare should be applied from thinnest to thickest consistency to ensure proper absorption. There will always be exceptions to the rule, but this is a good place to start.

Toners

For toners, there are three general types: exfoliating toners (with acids like glycolic, lactic, and salicylic), hydrating toners, and facial mists.

I always recommend starting off with your exfoliating “treatment” toners. These acid toners need to be at a specific pH to properly exfoliate the skin, so you want to be sure you’re applying these on dry skin as the first step of your routine. I recommend using acid toners no more than 3 or 4 times a week, and avoid using them with retinoids or other acne treatment products (like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide).

You can follow acid toners with a hydrating toner or facial mist. These will rehydrate the skin and help the serums and treatments you apply after absorb better.

If you have one, you can follow your water-based toner with an essence, which tends to have a slightly thicker viscosity. However, most toners and essences have similar effects (provide a layer of hydration), so you don’t typically need both in a routine.

Treatments/Serums

The serum step is where your skincare routine order gets a little more complex. First off, I recommend applying serums to damp skin for better absorption (with the exception of retinoids). Serums are typically the priciest step in your routine, so you want to get the most of your products!

I like to break serums up into two categories: treatment serums and other serums. Treatment serums contain ingredients like exfoliating acids (Glycolic, Lactic, Salicylic, etc.), Retinoids/Retinol, Vitamin C, Benzoyl Peroxide, or prescription-strength products. Other serums are less “active”, like hyaluronic acid or niacinamide serums.

I recommend keeping your routine simple and use no more than one treatment product (acid toner or treatment serum) and one other serum per routine. If you have multiple treatment products, you can use them on alternate nights.

When it comes to how to layer your serums, I recommend applying them from thinnest to thickest consistency. So your thinner, more watery serums would go first, and your thicker or creamier serums would be applied after.

Most serums can be used morning and/or night, but I recommend using vitamin c or antioxidant serums every morning (to help protect your skin from environmental damage), and treatment serums like retinols and exfoliating acids 3 or 4 times a week in the evening (as these increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun).

Eye Care

Follow serums with your eye product. Eye products tend to be expensive, so I recommend applying them earlier in your routine so you can get the most out of them. When you apply moisturizer, it’s easy to accidentally get some product in your eye area, which can end up “diluting” your eye product if you apply it afterward. So I always recommend applying your eye products before creams or moisturizers.

Moisturizers & Facial Oils

Follow your serums and treatments with your favorite moisturizer, lotions, or richer creams. If you have one, lock everything in with a facial oil (this is one of my favorite additions to my routine during the colder months). If you don’t like the feeling of oil on your skin, you can also mix a few drops of oil into your moisturizer for extra nourishment.

Acne Spot Treatments

If you’re using spot treatments to treat breakouts, I recommend using these as the last step in your nighttime routine. If you’re using pimple patches, use a tissue to remove any excess product before applying the patch.

Sunscreen

Lastly, the most important step of your morning routine should be your sunscreen, applied liberally to get proper SPF protection. I recommend using the “3 finger method” for sunscreen. Apply 3 full finger lengths of sunscreen for your face, neck, and ears to ensure full protection.

Example Routine

Wanted to share an example of my current nighttime routine. I start by double cleansing with an oil-based cleanser and a water-based cleanser, followed by an exfoliating acid toner. Then I follow with my moisturizer and oil. I like to keep my routines super simple with effective, multi-purpose products 🙂

And that’s it! You can follow this guide to figure out the best way to layer the products that are in your routine. If you’re looking for how to start a skincare routine, you can check out my post here. Feel free to reach out anytime if you have questions!

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