What order does skincare go on in? How to think about it without counting steps

Skincare is sold as a sequence you have to memorise, and every brand gives you a slightly different one. You do not need to memorise anything. You need one rule.

The rule: thinnest to thickest

Whatever is most watery goes on first, whatever is richest goes on last. That is it. A watery serum cannot get through a layer of cream, but a cream sits happily on top of a serum.

What that looks like in the morning

Cleanse, or just water if your skin is dry. Then your thinnest treatment, usually a vitamin C or hydrating serum. Then moisturiser. Then sunscreen, always last, because anything you put on top of it dilutes the protection you just applied.

And at night

Cleanse properly, twice if you wore makeup or sunscreen. Then your active, retinol or an acid, on dry skin. Then moisturiser. If your skin is dry, an oil or balm goes last of all, because nothing gets through oil.

The exceptions worth knowing

Retinol goes on dry skin, so wait a few minutes after cleansing. Acid exfoliants go before anything hydrating, so they can reach the skin. And if something stings, moving it later in the routine, with moisturiser underneath, softens it without making it useless.

How many steps you actually need

Three in the morning and three at night is a complete routine. Cleanser, treatment, moisturiser, plus sunscreen in the morning. Everything past that is preference, not requirement, and a routine you actually do beats a longer one you abandon.

If you want yours written down, step by step, that is what The Skincare Guide is for.