A Beginner's Skincare Routine: The Right Products in the Right Order

The three essentials

• Cleanser: removes sunscreen, sweat, pollution and excess oil. Choose a gentle, fragrance-free one suited to your skin type.
• Moisturiser: keeps the skin barrier healthy and hydrated. Everyone needs one, including people with oily skin.
• Sunscreen: broad-spectrum SPF 30+ every morning. It prevents more skin problems than any other product.

Adding one active ingredient

Once your basic routine has been comfortable for two to three weeks, you can add a serum or treatment that targets your main concern:

• Acne or blackheads: salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or adapalene.
• Dark spots or uneven tone: vitamin C, niacinamide or azelaic acid.
• Fine lines: a retinoid at night.
• Dryness: a hyaluronic acid serum under moisturiser.

Order of application

Apply products from thinnest to thickest, so lighter textures can reach the skin before heavier ones seal them in.

Morning: cleanser, serum (for example vitamin C), moisturiser, sunscreen. Night: cleanser, treatment (for example a retinoid or acid), moisturiser.

Keep strong actives apart at first. Do not use a retinoid and an exfoliating acid on the same night until your skin is used to both.

Patience and patch testing

Skin renews itself roughly every four to six weeks, so most products need at least six to twelve weeks to show their real effect. Introduce one new product at a time, two weeks apart. Patch-test each one on your jawline for a few days. If something stings persistently, causes a rash or new breakouts in unusual places, stop using it.

Tracking your skin with consistent photos — same light, same angle, every few weeks — is the most reliable way to judge progress, because day-to-day changes are hard to see.