How To Layer Skincare (Like You Know What You're Doing!)

When it comes to layering skincare, there are general rules of thumb and there are very persnickety “perfect-case-scenario” directions, related to wait time between products and pH levels. I’m a big fan of not overcooking the goose – some things are just not good ROIs.

Generally speaking, it’ll be more useful and effective to keep in mind the basic rules, rather than to try to follow too strict a method that just isn’t feasible for everyday use. Nevertheless, there are certain things on how to layer skincare effectively that you really should know.

In this post I’ll cover the basic rules for how to layer skincare, from simple to more complicated routines.

I’ll also share the most important details you should be aware of in terms of skincare absorption. That will help you understand the why’s of how to layer skincare properly. And I’ll go over basic incompatibilities between skincare actives, so that you’re not letting all that goodness go to waste.

How to layer skincare – why it’s important

The biggest reason why the order of products matters is basically because the outermost layer of the skin (the stratum corneum) is perfectly designed to keep things out. It’s effectively one of its most important roles. It protects us from particles, toxins, and other agents in our environment. And it’s very good at its job!

In fact, one of the biggest issues cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies face is precisely how to come up with effective vehicles for trans-epidermal delivery of actives. Basically, to find better and better ways to increase the rate of their absorption by the skin.

If you’re layering products haphazardly or incorrectly you might not be getting the full benefit that product has to offer. You might be hindering its absorption into the skin, or pairing it with another product that’s going to actively work against it.

Basically, you might be wasting your money, not getting good results, and possibly even causing skin issues, like redness, dryness, sensitivity – you name it.

Another hint that you’re not applying the products in the correct order is often what’s known as pilling. When you’re rubbing the products into your skin and they sort of start caking up and coming off in “crumbs”. But it can also be just a weird feeling or texture on your skin, like stickiness.

How to layer skincare – the general rules of thumb

It’s impossible to draft a sequence on how to layer skincare that’s going to fit everyone 100%.

That’s because although there are a million products that would fall under the definition of “moisturizer” for instance, they do not all have the same ingredients, or consistencies, and they’re not all formulated in the same way.

Also, there are way too many categories of products these days. And many of those products can serve double duty, which complicates matters. Depending on which philosophy of skincare you follow (from minimalist to Korean-style “madness”), you might be more or less confused about the correct order in which to apply your products.

Below are the general guidelines to follow on how to layer skincare products, in increasing complexity of skincare routine.

The steps in brackets are ones that you may or may not find necessary and that many people might choose to omit. It totally depends on your skin needs and personal preferences.
I also lay out the steps for an everyday routine and another for a pampering/Spa Day routine, so that you know where to insert things like masks, treatments, exfoliations, and steams, if you want to.

How to layer skincare – the basic steps

Low Maintenance

Cleanse – (Toner/Mists/Hydrosols) – Moisturize (cream or oils) – (SPF)

Low maintenance Spa day

(Cleanse) – Exfoliate – Steam – Mask/Facial treatment – (Toner/Mists/Hydrosols) – Moisturize (creams or oils) – (SPF)

High maintenance

Cleanse – (Toner/Mists/Hydrosols) – (Spot treatment) – Actives or Serums (water-based first, then oil-based) – Eye treatment – Moisturizer (creams/lotions) – Oils – (SPF) – (Makeup)

High maintenance Spa day

(Cleanse) – Exfoliate – Steam – Mask/Facial treatments – (Toner/Mists/Hydrosols) – (Spot treatment) – Actives or Serum (water-based first, then oil-based) – Eye treatment – Moisturizer (creams/lotions) – Oils – (SPF) – (Makeup)

Higher maintenance (aka, “Korean-style”)

1^st cleanse (oil-based) – 2^nd cleanse (water/foam-based) – (Toner/Mists/Hydrosols) – (Spot treatment) – Actives, Essences and/or Serums (water-based first; oil-based second) – Eye treatment – Moisturizer (creams/lotions) – Oils – (SPF) – (Makeup)

Higher maintenance (aka, “Korean-style”) Spa day

1^st cleanse (oil-based) – 2^nd cleanse (water/foam-based) – Exfoliate – Steam – Mask/Facial treatment – (Toner/Mists/Hydrosols) – (Spot treatment) – Actives, Essences and/or Serums (water-based first; oil-based second) – Eye treatment – Moisturizer (creams/lotions) – Oils – (SPF) – (Makeup)

Related content: How I Cleared Up Acne Naturally in 3 Months

How to layer skincare in a nutshell

So, VERY generally speaking, you want to apply your water-based products first and your oil-based products last.

This is because if you have an oily coat on your skin, it might interfere with the absorption and effectiveness of the water-based products. They’ll be either completely or partially blocked by the oils, depending on what the oils are.

For a similar reason, and for each category of water-based or oil-based products, you should also try to apply them from the thinnest in consistency to the thickest. Consistency tends to correlate with absorption speed (although not always).

Now, this becomes more muddled when you take into account things like creams or lotions, since they are a mix of oils and waters. Even more so when we take into account the formulation itself and what oils or other ingredients are being used.

Some oils are thicker than others and there are plenty of synthetic and natural ingredients that are occlusive. That means they “seal” the skin and provide a barrier. Usually that’s to hold hydration in the skin, but also to help protect from external aggressors.

Without taking your specific products to a skin specialist, or dermatologist, and asking them to advise you specifically on the best order to apply them in, it’s nearly impossible to create a “step-by-step” layering formula that’s detailed enough to cover all bases and possible product variation. There are TOO MANY different types of products and formulations out there!

But that’s why the general guidelines above on how to layer skincare will serve you better. Within each category of products, try to figure out if they are water or oil based and go from there.

Hint: if you see any oil in the ingredients list, better put them in the oil-based category.

Each step explained

Cleansers

Cleansers are naturally the first step. In order to reap the benefits of a skincare routine, you want to be removing dirt, bacteria, and sloughing off dead skin cells on a regular basis.

This will help the health and appearance of the skin, and the effectiveness of whatever products you apply after that, since they’ll penetrate better. Cleansers include all forms: oil-based, water-based, foam cleansers, and exfoliators.

Related content: The Most Effective Homemade Face Cleansers

Toners, mists & hydrosols

Toners, mists and hydrosols (like rose water or witch hazel) are the next logical step.

Their main role is to help rebalance the skin’s pH, possibly thrown off by the cleanser(s). They also help remove any possible leftover debris from the cleansing step and add hydration (to be locked into the skin with moisturizers or oils).

Sometimes they even provide some skin actives to treat redness, spots, melasma, etc. It may not be necessary for you and some people omit this step.

Masks & facial treatments

Masks and facial treatments (as in Spa-style treatments) should also be as close as possible to clean skin. This is why they should always go after the cleanser/exfoliator and the facial steam, if you have one.

The steam opens the pores and clears out all the gunk that’s accumulated in there, that a regular cleanse doesn’t reach.

Masks are usually meant to be on the skin for only 10 to 30 minutes to work their magic, and are then to be washed off. It makes sense that they should come before any “leave-in” treatments, such as serums.

Skincare actives

Skin actives (whether they’re marketed as “serums”, “essences”, “extracts”, or some other new glamorous concept) should always be as close as possible to clean skin.

This means you should apply them either directly after the cleansing step (however many steps you have within that step), or after toners/hydrosols and/or facial mists (if you use them in your routine).

For obvious reasons, you want them to penetrate as deeply and as effectively as their formulations will allow. If you have an oily coat of something else on your skin, you might not be getting the full benefit, so make sure that the toners or facial mists (if you use them) are completely water-based.

Eye treatments

Eye treatments mean anything marketed as a specific eye area moisturizer or serum. This step is one of the more debatable ones, but a lot of people like to boost the area with a little something extra to help prevent wrinkling. It certainly doesn’t hurt.

Now, if it’s something like a plain carrier oil mix or simple moisturizer that doesn’t add any specific skin actives, it doesn’t matter much if it goes on before or after the moisturizer or facial oils.

However, since a lot of people use specific serums formulated with active ingredients and antioxidants, you can apply them before the moisturizer. This is mostly just in case the moisturizers and skin oils you use are particularly occlusive (thicker) and might interfere a bit with the full interaction and absorption of the actives of the serum by your skin.

Again, to get the fullest possible bang for your bucks!

Moisturizers & facial oils

Obviously, a moisturizer or lotion is already a stable mixture of oil and water. If you choose to use facial oils on top of that, it doesn’t actually matter much if it goes before or after the moisturizer, to tell you the truth. It’s more an issue of what kind of oils, butters and waxes are at play here.

All oils provide moisture to the skin (they are emollients) and all oils have different rates of penetration ability. Which is why some feel very light and fast-absorbing, while others feel very oily or even thick.

It’s the same with butters, like mango, Shea, or cocoa. Butters are also emollient, but they are more occlusive than the thickest carrier oils. That means they’re more protective of the skin and provide more of a “seal” effect. They decrease even more the loss of water from the skin by evaporation (which all oils will help with).

Waxes, like carnauba or beeswax are also occlusive and help to protect and seal. So depending on the level of occlusiveness of the ingredients involved in your moisturizer, versus the oils/butters in your choice of facial oils, it might make more sense to apply one before the other.

For instance, if your moisturizer is very buttery or thickish, but your facial oil mix is very fast absorbing, maybe reverse the order and apply the facial oil first and the moisturizer after.

Sunscreen

SPFs as a separate product, aka a sunscreen, should go after all your other skincare simply because that’s its purpose. They sit on top of the skin and shield from UV rays.

Makeup

The makeup, if you choose the wear any, does not go under the sunscreen (or anything else in your skincare routine) for the obvious reasons. If you use SPF, it’ll sit on top of that. If you don’t use SPF, of course, you would apply it after the moisturizer/oil phase, at the end of your skincare routine.

How to layer skincare actives

Another factor in correct product order is product incompatibility. Specifically in the case of skin actives.

If you’re using things like vitamin C, retinols, peptides, any type of acid (AHAs, BHAs, you name it), niacinamide, resveratrol – you need to make sure that you’re not pairing them incorrectly. Like I mentioned earlier, they might be actively working against each other or cancelling each other out. This means you’d be wasting your money! (And they don’t tend to be cheap)!

The main issue with actives is the pH environment. Different actives work best at different pH levels. If you apply one that works optimally at an acidic level and then you layer another on top that works at a more neutral or alkaline level, you’ll be compromising BOTH actives.

There are a handful of skin actives out there that are truly amazing for your skin and you may want to use all of them and get that benefit.

But it’s easy to get carried away with the marketing pitch. You end up buying 4 or 5 things and then you’re completely lost on how to mix them. Or even if you should mix them at all. It can easily get overwhelming and confusing.

Below are the most common skin actives and their incompatibilities. So that you know which to space apart, to get the fullest possible benefit.

Skin actives incompatibility guide – DON’T MIX!

RETINOLS/RETINOIDS + AHAs (or any direct acid). They all increase cell turnover, so adding them together will probably end up irritating your skin and causing sensitivity. If you want to use both, use retinols in the evenings and acids in the morning.
RETINOLS/RETINOIDS + VITAMIN C. They work best at different pH levels, so combining them will hinder the effectiveness of both, while also probably irritating your skin. To use both, use vitamin C in the morning (helps to protect from UV radiation) and retinols in the evening (treat damaged skin).
VITAMIN C/DIRECT ACIDS + COPPER PEPTIDES. Copper speeds up the oxidation of vitamin C and the vitamin C denatures the copper peptides. To use both, use vitamin C in the morning and copper peptides in the evening.
NIACINAMIDE + DIRECT ACIDS/VITAMIN C. Acids and vitamin C are most effective in an acidic environment. Niacinamide has a pH level of between 5.00 and 7.00. They effectively cancel each other out. The acids will not be as well absorbed by the skin and the Niacinamide might denature and cause skin redness. Use Niacinamide in the morning and acids/vitamin C at night.
ACIDS + OTHER ACIDS. This is plain overkill. Even if one of the acids is very gentle, adding another on top will lead to skin sensitivity, if not outright irritation and inflammation. Alternate between acids – one on one day and the other one the next.
HYALURONIC ACID (HA) + DIRECT ACIDS. HA can denature (break down) at pH levels under 4, so it’s best to use them separately. Use HA in the morning and direct acids in the evening.

Final notes on skincare actives

Although HA has “acid” in the name, it’s not actually an acid. By this I mean that it doesn’t chemically peel away the skin surface like other direct acids do.

HA can be perfectly paired with other neutral and alkaline-based skin actives, like Niacinamide, peptides, and retinols. In fact, it’s a good one to pair with retinols, to counteract the irritating effect retinoids tend to have on the skin.

Most actives can be used in the morning or at night. It’s a question of how your personal skin reacts. But if you want to use more than one skin active, and they’re incompatible, it might make more sense to prefer one for the evening and the other for the morning.

Nevertheless, retinoids and acids are typically better to use at night. This is because they all cause momentary skin sensitivity. Acids because they are “chemical” peels and retinoids because they induce skin sloughing and renewal.

To expose tender skin like that to the elements (especially, UV radiation) would just undermine all their work and the health of your skin.

How to layer skincare – troubleshooting

If following these general guidelines on how to layer skincare you find that something isn’t working, there are a few things you can try.

Reevaluate the carrier ingredients in your products. That means check the base ingredients and see if there is any possible ambiguity in the order (especially when you see a product mixing oils and water). Try to re-assess, re-order and try again.
Re-assess the number of steps in your routine. Do you REALLY need a serum and an essence? Do you really need a moisturizer AND an oil? Simply put, the more products, the higher the chances of product incompatibility.
Try to find product alternatives with fewer ingredients. Same reasoning as above. There are many, many products on the market, many different versions of the same thing. They may look the same, but they’re not necessarily formulated the same. This particular copper peptide serum feels weird on the skin? Try other copper peptide alternatives and see if it works better for you, or fixes the issue.
Try to apply a little less of the products you’re using. We tend to think “if a little is good, then a lot must be better” – NO! Often times it’s the exact opposite. If you’re getting pilling or some weird texture or feeling on your skin, then just try to apply less of an amount.

So there you have it. The basic guidelines on how to layer skincare are not very complicated. Especially once you understand the basic reasoning behind the order.

It can be more of a headache once you start to incorporate skincare actives. But once you understand the basic “don’t mix acids with alkalines”, it definitely becomes more approachable.

Like I said, it’s impossible to lay out a step-by-step on how to layer skincare that’s going to fit absolutely everyone, but I hope the information here makes things easier for you.

Let me know if something isn’t clear, or if you have any specific questions about skincare layering order. As always, feel free to share any thoughts in the comment section below!

How To Layer Skincare (Like You Know What You’re Doing!)

How to layer skincare – why it’s important

How to layer skincare – the general rules of thumb