The correct order of a skincare routine
The benefits of a consistent skincare routine
A skincare routine followed consistently makes a difference over time. Not in three days, but over a few months: the skin barrier stays more balanced, the appearance of spots and fine lines improves, and skin becomes easier to manage when the season changes. What matters, almost always, is not the product. It is consistency.
The steps of the skincare routine
A complete skincare routine is made up of six steps in the morning and seven in the evening. Below, you’ll find the full skincare step sequence, with recommended products and guidance for each step.
The golden rule: from the lightest to the richest
The correct skincare order follows one rule: apply products from the lightest texture to the richest one. Start with the most watery products (cleansers, toners, serums, or boosters) and move on to the more substantial ones (creams, oils, SPF). For example, applying a rich cream before a fluid serum creates a film that prevents the active ingredient from reaching the skin.
☀️ The morning skincare routine
Morning skincare prepares the skin for the day. Let’s look at the steps of a facial skincare routine, one by one.
1. Cleanser
It seems obvious, yet this is where the most common mistake happens. Some people skip cleansing in the morning, thinking that “the skin is already clean anyway.” That’s not true: even overnight, skin produces sebum, rests against a pillow, and picks up particles.
The Gentle Facial Cleanser is the most universal choice. For those with blemish-prone, oily, or combination skin, the Purifying Cleansing Mousse is formulated with 2% Salicylic Acid and Polylysine.
2. Toner
Toner is a liquid solution applied after cleansing. Depending on the formula, it hydrates, soothes, and refreshes. It is not an essential step.
It’s often said that toner helps “rebalance the skin’s pH.” That’s not the case: skin naturally rebalances its own pH, and well-formulated facial cleansers already respect the skin’s pH. In a modern skincare routine, toner makes sense for the functions it performs, not as a pH corrector.
3. Serum/Booster
Booster is a concentrated product with a fluid texture, formulated with specific active ingredients for a precise concern: hydration, radiance, spots, fine lines. Three or four drops, patted onto the face.
In the morning, the most common choice is the Vitamin C Booster, whose antioxidant action pairs well with sunscreen. For those looking for hydration, the Hyaluronic Acid + Ceramides Booster, suitable for all skin types. For blemish-prone skin or to even out the complexion, the Niacinamide + Azeloglycine Booster.
4. Eye Contour
The eye area is thinner, more reactive, and lacks sebaceous glands, so it should be treated with a dedicated product. Apply by tapping with the ring finger onto the orbital bone.
Our Eye Contour addresses the most common needs of this area: hydration, the appearance of dark circles, and early signs of tiredness.
5. Face Cream
Choose your face cream based on your skin type. A cream for dry skin will weigh down oily skin. A cream for blemish-prone skin will stress sensitive skin.
Three representative choices from our range: the Cica Barrier Face Cream for sensitive skin or compromised skin barrier, the Purifying Face Cream for blemish-prone, oily, or combination skin, and the Nourishing Face Cream for dry skin or skin seeking more intensive comfort. If you’re not sure which to choose, the Skin Type Quiz will guide you in just a few minutes.
6. Sun Protection
SPF is the final morning step, right after cream. It is the skincare product with the highest prevention payoff: exposure to UV rays is the main cause of photoaging, dark spots, and loss of tone and firmness.
It matters all year round, not just in summer. UVA rays pass through clouds and glass: in the city, in the car, at your desk in front of a window. The practical rule: with a UV Index of 3 or higher, sun protection is recommended.
The SPF 30 and SPF 50 Face Fluid are designed for this: a fluid texture, easy to layer over cream and under makeup. If you want to go deeper, we covered it in Sunscreen: 11 questions we all ask ourselves.
🌙 The evening skincare routine
In the evening, the skin clears away what has built up during the day and has more time to absorb treatments. It’s a more elaborate routine than the morning one, because the evening skincare steps also include makeup removal and exfoliation.
1. Makeup remover
If you wore makeup or SPF during the day, you need double cleansing in the evening. The first step is makeup removal, which removes makeup, sunscreen filters, and environmental residue. Skipping it means leaving a film on the skin that clogs pores and prevents the next skincare steps from working.
The Oil to Milk Cleansing Makeup Remover is applied to dry skin, massaged in to dissolve impurities, then emulsifies on contact with water and is rinsed off.
2. Cleanser
The same cleanser as in the morning, but now it’s the second step of double cleansing: it completes the cleanse by removing water-soluble residue that the makeup-removing oil doesn’t catch.
3. Exfoliant
Exfoliation is an evening step, not a daily one. It removes dead cells accumulated on the skin’s surface, which over time make the complexion look dull and clog pores.
There are two families of exfoliants: mechanical (scrubs, grains) and chemical (acids). Chemical ones are generally more precise, because they dissolve the bonds between dead cells instead of removing them through friction. The Skin Perfecting Exfoliant is a chemical exfoliant based on 2% Salicylic Acid, suitable for most skin types. The Blemish-Prone Skin Lotion is designed for blemish-prone skin or skin with active breakouts.
Usage frequency depends on the product: always read the label.
4. Toner
The same applies as in the morning: useful, not essential. One note: exfoliating toners formulated with AHA or BHA are not “standard” toners, they are chemical exfoliants in every respect, and they come before this step. If you use the Skin Perfecting Exfoliant or the Blemish-Prone Skin Lotion, you skip this step.
5. Serum/Booster
In the evening, the reference booster is the Retinol Booster, the ultimate anti-age booster, to be used only at night because it can make the skin more sensitive to UV rays. For blemishes or post-inflammatory spots, the Niacinamide + Azeloglycine Booster. For hydration, the Hyaluronic Acid + Ceramides Booster.
💡 Skin First Tip: apply a maximum of two boosters a day: one in the morning and one in the evening. More than that risks overloading the skin without adding efficacy.
6. Eye Contour
Same product, same gesture as in the morning.
7. Face Cream
Same cream as in the morning. It’s often said that you need two different creams, one for day and one for night: that’s not necessary, it’s a marketing simplification. The only thing that changes is the presence of SPF in the morning and photosensitizing actives such as retinoids or acids in the evening.
What to add from time to time
Alongside daily steps, there are treatments you can add periodically. They’re not essential to get started, but they make a difference over time.
- Face mask: once or twice a week, after cleansing. The Hydrating Face Mask combines Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, and Ceramides. The Purifying Face Mask, with clay balanced by Hyaluronic Acid, is designed for blemish-prone skin.
- Targeted treatments: apply only to the affected area. Purifying gels should be applied directly to the blemish, both before and after cream. Brightening gels, before cream, once or twice a day.
- Face oil: an optional treatment, applied over cream to lock in hydration. It is not suitable for those with blemish-prone skin or a tendency to break out. For dry or mature skin, it’s a good evening addition.
For every skin type, the right protocol
Skincare starts with your skin type. We’ve built a specific protocol for each type, with products designed to work in synergy:
- Oily and blemish-prone skin protocol
- Dry skin protocol
- Combination skin protocol
- Dehydrated skin protocol
- Sensitive skin (or redness) protocol
- Normal skin protocol
If you don’t know your skin type, take the Skin Type Quiz: we’ll guide you in just a few minutes.
If these steps seem like a lot, I understand. You can start with a basic skincare routine and build it up over time. In the morning, a cleanser, a face cream suited to your skin type, and SPF are enough. In the evening, a makeup remover, cleanser, and face cream, plus exfoliant once or twice a week. The other steps are added based on what the skin needs: a booster for a specific concern, eye contour when you need a dedicated treatment for that area, toner if you’re looking for more targeted action. Skincare is built by listening to the skin, not by piling up products.
— Dr. Maria Pia Priore, pharmacist, cosmetologist, and founder of Skin First®
In conclusion
Skincare order is not a technical detail reserved for industry insiders. It’s what allows products to work at their best, and once it becomes part of your morning and evening habits, it turns automatic.
Skincare is not a to-do list. It’s a way to care for yourself.
Updates
Categorie editoriali
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
- Opens in a new window.