The Right Order to Layer Your Skincare

Most skincare confusion isn't about which products to buy. It's about what order to use them in. Get the sequence wrong and even good products underperform — a heavy cream applied before a serum simply blocks it from absorbing.

The rule of thumb is simple: thinnest to thickest, wettest to driest.

1. Cleanse. Start with a clean, dry face. Everything that follows works better on a clear canvas.

2. Treat. Serums and essences go on first, while skin is most receptive. This is where targeted ingredients — vitamin C, arbutin, peptides — do their work. Our serums are formulated to be layered, not to compete with each other.

3. Mask, when you mask. Two or three times a week, a mask replaces or follows your serum step, depending on the type. Clay and mud masks are typically used alone, after cleansing, since their job is to draw out rather than deliver. Sheet, jelly, and cream masks layer on top of serum for an extra dose of hydration. Browse our full range of face masks to find the right one for what your skin needs that week.

4. Moisturize. This is what locks everything underneath it in place. Even oily skin benefits from this step — skipping it tends to backfire.

5. Protect. SPF in the morning, always, over everything else.

One more thing worth knowing: you don't need every step, every day. A serum and moisturizer on most days, with a mask worked in when your skin asks for it, is a complete routine. Consistency does more than complexity ever will.