What order to put skincare on, morning and night

Most skincare questions we get are really about order. Does the serum go before the toner? Is it moisturiser then sunscreen, or the other way round? Where does retinol fit?

There's one rule that answers almost all of them: thinnest to thickest. Watery things go on first, creams after, and sunscreen goes on top of everything in the morning because it needs to sit on the surface to do its job.

If you're just starting

You need three things, and that's it.

1. A gentle cleanser.
2. A moisturiser.
3. A sunscreen, in the morning.

Get those right for a month before you add anything. Most problems we see come from doing too much, not too little. If you don't know your skin type yet, our tissue test takes one evening.

The full morning routine

1. Cleanser. Something mild, like the COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. If your skin is dry, a splash of water is often enough in the morning.
2. Toner, if you like one. In Korean routines a toner is usually a hydrating or soothing liquid, not the stinging alcohol kind. Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing Toner is a good example. Pat it on with your hands.
3. Serum or essence. This is where your treatment goes: niacinamide for oil and marks, or a hydrating essence like COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. If you use two, the thinner one goes first.
4. Moisturiser. Light for oily skin, richer for dry. Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser suits most people in our weather.
5. Sunscreen, always last. About two finger-lengths for face and neck. Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun is an easy one to start with, and our sunscreen guide helps you choose.

Makeup goes on after sunscreen has had a minute to set.

The full night routine

1. Cleansing oil, if you wore sunscreen or makeup. Massage it over dry skin for a minute, add a little water until it turns milky, then rinse. SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil rinses clean and suits every skin type.
2. Your normal cleanser. This is the second half of what people call double cleansing: the oil lifts sunscreen and makeup, the cleanser takes away what's left. On a night you wore neither, skip the oil.
3. Toner, if you use one.
4. Treatment. Retinol, an exfoliating acid, or a dark spot serum. Only one strong treatment per night.
5. Moisturiser. At night it can be a little richer, because there's no sunscreen going on top.

Where retinol and acids go

Retinol and retinal go on clean, dry skin at night, after cleansing and before moisturiser. If your skin is sensitive, you can put moisturiser on first and retinol over it, which softens it. Start two or three nights a week with something beginner-strength, like The Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in Squalane, and build up slowly.

Exfoliating acids such as glycolic acid or BHA also go on at night, after cleansing. Don't use them on the same night as retinol when you're starting out; alternate nights instead. Both make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so the morning sunscreen stops being optional.

Do you need to wait between layers?

Mostly no. A few seconds for each layer to sink in is enough. The one exception is sunscreen, which is worth a minute or two before makeup so it can set evenly. Long waiting times between steps are mostly a habit of the internet, not something your skin needs.

Mistakes that are easy to make

Putting sunscreen under moisturiser, which dilutes it. Using a cream before a watery serum, so the serum can't get through. Mixing retinol and strong acids on the same night in your first months. Starting four new products in one week. And skipping the night cleanse after a day in sunscreen, which is behind a lot of small bumps.

Through the year

In the humid months, cut down. A toner and serum can often replace a separate moisturiser if your skin is oily. When winter comes, our dry skin winter guide explains what to add.

We sell the products named here, so weigh our picks with that in mind. If you'd rather have a routine picked for your skin, our skin test builds one in under a minute.