Get The Most Out Of Your Skincare Routine: Layering and Alternating Products

Much has been written about how to appropriately layer your skincare products. We’ve all learned “serums first, sunscreen last” but with so many items and potential issues to target, how do you fit it all in without layering 15 products?

In this article, you will learn:

• How Many Serums Can You use at Once?
• Why Can’t I Just Use an All-in-One Product?
• Get The Most Out Of Your Skincare Routine: Layering and Alternating
• A Few Notes About the Protocol Above

How Many Serums Can You Use at Once?

Wondering how many serums can you use at once? The short answer you can layer serums. For some skin care buffs, it’s not unheard of to layer up to 15!

While 15 does seem like a bit much, it's not unusual for the South Koreans, the current leaders in skin care addiction, to layer between ten to twelve products each day. This can be done, but it is admittedly tricky. The products have to be carefully selected and some time has to pass between the layering to prevent piling.

At Circcell, we believe that with too much layering your skin will not get the full benefit of each product you are using.

Why Can’t I Just Use an All-in-One Product?

You can use combo creams, but not all professional skin care ingredients live well together in the same container. Luxury skincare companies know what can live together and what can’t, so they create separate products when dictated by chemistry.

I have a basic skincare routine of cleanse, tone, moisturize, protect, but how do I layer lightening, retinoid, acne, antioxidant and targeted treatments?

We all want the benefit of specialized technologies targeted towards specific skin issues, but using too many items together may not be the most effective use of your investment.

The first few items you layer on your skin are going to be more effectively absorbed by your skin than subsequent layering. This means the stuff on top might not do you any good…unless you know the rules of layering and alternating.

Get The Most Out Of Your Skincare Routine: Layering and Alternating

Day

1. Gentle Face Cleanser 
2. Brightening Mask 
3. PH Balancing Toner
4. Targeted Products with Vitamin C or Tyrosinase Inhibitors
5. Face Serum
6. Moisturizer 
7. Sunscreen 

Night

1. Detoxifying Cleanser 
2. Collagen Eye Mask 
3. PH Balancing Toner 
4. Targeted Products with Vitamin C, Retinoids, and Tyrosinase Inhibitors 
5. Antioxidant Face Serum 
6. Moisturizer 
7. Hydrating Face Oil 

*tyrosinase is the melanin-producing enzyme responsible for uneven pigmentation

A Few Notes About the Protocol Above:

Be Careful What Skin Care Products You Layer With

If using a harsh cleanser or mask, be careful with any follow up products. This might be a good time to skip the retinoid or even layering vitamin C serums as it can be irritating to some skin types.

Only Exfoliate on a Weekly Basis

At Circcell, one of the best luxury skin care brands, we do not recommend heavy exfoliating scrubs/masks to be used daily. These are good types of items to alternate.  Gentle face cleansers are the standard protocol while using a more aggressive cleansers or mask two days per week. More gentle exfoliating products like those that employ enzymes can be used more regularly.

Limit to Two Serums Per Routine

We recommend you use no more than two face serums per routine. Again, alternating skin care items is a strategy here. If you have many serums that you like, use one or two in your morning routine and two different serums in the evening. Of course, it is fine to use the same one consistently but by alternating you can effectively use many different serums.

Retinoids and serums can be used together, especially if the serum is soothing or hydrating. Be careful using very aggressive face oil serums with retinoids.

Add Vitamin C Serum to Your Skincare Layering

Vitamin C is such an important part of any skin care routine. It brightens, protects against sun damage and promotes collagen production. Using C during the day in combination with sunscreen is one of the most powerful combinations we can use for UV protection.

Vitamin C alone neutralizes free radicals and shields against UV damage. For those with vitamin C sensitivity, it may be best to use it only at night. Be careful using vitamin C serum and retinoids together. It could cause irritation. In this case, use vitamin C and retinoids alone on alternate evenings.

Targeted products include spot treatments, eye creams and lightening/brightening creams/vitamin C. Targeted items can be alternated so that you can fit more than one into your overall protocol. For example, if you’ve just come back from the Caribbean and have excess melasma, you should use a lightening/brightening type product religiously until you’ve achieved the desired results. From that point forward you can switch to once per day or every other day or remove it from your protocol entirely during seasons when you are not regularly exposed to direct sunlight. The same philosophy could be used during an acne flare up.

A word on lightening/brightening products that contain a tyrosinase (melanin-producing enzyme) inhibitor (we highly recommend this ingredient and have included one in our Dramatic Lightening Potion). For best results, the active ingredient must have direct contact to the skin. We recommend you use it right after cleansing.

Layer up With SPF

Sunscreen is a necessary step of any protocol…most would say the most important. If using only chemical sunblock, to work effectively, it needs to be applied directly to the skin. Physical sunblock can be applied as the last step of a skincare routine. Circcell Clean Skincare makes a combo chemical/physical block with hyaluronic acid, which is a natural substance produced by the body. This profoundly moisturizing product can be used as the last layer of your morning routine. It also has light diffusing particles that leave a beautiful finish on your skin.

Be Careful With Retinoid Products

Retinoids can cause irritation if applied to wet skin. They are absorbed better with moisturizer and sensitive to light. Because of this, we recommend you use retinoids in the evening only on dry skin. They are best used with a moisturizer (so don’t skip your moisturizer if using a retinoid). The moisturizer helps the skin absorb the retinoid and protects it from irritation.

Keep Oils on Hand

Oils can be used over moisturizer…but not vice versa. This is because moisturizer cannot penetrate oil but oil can penetrate moisturizer. Oils seal everything in, leave a lovely glow to the skin, and add an aromatherapy component to your routine. Oils can be used anytime of day or night for a skin pick me up. Keep oils in your desk, handbag and nightstand to use whenever feeling dull or dry. We recommend utilizing our Nancy Blend Face Oil for Sensitive Skin or Jacqueline’s Blend Face Oil for Anti-Aging. 

Summary

We hope this tutorial has helped in de-mystifying how to layer and alternate products to get the most out of your skincare investment. Keep in mind that the perfect protocol is as much an art as it is a science. While these rules are general guidelines, ultimately this is a trial and error process and our bodies will guide us to the final, perfectly-tailored protocol.

We hope this tutorial has helped in de-mystifying how to layer and alternate products to get the most out of your skincare investment. Keep in mind that the perfect protocol is as much an art as it is a science. While these rules are general guidelines, ultimately this is a trial and error process and our bodies will guide us to the final, perfectly-tailored protocol.