The Right Order to Apply Your Skincare

The Right Order to Apply Your Skincare

This is one of those questions I get asked almost daily — and it's a fair thing to wonder about. You could spend genuine money on good products and still short-change yourself if the order's wrong. This isn't about being fussy or turning your routine into a ritual with rules for the sake of rules. It's simply about letting each product actually get a chance to do its job.

Here's the reasoning behind it, plus an order you can just follow day to day.

The Basic Principle: Thin Before Thick

Easiest way to hold this in your head: light, watery textures go on first, richer, heavier ones go on last. Thin, water-based formulas need direct access to skin. Slap a heavy cream or oil on before a lightweight serum, and you've built a wall the serum can't get through — all that product, mostly just sitting on the surface, doing next to nothing.

A couple of exceptions exist (retinol and SPF play by their own rules, more on that shortly), but thin-to-thick will carry you most of the way.

Morning Order

  1. Cleanser. A gentle cleanse to shift overnight buildup, sweat, or leftover product. Mornings rarely call for anything heavy-duty — you're refreshing, not stripping.
  2. Toner (optional). Preps and balances skin and can add a thin layer of hydration before everything else goes on top.
  3. Serum. Antioxidants come in here — vitamin C is a popular choice for mornings, given it helps skin push back against environmental stress through the day. Using a hydrating serum instead, something like Your Wake-up Call? Same slot, this is where it goes.
  4. Eye Cream (optional). Goes on before moisturiser — ring finger, gentle patting motion, never rubbing at that delicate skin.
  5. Moisturiser. Seals in whatever's gone on before and keeps your skin barrier supported through the day.
  6. Facial Oil (optional). If your skin wants that extra nourishing layer, the oil goes after moisturiser, never before — it's the final seal, not something to build on top of. Your Daily Glow belongs right here.
  7. SPF. Last, no exceptions. It needs direct contact with skin to form a proper, even barrier — anything layered on top (makeup included, ideally) should stay minimal, and it should never sit underneath a moisturiser or oil.

Evening Order

  1. Cleanser (or double cleanse). Evenings are where a thorough cleanse actually matters — SPF, makeup, the day's grime all need shifting. If SPF or makeup is a daily thing for you, a double cleanse is worth doing — oil-based first, water-based after.
  2. Toner (optional).
  3. Treatment / Active Serum. Retinol and exfoliating acids live here, since they raise sun sensitivity and are better kept for nighttime. New to an active? Patch test first, then bring it in slowly rather than diving straight in — our ingredient glossary is there if you're not sure what you're actually working with.
  4. Eye Cream (optional).
  5. Moisturiser or Night Cream. A richer formula at night supports repair while you sleep. A barrier-supporting balm — Your Daily Shield is one — tends to do its best work at this stage.
  6. Facial Oil (optional). Final evening step, sealing everything in overnight. Try Your Night Shift.

Worth Remembering

  • SPF is always the last morning step — it has to sit on top to actually protect.
  • Keep retinol and exfoliating acids to the evening — mixing them with SPF or vitamin C can blunt how well they work, or wind you up with irritation you didn't need.
  • Leave a minute or so between steps when you can, especially with actives — gives each one time to actually sink in rather than sitting on top of the last.
  • And doing a short routine properly will always beat a long one done badly.

Keeping It Simple

If a full routine sounds like too much right now, you don't have to start there. Your 3-Step Routine exists for exactly that reason — a pared-back version that still respects the right order, minus the dozen products.

The Takeaway

Getting the order right costs nothing extra — it's just a bit more attention paid to what you're already doing. Cleanse, treat, moisturise, protect, in that order, thinnest through to thickest, SPF sealing off the morning and actives held back for the evening. Nail the order, and every product in your routine finally gets the chance to actually earn its place.

Back to blog