The face skin is remarkable.

On a daily basis, our face skin is exposed to various irritants, pollutants, UV rays, and other stressors, and yet it never complains.

One of the best, and arguably the best, ways to help our skin is to stick to a well-thought-out science-based and personalized skincare routine.

However, if you would just like to see some examples, jump straight to the Morning Skincare Routine Order section.

Before we begin, let's make sure we know what our skin type is. Some products are optimized toward, let's say, oily skin. And the ingredients used in those products would be disastrous for people with dry skin type. We have an entire article about understanding your skin type, so please, if you haven't yet, understand your skin type.

If you would like just to get a quick overview, you could approximately estimate whether you have one of these: oily, dry, combination, or normal skin type, and whether you have sensitive skin on top of any of those above.

Morning Skincare Routine Strategy

As mentioned above, a morning skincare routine can be either very simple or advanced, as desired for personal needs. For every step we will mark it as "basic" or "advanced", to, hopefully, make it easier for you to design your own regiment.

Cleansing

Cleanse to remove overnight oils, sweat, and skincare products, if any were used for the nighttime. This process improves your skin's absorbtion of the products in the next steps.

Keep in mind that, by nature, cleansing also removes the oil, and hence makes the skin dryer. You need a mosturizing product at some step later to compensate for it.

Types of Cleansers

• Gel Cleanser - usually a stronger one, generally recommended for oily skin and acne-prone skin.
• Foam Cleanser - considered a mild yet thorough type, generally recommended for combination and oily skin
• Cream Cleanser - designed for dry and sensitive skin, often incorporates some form of moisture in it.

Choosing the Right Cleanser

The type of the cleanser are arguably not as important as the understanding of how it is incorporated into the entier routine.

Even when a stronger cleanser is used for dry skin, it may not be a problem as long as the appropriate type of moisturizer is applied shortly after.

It's good to know and understand the differences though.

So, for example, if you want to use only one skincare product, you would at least have to have a cream cleanser (cleanser + moisturizer in one).

However, let's have a look at other essential products, as well as the more advanced ones.

Toning

When it comes to biology, it's all about cells and micro organisms. In many ways our bodies depend on micro organisms for proper function.

Similarly to our guts, which have, hopefully, "good bacteria", our skin is also full of "good bacteria".

The bacteria take up all the surface of the skin, or as much as they can, and thus prevent "aliens", other "harmful" bacteria, from populating the skin.

So, what toners have to do will all of this, and please just hang with us for a moment. As people, we populate areas that are "nice" for us - near lakes, rivers, not too hot nor too warm, and so on.

For bacteria, there is an acidity level that can make one or the other type of bacteria thrive. Toner "adjusts your skin pH" - meaning the sort to speak "climate" for the "good" bacteria better on your skin.

And the bacteria don't just live there; somehow, perhaps, similarly to farmers, the bacteria communicate with the skin and can make it either flourish or wither.

Moisturizing

In a perfect world, we would always have the just right amount of oil on our faces, and moisturizing wouldn't be necessary.

However, starting from pollution and all other factors, including harsh shower gels, our skin's environments are not perfect.

Luckily for all of us, in this day and age we have many great and very well researched ingredients for moisturizing our skin to various degrees and durations.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen provies protection from the excessive exposure to the UV rays, which is what we still get plenty from the Sun here on Earth.

Unlike the common misconception, sunscreen doesn't necessarily clogges your pores, however some of the products can be harmful in this way. Just make sure your product is non-comedogenic and then you could keep your pores clean and open.

So, the exessive UV rays are strongly associated with numerous skin concerns, including premature aging, skin cancer, sensitivity, and others.

Types of Sunscreen

Technically there are two types of sunscreens: physical and chemical.

1. The physical ones act as a microshield, preventing the UV ray from making contact with the skin.
2. The chemical ones upon making contact with the UV ray undergo a chemical reaction called photoexcitation, which diminishes the UV energy.

It is generally advised to apply sunscreen on all areas exposed to the sun rays, including ears, and if you are outside or excessively sweating, you may need to reapply it every two hours if you're outside or sweating.

Exfoliators

Basically, this product removes the surface skin cells and dirt from the skin in order to improve the skin health, and appearance.

In a little more detail, "exfoliation" is known in science as "controlled damage" to the skin.

While "damage" sounds like a kind of a double-edged sword, in the research it has been repeatidly shown that this "controlled damage" is benefitial if one's goal is a more youthful appearance of the skin.

The Exfoliators available without subscription are generally safe, and the amout of substance isn't, generally, enough to cause noticable damage to the skin. But one may benefit from knowing the mechanics, and, for example, avoid excessive sun exposure, or other irritants, after using an exfoliator.

Common Types of Exfoliators

1. AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) - it has been shown to do a few things: improve skin after excessive sun exposure, moisturize and produce less-wrinkled skin surfaces.

2. BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids) - are very similar to AHAs in theory, with the main difference being chemical - AHAs are "water-soluble" and BHAs are "lipid-soluble", which in practice can produce a different effect for different people. It may be worth experimenting with. Sometimes it is recommended for people with oily skin and open comedones. Some anti-inflammatory effects have been observed in studies as well.

Here we are covering Chemical Exfoliators only, which are creams and liquid alike. There also exist Physical Exfoliators, which are just physical objects in neat shapes used to "strip off the leaves" of the skin.

Serums

Serums are typicall light-weight high-concentration liquids with specific ingredients. Luckily, there has been a few remarkable ingredients proved efficient numerous times for most people.

Serums should be applied after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Serums is a general chemical term. When choosing a serum skincare product it's the key to understand the specific main, or "active", ingredient in a given product.

Types of Serums

Hydrating Serum Ingredients

1. Hyaluronic Acid - is one of the most studied molecules, naturally present in the skin and progressively lost after 25 years old, on average. It has been consistently shown to be both well tolerated and effective for facial rejuvenation, reducing wrinkles, and other similar effects.

2. Glycerin - is also a very well-studied molecule. It has been proven to be safe and improve skin hydration.

3. Panthenol (Vitamin B5) - yet another well-researched molecule. It has been shown to significantly decrease skin water loss, thus promoting all the positive effects of moisturized skin.

Brightening Serum Ingredients

1. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) - again, an ingredient reviewed by the numerous studies. Act as one of the most powerful antioxidants in the skin, resulting into various skin immunity benefints, skin tightening via the increase in collagen synthesis and stabilizing collagen fivers, while decreasing collagen dergradation.

2. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) - as shown by many studies, well-tollerated and multi-functional substance, via antipruritic, antimicrobial, vasoactive, photo-photective, sebostatic, and lightening effects it improves the appearance of the skin generally referred as skin tone and brightness, and, of course, skin health.

3. Alpha Arbutin - somewhat recently rediscovered after years of the lack of research, Arbutin seem to promote depigmentation of the skin, thus resulting into more even skin tone. Caution is recommended particularily for people prone to dermatitits.

Anti-Aging Serum Ingredients

1. Retinol (Vitamin A) - even those of us who never bought skincare products might have heard about retinol. It is a foundational component of an advanced skincare routine. Retinol seems to act on the mechanism of "controlled damage" to the skin and particularly stimulating collagen production as the skin's response. Collagen strings live inside the skin and pull the skin "inside", thus creating a firm appearance. The lack thereof is associated with aged skin, wrinkles, and sagging skin. It is often advised to avoid retinol before sun exposure, and, apart from this fact, it seems to be a very safe and efficient component.
2. Peptides - if there is a large topic in skincare, it is this one. There are various peptides with various mechanisms of action. So allow us to give just a brief and brutally simplified summary: Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 (Matrixyl) for skin elasticity, Copper Peptides for wound healing, e.g. after acne or sunburn, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (Argireline) for wrinkles, Tripeptide-1 for firming the skin, Oligopeptides also for firming the skin, reducing wrinkles, and other collagen-related positive effects.
3. Coenzyme Q10 - there are CoQ10 supplements taken orally, and there are serums containing CoQ10 applied topically. CoQ10 is amazing; to summarize, it significantly improves cell health. As a result, different people may experience different positive effects, including but not limited to brightening, wrinkles reduction, and more.

Soothing and Antioxidant Serum Ingredients

1. Green Tea Extract - a fairly well research ingredient in skincare, which acts as a antioxidant, thus improving the cell health and function, resulting into various general improvements to skin health and appearance.

2. Centella Asiatica (Cica) - one of the relatively recently rediscovered ingredients, has a massive body of scientific evidence, particularly in promoting an array of cell functions and collagen synthesis, resulting into increased skin repair and firmer skin.

3. Resveratrol - this is a tremendously popular supplement in the realm of the supplements for longevity. Many molecules have completely different effects when taken orally and topically, but this has some similiarities. It appears to have a cell-protecting effect, thus improving skin healing, and potentially slowing the natural aging of the skin.

Anti-Acne Serum Ingredients

1. Salicylic Acid - it seems to be used traditionally for more than 2000 years, and has also been shown in a few studies to have positive effect on people with acne, melasma, photodamage, freckels, and lentigines. Please follow the product application instructions with caution. Tea Tree Oil - has been proven as a strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Some people with acne, or similar concerns, may benefit from wiping out the microbiom, and hopefully repopulating it with healthier species. But this is a faily aggressive way of treatment, and should be used with a supervision of a qualified professional, and generally not used long term.
2. Benzoyl Peroxide - often comes in a form of a over-the-counter topical medication for acne vulgaris. Unlike the antimicrobial ingredients, Benzoyl Peroxide changes the "environment" of the skin, particularily by reducing lipids, free fatty acids, and P.acnes. It is recommended to use with great caution and, idealy, under a supervision of a trained professional. Matin T, Patel P, Goodman MB. Benzoyl Peroxide. [Updated 2024 Mar 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.

Barrier Repair and Supporting Serum Ingredients

1. Ceramides - these are lipid molecules naturally found in high concentrations within the skin cells. Topical application has been shown to create a protective layer around the cells, improve cell signaling, and balance the lipid matrix, thus improving moisture retantion, and skin protection mechanisms against various stressors.
2. Fatty Acids - including but not limited PUFAs, including ALA, LA, DHA, EPA, are all fatty acids. They serve a large array of functions on the level of the cell, including barrier reinforcement, anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidation, thus promoting hydration, skin repair, skin barrier, and, potentially, a healthier look of the skin.
3. Cholesterol - yet another well-researched lipid molecule, shown to play a key role in healthy skin. The healthy balance of ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol is crutial, and one could experiment with various strategies, for example applying all of them together thus aiming for as much absorbtion as possible. Or trying each one of them individually, thus identifying which one of these is lacking in a given skin tissue.

Morning Skincare Routine Order

As discussed above, the "Basic" category contains essential products simply to tolerate everyday stressors, like pollution, excessive UV, and similar, to maintain healthy skin function. Whereas "Advanced" is for giving the skin additional "nutrition" hoping to increase the skin's "performance" as an organ.

Option A "Basic Essential"

If nothing else, we need to (1) clean the dirt, (2) moisturize because cleaning makes skin dry, and (3) apply sunscreen because excessive UV ray exposure has been repeatedly associated with premature aging and skin cancer.

Option B "Basic"

Adding Toner often significantly improves skin health and the action of other skincare products.

Option C "Advanced"

The addition of Vitamin C, Vitamin B3, and Coenzyme Q10, would be the choice ones of the most researched, and proven in efficiency, skincare ingredients. There are others, as mentioned, like retinol, exfoliators, and so on, that we would put to the nightime skincare routine, because of their "controlled damage" mechanism of action.

Option D "Advanced Unlimited"

As long as you understand the interactions and mechanisms of actions, you could experiment with more products.

Good to remember

• Patch testing for new skincare products, especially for those of us with sensitive skin
• A lot, if not all, skincare products are improving the skin function. Every 28 days, on average, all of us, or most of us, get a brand new skin. So, unless you have aceess to laboratory equipment, it is generally recommended at least 2 months before assesing the results of a given skincare product.

We hope this morning skincare routine guide was helpful in giving you tools for creating a personalized morning skincare routine for you!