Does it really matter when and in what order you apply your skin care products? We asked because we never felt the need to worry about the order in which we eat our food. (After all, don’t we absorb the same amount of sugar in sweets even if we eat them last?) So we asked the skin experts the same question we ask ourselves every time we buy a new skin care product or add another step to our routine: In what order should I apply my skin care products and does it matter?
Sequence Matters, Here’s Why
According to board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon, Dr. Heather Rogers, applying your skin care products in the proper order ensures that your skin receives the full benefits of each product.
“The order of application is incredibly important,” says Dr. Rogers. “The skin’s job is to keep things out, but many of the skin care products we use have ingredients we want to get in. Only a very small amount of these key ingredients can penetrate the skin, even when perfectly formulated and perfectly applied. If you don’t apply products in the correct order, you will not see the best results from your skin care regimen.”
How to Layer Your Skin Care Products: A Step-by-Step Guide
So which product goes on top of what, you ask? An easy rule of thumb to follow is to apply your products with the thinnest consistency to thickest, or from liquid to oil. “In general, think thin-to-thick, but you also want to first use the products with the ingredients that are most important to penetrate into the skin (like antioxidants in serums) and finish with the products that need to sit on top of the skin (like emollients and humectants in moisturizers),” says Dr. Rogers. Read more
