Skincare order: what comes first and what can wait

The questions I receive most often almost always concern the final step: which serum, which retinol, which vitamin C. Almost never the first one, which is cleanser. And that is why many expensive routines deliver modest results.

Skincare has a hierarchy, not a list. In cosmetic dermatology, it is represented as a pyramid: at the base are the things that apply to everyone, and at the top are those that apply to some people. Each step supports the one above it, and skipping the foundation cannot be compensated for by spending more at the top. Here you will find the order; the practical morning and evening steps are in the article about the day and night routine.

Article written by Elisa Avalle, founder of LeLang Skin Care and a dermocosmetics specialist. Cover image generated with the support of artificial intelligence.

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First step: cleansing

It is the step everyone takes and almost no one chooses. Yet it is the only one that, if done incorrectly, makes the skin worse instead of leaving it as it was: a cleanser that is too harsh removes the lipids that hold the stratum corneum together along with the dirt.

The criterion is simple. After cleansing, your skin should not feel tight. That tight, squeaky-clean feeling is not successful cleansing; it is a compromised barrier, and it continues for hours.

If you use long-wear makeup or high-SPF sunscreen, double cleansing is for the evening, not the morning.

Second step: hydration and barrier

After cleansing comes maintenance: retain water, replenish lipids, and leave the surface in a condition where it can function. It is the least visible part and the one that most changes the skin’s immediate appearance, because a well-hydrated surface reflects light differently.

This also includes choosing the texture, which is not a matter of taste but of the season and skin type. I explained the differences between formats when discussing serums and creams.

Third step: photoprotection

This is the step I do not compromise on. Everything above it works on the signs; sun protection works on the cause, and it is the single action with the highest effort-to-result ratio in the entire pyramid.

This applies all year round, not just in summer, and in cities too. The complete picture of the external factors that affect the skin is in the article on the skin exposome; the practical product choice is in the sun protection guide.

Fourth step: targeted actives

Retinoids, vitamin C, exfoliating acids, peptides, depigmenting agents. This is where 90% of the conversations and spending are concentrated, yet in the hierarchy they come fourth.

Not because they do not work. Because they work provided that the three steps below are in order: an acid applied to a barrier already compromised by incorrect cleansing does not give a better result; it causes irritation. And a dark-spot active without sun protection is work that is undone every day.

Practical rule: introduce one new active at a time, and give your skin time to show how it responds before adding another.

Fifth step: cosmetic correction

Foundation, concealers, and coverage products. They do not treat anything and do not claim to, but they fully deserve their place in the pyramid because they immediately solve what the steps below take months to solve.

The problem arises when they become the first step instead of the last, that is, when they cover skin that should be brought back into balance.

Why the order matters more than the products

Step	For whom	If you skip it
Cleansing	Everyone, every day	Compromise everything else
Hydration and barrier	Everyone, with different textures	Reactive skin and low tolerance to actives
Sun protection	Everyone, all year round	You work on the signs while the cause continues
Targeted actives	Those with a specific concern	No damage: you only slow things down
Cosmetic correction	Those who want an immediate result	No consequences for the skin

Seen this way, the pyramid also shows where it makes sense to spend. The first three steps involve a few products used every day for years: that's where quality makes a difference. The fourth is where people buy the most and use the least.

How to build a routine from the ground up

1. Fix your cleansing routine. Just one product, suited to your skin, for two weeks.
2. Add the right hydration for the season, and reassess after ten days.
3. Make sun protection part of your daily routine. This is the step that delivers the greatest results with the least effort.
4. Only now choose the active ingredient, one targeting the concern that really matters to you.

If you don't know which step you're at, LeLang partner pharmacists can look at your skin and work it out in two minutes: it's the kind of assessment you can't make by reading a label.

The sources for this article

1. Draelos Z.D. (ed.). Cosmetic Dermatology: Products and Procedures, Wiley-Blackwell: a hierarchical approach to cosmetic skin care.
2. Literature on the barrier function of the stratum corneum and the effects of surfactants on skin lipids.
3. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on cosmetic products.
4. Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/2013, common criteria for the justification of claims used in relation to cosmetic products.

On the website: Day and night routine · The skin barrier · Skin exposome