Three products will take most people further than twelve. I say this at the risk of sounding like someone arguing against her own trade, but a short routine done every day beats an elaborate one done when you remember — and the elaborate ones are where almost all skin damage originates.
The three that are not optional
- A cleanser that suits your skin. Not the strongest one — the one that leaves your face comfortable rather than tight.
- A moisturiser. Every skin type, including oily. The texture changes, the need does not.
- Sunscreen. If you only ever do one thing, this is the one that changes how your skin looks in ten years.
That is a complete routine. Not a beginner’s routine — a complete one. Plenty of people with good skin have never used anything else.
The fourth, when you have a specific problem
One active, chosen for the one thing that bothers you most:
- Lines, texture, overall ageing — a retinoid.
- Pigment and dullness — vitamin C.
- Blackheads and congestion — salicylic acid.
- Oiliness, large-looking pores, redness — niacinamide.
One. Not one from each line. Adding a second active before the first has had three months is how people end up back at a damaged barrier and a shelf of half-used bottles.
What you can skip
- Toner. A leftover from when cleansers were harsh and left residue. Modern cleansers do not.
- Eye cream, in most cases. Usually a lighter moisturiser at three times the price. If you have a specific concern it earns a place; otherwise your moisturiser goes there too.
- Essences, mists and boosters. Pleasant, rarely decisive.
- Sheet masks as a routine step. Fine as something you enjoy; they do not replace anything.
- Anything with a word you cannot define on the front of the box.
Why short routines win
Three reasons, and they compound. You actually do it every day. When something reacts, you can identify the culprit in one step instead of eliminating nine. And you are not layering six products that each contain a mild acid, which is how people exfoliate daily without realising they are doing it at all.
If you want to spend more, spend it on getting the right four products rather than on owning twelve of the wrong ones. That is a far smaller bill than most people’s existing shelf.