What order should you apply skin care products in the morning?
Firstly, as you probably know, you should layer your skincare from the thinnest to the thickest formulation. As a general rule, apply water-based formulations first, then lotions, then creams, then oils.
Chemical exfoliators are best applied before any moisturisers so that they are better absorbed into the skin.
If you need to put on sunscreen because you are going outside, try to apply this as a last step. This is one reason why oils and heavier creams are best included in your night time routine instead!
Certain skincare ingredients are unstable, or cause your skin to become photosensitive, so it’s good to leave these to your evening skincare routine, and apply the other skincare in the morning.
In this post, we’ll talk exclusively about what products we put on after cleansing. We don’t exfoliate in the morning, because we don’t want to expose newly exposed skin cells to UV radiation, and prefer to exfoliate at night as a result. For a step by step walk through of the skincare products we use at each step, morning and night, see our ten step Korean skincare routine.
What should my morning skincare routine be?
1. Essence containing niacinamide
Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3. Depending on the concentration, topical niacinamide has been associated with skin brightening, fading the appearance of pigmentation and redness, sebum control, and reducing the appearance of fine lines.
We use the COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse) for skin brightening, as it contains 2% niacinamide.
However, higher concentrations (at least 5%) are required to fade any dark spots and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and for anti-aging effects. For this, we have found The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% really helpful, but only apply it directly onto the offending areas, not all over your face, to minimise the risk of irritation from such a high concentration of niacinamide. Always do a patch test first as well.
Some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.
It is worth noting that there are a lot of skincare ingredients you shouldn’t combine with niacinamide. Read our post on skincare ingredients not to mix and breakdown of skincare ingredients for more information.
2. Serum containing hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is a type of humectant. A humectant is a substance that draws moisture from its surroundings. Hyaluronic acid is perfect for serums and toners as it is both hydrating and lightweight on our skin. Always do a patch test first though, as some people have an allergic reaction to it.
Hyaluronic acid has worked to decrease the appearance of our fine lines and wrinkles and plump our skin. We find that the The Ordinary "Buffet", which contains sodium hyaluronate (the water-soluble form of hyaluronic acid) as a main ingredient, is especially great if you have oily skin or combination skin, because it keeps the skin hydrated but not greasy. However, we have an oily T-zone, so we usually focus this on dehydrated areas rather than all over our face.
We recommend skincare that has other ingredients that pack a punch too, and The Ordinary "Buffet" does just this. It is a serum containing peptide complexes which also help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and facial folds, and a range of amino acids which contribute to the stimulation of collagen production.
3. Lightweight moisturizer
It’s not easy to find a lightweight moisturizer that a) doesn’t clog your pores after a whole day out and about, b) sits well under sunscreen, and c) functions well as a makeup base.
If you have oily skin or are in a humid, moist climate, we usually find that we can get away without a moisturizer if we are already applying a toner, essence and sunscreen.
If your skin is on the drier side, then you may be able to layer the Moogoo Full Cream Moisturiser or the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream EX Light underneath. See our rundown of the best moisturizers here.
4. Sunscreen
Finally, if you are going outdoors (or even if you are indoors with exposure to UV light), it’s essential that you apply sunscreen as the last and final step!
UV radiation can cause pigmentation, speed up the skin’s aging process, worsen post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and increase the risk of skin cancer. The type of sunscreen you choose will depend on your skin tone, skin type, and preference.
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P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!
