When it comes to your skincare products, application order matters. Not just for ease and consistency, but for optimal absorption as well. It’s for these very reasons that we numbered our skincare system to guarantee your regimen is as simple as it is effective — very.
Before we break down the proper order, a good rule of thumb to help you remember is this: typically speaking, you’ll want to work from your lightest to your heaviest products, starting with a clean slate. Let’s get started.
STEP 1: Cleanser
AM & PM
Before applying any other skincare products, cleansing is a non-negotiable first step. This is the case in both your morning and evening regimens to ensure you’re starting with a clean slate. When you wake up, you’ll wash away any buildup from the night before (think dead skin cells, sweat, and drool — sadly true) and before bed, you’ll wash away the day’s impurities (think makeup, sunscreen, dirt, debris, and so on). Reflekt 1 Daily Exfoliating Face Wash is our #1 for a reason: it multitasks to cleanse, exfoliate, and hydrate in one fell swoop, leaving skin noticeably healthy and glowing. Plus, with unclogged pores, your skin is perfectly prepped for maximum absorption of subsequent products in your regimen.
STEP 2: Serum
AM & PM
Now that your skin is properly cleansed (and exfoliated), you’re ready for your serum. Lighter in weight than a face cream, serums are able to penetrate deeper, delivering concentrated doses of active ingredients to target a variety of skin concerns. Our silky Reflekt 2 Collagen Boost Vitamin C Brightening Serum, for example, is supercharged with high-grade vitamin C, peptides, and hyaluronic acid to intensely brighten, firm, and hydrate skin, revealing a luminous, plump, and even-toned complexion.
STEP 3: Face Cream
AM & PM
Once you’ve applied your serum, your face cream is up next. Moisturizers provide intense hydration, seal in nourishment, and support your moisture barrier to help replenish, smooth, and soften skin. This is no different for Reflekt 3 Power Peptide Sculpting Face Cream, a lightweight cream powered by elasticity reinforcing polyglutamic acid, moisturizing squalane, and plumping hyaluronic acid. By renewing dull skin and preventing collagen breakdown, skin is left with a velvety, bouncy, and youthful-looking finish.
STEP 4: Eye & Lip Cream
AM & PM
We believe it’s essential to apply your targeted eye and/or lip treatment after your face cream for a reason. Why? Because both delicate areas require extra attention, so you’d hate to sweep it aside when you apply products afterward. Instead, by dabbing on your eye and lip cream after your moisturizer, you give it the best chance at full absorption in the fragile areas you’re actually intending to treat. When it comes to Reflekt 4 Smoothing Squalane Eye & Lip Treatment Cream, this is twice as important because it allows for it to work double duty, renewing and regenerating the skin around your eyes and lips for a brighter, smoother, more hydrated appearance. Fueled by sustainably-sourced avocado polyphenols, it helps to increase microcirculation and depuff under-eyes while softening and smoothing the skin around your mouth.
STEP 5: Sunscreen
AM only
No matter what, sunscreen should always be the final step in your skincare regimen. To help remember this, you’ll want to think of your sunscreen as the barrier that protects your skin from ultraviolet radiation (including aging UVA and burning UVB rays). To create a true, effective barrier for blocking said rays, it must not be covered by any other products. By applying it last, you’re ensuring the utmost efficacy by preventing the SPF filter from becoming diluted by any other products. If you’re applying makeup after your skincare regimen, wait about 15 minutes for the sunscreen to be fully absorbed before applying your foundation or cover up.
Pro Tip: Add broad spectrum sunscreen to your moisturizer to cut a step. Follow these other tips to make certain your skin is most thoroughly protected.
