How to Build a Simple Skincare Routine

Most skincare advice fails for the same reason: it adds. A new acid, a new essence, a new mist. What actually changes skin is a small routine you can repeat without thinking about it.

Start with four steps: cleanse, treat, hydrate, protect. Cleansing removes what the day left behind. Treating is where your one active ingredient goes. Hydrating supports the barrier. Protecting — sunscreen — is the step with the most evidence behind it and the one most often skipped.

Give each new product six to eight weeks before judging it. Skin renews slowly, and most disappointment comes from changing course too early.

If you can only commit to three products, make them a gentle cleanser, a barrier moisturizer and a daily SPF. That routine outperforms an inconsistent ten-step one every time.