Skincare Layering 101

Did you know… To maximize the benefits of our consistent skin care routine requires using the right products in the correct order? We want our products to properly penetrate and absorb, so our ingredients can get to work!

 

Rules of Layering

Have you heard the saying, “apply skin care thinnest to thickest”? This is a good start, but skincare routines and products have evolved past this basic recommendation. When we start looking at the ideal order of our routine, we should consider things like the product's water vs oil content, pH level, active ingredients, and how they work on our skin and with the other products.

The basic order to apply:
  1. Cleansers and Exfoliants to Active Serums and Moisturizers
  2. Water loving humectants to oil-loving emollients/oils
  3. Lower pH to higher pH
  4. Thinnest to Thickest in texture

Phase 1: Cleanse, Refine, and Balance

Makeup Removal: Doing a pre-cleanse with a facial oil, or makeup remover (like our Superfruit Enzymes Cleansing Balm) helps to dissolve makeup, pollution, dirt, and oil to allow your cleanser to work on a deeper level.

Cleanser: Cleanse with our Gentle Gel Cleanser for 60 seconds with warm water.

Scrub or Mask: Exfoliation helps your other products penetrate deeper. Make sure not to exfoliate more than 2 or 3 times a week.

Toner: Tone to balance the skin and remove any lingering impurities.  Apply our Hydrating Toner when you’re ready for the products that are going to stay on the skin. 

 


Phase 2: Treat, Target, and Boost

Layering skincare gets the most confusing when it comes to serums. If you’re using multiple serums, boosters, and skin treatments in one routine, just follow the ABCs!

A: Start with your most Active ingredient on your skin for maximum results. These are ingredients like vitamin C, retinol, and exfoliating acids, like glycolic acid.
 

• Night: Firm and Lift Serum

      B: Next apply your Booster and barrier supportive skin care. These help enhance the benefits of your most active serums, and help deliver additional benefits like barrier support and extra hydration!
       
      Hydrate and Smooth Serum: hyaluronic acid is a powerful hydration booster, and it also can make your skincare penetrate more deeply. In order to avoid possible irritation, it is best applied on damp skin after your most active ingredients.

      Dramatically Dewy Serum powered by 3 unique forms of  hyaluronic acid, t his serum contains varying molecular weights of hyaluronic acid that penetrate deeply to boost the look of hydrated skin for up to 72 hours. 

      • Niacinamide Booster is a barrier supportive booster that is ideal on top of your other serums. 

      Vitamin C Booster this innovative powder formula remains fresh and stable on your shelf. Just mix it with your favorite water-based moisturizer or serum when you’re ready to enhance the look of skin’s radiance. 

      C: Finally, add any Spot Correctors or Skin Conditioning Serums with more oil loving ingredients in them! 
      • Our 30% Vitamin C Dry Oil is highly advanced and gentle on all skin types. This lightweight oil helps to improve the look of dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and dry skin. 

      Esthetician Tip: Our night routine can alternate between retinol and exfoliation, with some nights simply dedicated to hydration and barrier support. It is not recommended to exfoliate on nights when retinol is used! That's where skin cycling comes into play. 
       


      Phase 3: Eye Care

      The skin on the eye is thin and delicate so this area usually gets its own products dedicated to these unique needs. It works well to add eye care after your serums and before your moisturizer for maximum absorption.
       
      • Our Advanced Repair Eye Cream  knocks out every eye aging concern with 5 clinically proven hero ingredients to brighten, illuminate, and firm the look of your under eye area. 
       


      Phase 4: Moisturize

      Everyone needs a moisturizer! These typically have a mix of humectants and emollients (hydrating and moisturizing ingredients), and sometimes a bonus of active ingredients. Once a more oil-rich product, like moisturizer, is applied it makes it harder for your more water-loving ingredients to absorb, so it comes near the end of your routine. This is also an important step in locking in your other skincare, nourishing your skin, and helping drive your other products in more deeply.

      Your day and night moisturizer can be the same, or you can use something different based on the needs of your skin and the other active ingredients in your routine.
       
      • Day: I recommend leaning into your antioxidant routine with the Vitamin C Moisturizer or our Brilliant Barrier Water Cream.

      • Night: You can opt for the iconic Anti Wrinkle Moisturizer.

          Esthetician Tip: Skin care doesn't stop at the jawline. Don’t forget your neck care and apply your Tighten & Lift Neck Cream to your neck and chest area to give this delicate skin the same loving care as your face.

            


          Phase 5: Protect

          Our skin is our largest organ and it works hard to protect us every day, in many ways. It is so important for us to do our part to support and protect our skin, and daily use of sunscreen along with other suncare steps is crucial as part of our daily skincare routine. 

           The Glow Pure Tinted Mineral Sunscreen contains hydrating ingredients that both moisturize and protect the skin leaving a glowy, perfected sheen! 

            Esthetician Tip: Remember that skin care is subjective. There is not one right way to layer for everyone, but there are best practices that will maximize absorption, minimize possible reactions or issues, and achieve ultimate results.
             
            VIP EXCLUSIVE! Rewatch Stephanie's Live about skincare layering and learn from the expert. 
            Back to blog

            27 comments

            I just received my oils, in my box was a postcard with instructions how to use. On that it had me using my oils before my moisturizer so now I’m confused. Please clarify
            ———
            goPure Beauty replied:
            Hello Tracy,
            We are very sorry for the confusion this has caused you. We are now updating our instruction cards to reflect applying the oil after the moisturizer.
            Remember, these are just our suggestions – If you’ve found another order of steps your skin loves there’s no need to change!

            Tracy Barno

            When it comes to the eyes you only have the gel product. Is it ok to apply the other serums and moisturizers y’all sell to the eyes too?
            ———
            goPure Beauty replied:
            Hi Angela,
            We do not recommend applying our products to your eyelids but you can use them under your eye area. Please proceed with caution when using the Retinol Serum and Retinol Cream as Retinol can be harsh on the skin. We have customers who do not have issues with Retinol but we just want to make sure you don’t experience any sensitivities, especially on the delicate skin under the eyes.

            Angela

            Thank you for this wealth of knowledge!! I love your products. Thank you

            Tracy A McGee

            Love this line of skin care…I just wish the day time moisturizer contained SPF. Any plans on adding SPF??
            ———
            goPure Beauty replied:
            Hello Jennifer,

            Thank you for the message and we get asked this a ton about SPF in our products. Unfortunately at this time, our products do not contain SPF but this is something we hope to have in the future. We are not sure how long until our products contain SPF but we know that this is very important to our customers and something that is in the works! 💚

            Jennifer

            Love your products and got my sister to using them and she loves the as well. Will you ever work on making a foundation?
            ———
            goPure Beauty replied:
            It is something we hope to have in the future. 💚

            Deb

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