One of the questions I am asked most often in clinic is: “What should I actually be using on my skin?”. This seems to be a universal concern for both my aesthetic patients and my patients who come in to have a skin lesion removed. It’s even a question that crops up regularly in my NHS clinics!
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by skincare. There are endless ingredients, product launches and multi-step routines, all promising to transform the skin. There’s also the understandable scepticism of “am I paying for the ingredients or the brand”? “Is this blogger or magazine article really recommending a good product or are we just being sold to?”. And those are very, very valid concerns.
In reality, a good routine does not need to be complicated. Nor does it need to break the bank.
The key is consistency rather than perfection. Quality ingredients matter more than brand names. A small number of effective products that you enjoy using consistently will usually be far more beneficial than a complicated routine that is difficult to maintain, repeatedly irritates your skin or becomes an unaffordable source of stress.
This guide sets out the core routine I recommend most often, explains the purpose of each step and shows you how to tailor it to concerns such as pigmentation, oiliness, sebaceous hyperplasia, dryness, redness and fine lines.
The most important principle
You do not need every product in this guide. Build the foundations first, introduce one new active ingredient at a time and allow your skin to adjust before adding anything else.
The core routine at a glance
Morning: protect + prevent
- Gentle cleanse, if needed
- Treatment serum
- Moisturiser, if needed
- Sunscreen
Evening: cleanse + repair
- Cleanse, or double cleanse when needed
- Treatment serum
- Moisturiser
Four rules before you start
- Introduce one new active ingredient at a time, so you can tell what your skin does and does not tolerate.
- Start active ingredients two or three times a week rather than using everything daily from the beginning.
- Irritation is not proof that a product is working. If your skin becomes persistently sore, inflamed or flaky, reduce the frequency or stop and simplify the routine.
- Give skincare time. Think in weeks and months rather than expecting meaningful changes within a few days.
Morning Routine: Protect + Prevent
The main aim of a morning routine is to protect the skin from UV and environmental damage, preserve the skin barrier and help prevent concerns such as pigmentation and collagen loss from becoming more prominent over time.
Step 1: Gentle Cleanse
For most people, a splash of lukewarm water is enough in the morning to remove any residue from overnight skincare. Some micellar water on a cotton pad is also fine if you prefer it.
If you wake up feeling oily, have exercised, or simply enjoy a proper cleanse in the morning, use something gentle that does not leave the skin feeling tight or stripped. Cleansers need to work well; they do not need to be fancy.
Tailor it to your skin
- Dry, tight or sensitive skin: water or micellar water may be enough in the morning.
- Oily or congestion-prone skin: use a gentle foaming cleanser, but avoid trying to “dry out” the skin with harsh products.
- If your current cleanser feels comfortable and does not leave your skin tight, there is no need to replace it.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Cleansers
Cetaphil Gentle Exfoliating Salicylic Acid Cleanser (my personal favourite)
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser or Foaming Cleanser
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Step 2: Treatment Serum
This is where we introduce an active ingredient: an ingredient selected for a specific, evidence-based skin benefit. For most people, Vitamin C is the main morning active I recommend.
Vitamin C: antioxidant protection + brightness
Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, supports collagen production and can help improve uneven pigmentation and overall brightness. It pairs particularly well with sunscreen because the two protect the skin in different but complementary ways.
Vitamin C formulations vary considerably, so the product texture and how well your skin tolerates it matter. Start two or three mornings a week, then gradually increase towards daily use if your skin remains comfortable.
We delve into a little bit more detail in our dedicated Vitamin C blog, here.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Vitamin C
Medik8 C-Tetra Advanced: a lightweight creamy serum and my preferred premium option
Medik8 C-Tetra Luxe: a slightly oilier, glowier serum texture (my personal favourite)
La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C12 Serum: a widely available high-street option
CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum: a more affordable option
Struggling with oiliness or sebaceous hyperplasia?
Niacinamide is a useful alternative or additional morning serum. It can help support the skin barrier, improve hydration and modestly reduce facial oiliness. Skincare cannot remove existing sebaceous hyperplasia lesions, but it may help manage oiliness and improve the quality of the surrounding skin.
Prone to redness or sensitivity?
Do not automatically add more active ingredients. Start with a gentle cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen, then introduce one treatment serum slowly. Niacinamide may be easier to tolerate than a strong Vitamin C. Azelaic acid can be useful for inflammatory redness, blemishes and uneven tone, but persistent or unexplained redness should be properly assessed.
Peptides
Peptides are optional supportive ingredients rather than an essential first step. And I say this as someone who is absolutely obsessed with them!
They can help with hydration and the appearance of fine lines, and they are usually easy to tolerate. You can alternate them with Vitamin C, or layer them by applying the most watery serum first.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Peptides
Medik8 Liquid Peptides 30%: a lightweight, watery serum
Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP: a more intensive, light creamy serum
Step 3: Moisturiser (Optional)
A separate moisturiser is optional in the morning. If your treatment serum and sunscreen already leave your skin feeling comfortable, you can skip this step.
If the skin feels dry or tight, choose a moisturiser that supports the skin barrier without feeling heavy underneath sunscreen or makeup. Gel-creams are often a good option for daytime use.
Dry skin that dislikes heavy creams?
Build hydration through light layers rather than relying on one very rich cream. A milky toner, followed by a hydrating serum followed by a gel-cream can leave the skin feeling nourished without the clogged or greasy sensation some people dislike.
This is also a great way to avoid heavy product layering underneath make-up.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Lightweight Moisturisers
Torriden Dive-In Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Cream (my personal favourite)
Beauty Pie Triple Hyaluronic Acid Moisturiser
Skin 1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Moisture Cream
Step 4: Sunscreen SPF 30-50
This is the most important part of a routine designed to protect skin quality over time. Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen helps reduce further sun damage, pigmentation, inflammation and UV-related collagen breakdown.
Choose an SPF 30-50 product with strong UVA protection and apply it generously to exposed skin, including the face, ears and neck. Reapply according to the product instructions during prolonged outdoor exposure, and after swimming, sweating or towel drying.
The best everyday sunscreen is one you enjoy applying. A beautifully formulated product that you use consistently is more useful than a theoretically perfect one that sits in a drawer.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: lightweight daily SPF
Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun SPF 50+ PA++++
Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++
Torriden DIVE-IN Watery Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++
More time outdoors?
For holidays, beach days, sport, swimming or prolonged outdoor exposure, choose a clearly water-resistant sunscreen. La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 is a robust option for these situations.
Pigmentation, melasma or post-inflammatory marks?
Sunscreen is non-negotiable. A tinted sunscreen containing iron oxides may provide additional protection against visible light, which can worsen some pigmentary conditions, particularly in darker skin tones.
Evening Routine: Cleanse + Repair
The purpose of the evening routine is to remove the day from the skin, support the skin barrier and introduce ingredients that encourage healthy cell turnover, collagen support and gradual improvement in texture, pigmentation and fine lines.
Step 1: Cleanse
An evening cleanse removes sunscreen, makeup, skin oils and environmental build-up so that the products that follow can reach the skin properly.
A double cleanse is useful when you have been wearing makeup, heavier sunscreen or water-resistant products. The first oil or balm cleanse dissolves what is sitting on the skin; the second gentle cleanser washes the skin itself.
Double cleansing is not compulsory every night. If your skin is dry, sensitive or you have worn very little product, one thorough gentle cleanse may be enough.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: first cleanse
Beauty Pie Super Healthy Skin Hot Oil Double Cleansing Balm
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
Medik8 Lipid-Balance Cleansing Oil
Byoma Melting Balm
Your morning cleanser can then be used as the second cleanse in the evening.
Step 2: Treatment Serum
For most people looking to improve skin quality, texture, pigmentation and fine lines, a retinoid is the key evening active.
Retinoids: the hero night-time ingredient
Retinoids are a family of Vitamin A ingredients. They encourage healthy cell turnover and have the strongest evidence of the commonly used topical ingredients for improving photoageing, including fine lines, uneven pigmentation and texture.
Prescription tretinoin is the most extensively studied, but it can also be irritating. Over-the-counter retinal and retinol products are practical options for people who want to build a consistent routine with better tolerability.
Start with a pea-sized amount on dry skin two nights a week. If your skin remains comfortable, gradually increase the frequency over several weeks. A retinoid does not need to be used every night to be beneficial.
For more detail, read our dedicated blog post that discusses everything you need to know about retinoids.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Retinals
Medik8 Crystal Retinal
(Beginners start at a 3; sensitive skin types start at a 1 – build up from there)
Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.05%
Sensitive skin or new to retinoids?
Apply moisturiser first, then your retinoid, and add another light layer of moisturiser afterwards if needed. This is known as the “sandwich method”.
Avoid applying retinoids over inflamed, broken or recently treated skin, and keep them away from the corners of the nose, mouth and eyes while your skin adjusts.
Pregnancy or planning a pregnancy
Topical retinoids must be avoided during pregnancy and when planning pregnancy as a precaution. During this time, focus on sunscreen, moisturisation and non-retinoid supportive ingredients. Alternative, pregnancy safe active ingredients can include peptides or azelaic acid.
What to use on non-retinoid nights
You can simply moisturise, or use a hydrating serum containing hyaluronic acid or peptides. These can also be applied before the retinoid if your skin benefits from extra hydration
Dr Jenny’s favourites: hydrating serums
Torriden Dive-In Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Medik8 Exo-PDRN Prismatic
Step 3: Moisturiser
Finish the evening routine with moisturiser. This supports the skin barrier, reduces water loss and can make active ingredients easier to tolerate.
You can use the same lightweight moisturiser as in the morning. If your skin feels dry or irritated, use a richer moisturiser at night until it settles.
A Simple Way to Introduce the Routine
There is no prize for introducing everything at once. A gradual start is usually more comfortable and makes it much easier to identify which product is causing irritation if a problem develops. It also makes more sense from both a financial and environmental point of view to finish off your current moisturiser for example before introducing a new one. (Unless it’s old and crusty, then please do ditch it!)
Example beginner schedule
- Every morning: cleanse if needed, moisturiser if needed, sunscreen
- Two or three mornings a week: add Vitamin C, then increase gradually to daily use if comfortable
- Two evenings a week: add the retinoid
- Other evenings: hydrating serum or peptides, followed by moisturiser
- Once the core routine is settled: consider one optional extra, such as exfoliation
Optional Extras
The following steps can be useful, but none is essential. Add them only if they address a genuine concern and your skin is already comfortable with the core routine.
Hydrating Toners
Milky or hydrating toners are a lightweight way to add moisture before treatment serums. They can be particularly helpful if the skin feels dehydrated but you dislike rich creams. Apply after cleansing, allow to absorb, then continue with your serum. A hydrating toner is optional. It should make the routine feel better, not become another compulsory step. Master the basics first, then experiment with adding the rest!
Dr Jenny’s Favourites: Milky Toners
Naturium: Multi-Bright Milky Toner
Byoma: Hydrating Milky Toner
Exfoliation
Gentle chemical exfoliation can help with surface texture, dullness and congestion. Alpha-hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid are generally more useful for surface texture and brightness; salicylic acid is oil-soluble and may be more useful for oily or congested pores.
Start once weekly after cleansing and before serums. Avoid using exfoliating acids on the same night as your retinoid while the skin is adjusting. If your skin is red, inflamed or sensitive, exfoliation may not be appropriate.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Chemical Exfoliators
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner for surface texture and brightness
Medik8 Press & Glow
Eye Care
A separate eye product is optional. Your regular moisturiser and sunscreen can often be brought carefully around the orbital bone if they feel comfortable.
If dryness or fine lines are a particular concern, choose either a gentle hydrating eye product for morning and evening, or a retinal eye product introduced gradually at night. There is no need to buy several eye products at once.
Dr Jenny’s favourites: Eye Care
Heveblue Black Yuja Bean Lifting Auto Eye Cream (AM and PM)
Abib Collagen Eye Cream Jericho Rose (AM and PM)
Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum for a good-value retinal option (PM)
Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye 3 for a premium retinal option (PM)
Under-eye darkness or puffiness?
Dark circles can be caused by several factors, including genetics, thin translucent skin, shadowing, fat pad herniation, poor lymphatic flow, pigmentation and vascularity.
Skincare can support hydration and skin quality, but it cannot correct every cause. Sun protection with daily sunscreen and sunglasses combined with gentle product application to hydrate and to preserve collagen in that delicate skin are the foundations.
Neck and Décolletage
Treat the neck and décolletage as an extension of the face, but remember that neck skin is often more sensitive. Prioritise moisturiser and sunscreen, as well as hydrating supportive ingredients such as peptides. If introducing strong actives remember the key principles: low strength, low frequency, sandwich method.
Dry or crepey neck skin?
Even a routine focused on hydration can make the area look smoother. Layering a hydrating serum and moisturiser may be better tolerated than immediately applying stronger actives every night.
The “Nice to Haves, not Need to Haves”
Not a mandatory addition to your routine but if you’re treating yourself or have optimised your topicals and want to take things to the next level.
LED Masks
Red and near-infrared LED can be a useful optional adjunct for inflammation and skin rejuvenation, and blue light has got a role in supporting active breakouts in blemish-prone skin. But this is not a replacement for your topical products, only a supportive adjunct.
Results depend on the wavelength, dose, device quality and regular use. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and choose a reputable device rather than buying solely on the basis of the number of colours offered.
Dr Jenny’s commonly considered LED brands
CurrentBody
Beauty Pie
Omnilux
Collagen Supplements
Collagen supplements are not essential, but they may be a useful optional addition once the fundamentals of your routine are in place.
Studies of specific hydrolysed collagen peptide formulations have shown modest improvements in measures such as skin hydration, elasticity and fine lines after approximately 8–12 weeks of consistent daily use. However, results vary between products, and the evidence is not as established as it is for daily sunscreen and topical retinoids.
Look for hydrolysed collagen peptides from a reputable manufacturer and follow the recommended daily serving. Marine and bovine collagen are both available, so check the source if you have allergies or intolerances.
Collagen supplements cannot reverse established sun damage and should not replace a balanced diet, adequate protein intake, sunscreen or effective topical skincare. Think of them as a supportive extra rather than the foundation of an anti-ageing routine.
If you want to delve a bit more into the evidence regarding collagen supplementation, you can read more in my blog here.
Specific Skincare Concerns: How to Tailor the Core Routine
Sebaceous hyperplasia
Morning: consider niacinamide and lightweight sunscreen. Evening: introduce a retinoid gradually and avoid overly oily textures if you dislike them. Skincare cannot remove existing lesions, so procedural treatment may still be needed.
Read our dedicated guide to the management of sebaceous hyperplasia here.
Oily skin or visible pores
Use a gentle foaming cleanser, niacinamide, a lightweight moisturiser and a gradually introduced retinoid. Avoid aggressive cleansing or repeatedly stripping the skin, which can worsen irritation without meaningfully changing pore structure.
If you have active acne, I always recommend you visit a Consultant Dermatologist or a GP with a special interest in Dermatology in the first instance.
Dry or dehydrated skin
Keep the morning cleanse minimal, use hydrating serums or a milky toner, moisturise consistently and introduce actives slowly. Richer is not always better: several light layers may feel more comfortable.
Pigmentation or sun damage
Prioritise daily sunscreen, Vitamin C in the morning and a retinoid at night. For melasma or stubborn post-inflammatory pigmentation, consider a tinted iron-oxide sunscreen and seek individual advice if the pigmentation is persistent.
Redness or easily irritated skin
Start with the simplest possible routine and one active at a time. Avoid routine exfoliation until the skin is stable. Persistent redness, flushing, scaling or discomfort deserves assessment rather than repeated product experimentation.
Fine lines and early skin ageing
The highest-priority steps are sunscreen and a retinoid. Vitamin C is a useful morning partner. Peptides and dedicated eye creams are excellent supportive extras for these core steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to double cleanse every night?
No. Double cleansing is helpful for makeup, heavy sunscreen and water-resistant products. One thorough gentle cleanse may be enough on quieter days or for dry, sensitive skin.
Can I use Vitamin C and a retinoid in the same routine?
They can be used in the same overall routine. The simplest approach is Vitamin C in the morning and the retinoid at night.
How do I layer multiple serums?
As a practical rule, apply the most watery product first and the creamier or oilier product afterwards. Allow each layer to settle and absorb before moving on.
Do I need a separate eye cream?
No. It is optional, especially when starting out. Use one only if the texture, application or targeted ingredient makes it worthwhile for you.
What should I do if my skin starts stinging or peeling?
Stop the newest active, simplify to gentle cleansing, moisturiser and sunscreen, and restart more slowly only once the skin is comfortable. Persistent inflammation and reactivity should be assessed before simply putting it down to an adjustment period with a new product. This is also exactly why high-strength prescription actives should only be used as part of a supervised regime.
How many products do I really need?
For most people: a cleanser, sunscreen, retinoid and moisturiser form an excellent foundation. Vitamin C is the most useful additional morning active. Everything else is optional.
That is already a meaningful, evidence-based routine. Add other steps only when they serve a clear purpose and after you have mastered the basics consistently.
A Final Note
Skincare should support your skin and your life, not become another source of pressure. Choose products you enjoy using, introduce them gradually and focus on what you can use consistently.
There is always an element of trial and error. A product that one person loves may feel too rich, too drying or simply unpleasant on someone else’s skin. Texture, finish and how a product sits under makeup or sunscreen all matter, because even the most effective product will not help if you dislike using it.
Start with the essentials, give each new product time and make adjustments based on how your skin responds. The best routine is not the most complicated one; it is the one that feels manageable, suits your skin and becomes an easy part of your everyday life.
