Now that you’ve determined your skin type and learned what kind of concerns can be addressed and treated with proper skin care, we can turn to building a skin care routine that fits your unique skin. It’s not how many products you use, but proper layering of the best ones in the right order. The process can be broken down into five simple keys to healthy, beautiful skin: Cleanse. Exfoliate. Treat. Hydrate. Protect.
CLEANSE
Dirt, sweat, makeup, product buildup, excess sebum - all these gunk up your pores and block your skin’s absorption. It doesn’t matter how powerful the skin care product might be if it sits on the surface where it provides minimal benefit. Since we’re talking layers, there are two layers to remove when you cleanse. You’ll need to remove any makeup or product residue on top, then clean dirt, sweat, sebum, and the like from deep within the dermal layer. Two distinct layers, so the recommendation is a double cleanse.
Oil-Based Cleanser: Makeup and Product Removal
One of the worst things for your skin’s quality is to sleep with makeup on! Make it simple and use a wipe, like our Rice Daily Brightening Cleansing Tissues, for ease and convenience. For next level cleansing, massage an oil-based cleanser, like our Black Sugar Perfect Cleansing Oil, into face and wash away with warm water.
Water-Based Cleanser: Dirt, Sweat, Sebum, Pores
After product removal, wash your face with a water-based cleansing foam, like our Vege Garden Cleansing Foam Mugwort, to cleanse skin of impurities (such dirt, sweat, and oil) and to deep clean inside the pores. Target your specific trouble areas with different cleansers, like our Egg White Perfect Pore Cleansing Foam for pore minimization or Rice Daily Brightening Scrub Foam for brightening dull skin.
EXFOLIATE
Dead skin, dirt, sebum, and product build-up can clog pores, hindering moisturization and causing trouble spots, like blackheads and excess oil production. Gently exfoliate away these blockages with a natural wash off mask, like our Black Sugar Mask Wash Off, to make way for smooth, soft skin that’s ready for full hydration. Harsh scrubbing and over-exfoliation will aggravate skin, so don’t overdo or overuse these products. Once or twice a week should do the trick.
TREAT
Now that your skin is clean and buffed, it’s time to build layers of hydration, nutrients, and remedies for any specific concerns unique to your skin condition. The beauty of SKINFOOD’s wide selection of products, backed by years of research and scientifically formulated for maximum efficacy, lies in customization.
Toner
Toner is used to prep skin and balance its pH for deep hydration and maximum nutrient absorption. It also cleanses any residue left over from your cleansing. Apply our Peach Sake Toner to your face and neck with a cotton pad or with the palms of your hands.
Essence
Soak your face in our Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence for concentrated hydration and targeted cellular repair.
Serum/Ampoule
Serums/Ampoules supercharge your routine to target specific concerns. Use specialized products here, like Black Sugar Perfect First Serum The Essential for re-texturizing and brightening skin, or Black Pomegranate Voluming Serum for moisturizing and firming skin
Eye Cream
It’s worth it to give the fragile, sensitive skin around your eyes some extra TLC. Keep wrinkles at bay by patting, not rubbing, Black Pomegranate Wrinkle & Line Cream with the soft pads of your fingers.
Mask Sheets
Sheet masks are cotton sheets drenched in essence, which lay against your skin, forcing it to absorb nutrients and moisture before the product can evaporate. There’s a wide variety of sheet masks and they have different effects, so mix and match them to your skin’s particular needs. Try Beauty in a Food Mask Sheet (Snail) for hydration, Beauty in a Food Mask Sheet (Aloe) to soothe sun stress, or Lotus Root Sous Vide Mask Sheet to promote elasticity. And not all of them are for your facial skin! There are masks that treat eyes, lips, pores, hands, and even feet.
HYDRATE
It seems counter-intuitive that what is usually labeled as moisturizer doesn’t actually moisturize. Rather, it’s meant to seal in existing moisture. The layers of toner, essence, and serum need to be locked in for full effect, and that’s what this layer is meant to do.
Emulsion/Cream
Emulsion is just another word for moisturizer, and is light enough for daytime use, like our Lettuce and Cucumber Watery Emulsion. For dry skin, or at night time, when your skin is repairing and rejuvenating, upgrade to a cream, like our Avocado Rich Cream for extra moisture and nourishment.
PROTECT
The whole aim of building an effective skin care routine is to have skin that’s healthy and ready to go! Before heading out into the world, protect your skin from exposure to sun, wind, dust, and environmental contaminants. Don’t let the sun strip the moisture you’ve carefully built up, and use a sunblock with SPF to protect from harmful rays that damage and age the skin.
Like crafted sentences make up addictive novels, timely measures make up thrilling symphonies, and fresh ingredients make up a gourmet meal, the SKINFOOD products you choose add up to cultivate the skin you want. Cleanse. Exfoliate. Treat. Hydrate. Protect. Feed your SKINFOOD.
