The day I learned that less is more in skincare was the day my skin began to change. For a long time I didn't worry about what I put on my skin and followed every trend possible. If she followed the Korean cosmetics routine that involves more than a dozen steps, she followed it. But in cosmetics, more does not always mean better because as pharmacist Gema Herrerías explained in Cristina Mitre's podcast, the tendency to accumulate infinite steps in the nighttime routine is a mistake. It is not necessary to put so many cosmetics. “Many times we apply more cosmetics than our skin needs,” says the expert.
What is important according to the expert is to understand that it is not necessary to put everything into the same routine at the same time, but that you can do cycles and transitions and design a routine structured in cycles or transitions, alternating intensive treatments at night. “Sometimes it is more sensible to apply some things in the morning and others at night and not all together at night,” explains Herrerías, “because we are not going to have better results using so many cosmetics at the same time since the second or third that you put on is not going to do anything for you.
Fewer products are better with a goal in mind
To simplify a lot, the skin has a limit of absorption of products and saturating it with overlapping layers of active ingredients that have not only different textures but also different pH requirements, nullifies their effectiveness. Penetration depends on the molecule, vehicle, concentration, hydration, occlusion, pH and the state of the skin barrier, but the more active ingredients we include, the easier it is for them not to penetrate as they should. For example, the sandwich method that some experts recommend doing with retinol, which consists of a “layering” that seeks to reduce the irritation of the active ingredient and applying a moisturizer before and after the retinol to begin to accustom the skin, “can reduce the effectiveness of the retinol,” as Herrerías explains.
The order in a skincare routine is important. The expert, in her book 'Skin Code', divides the routine products into two taking into account two aspects. On the one hand by viscosity and objective of the routine, and on the other hand by the pH of the products. “Depending on the texture of a cosmetic, if I have to combine two, I will first apply the one with the lowest viscosity, the lightest one, and then the one with the most consistency or viscosity,” he explains.
For example, if we apply a depigmenting treatment, “I will look for the depigmenting product to have a more fluid texture to apply it first directly to the stain. This way we avoid applying a very wonderful moisturizing product but that makes me like a film on the stain and that when the depigmenting product is applied secondly, it will not be as effective,” he says. According to the expert, “it is always better to put the pigment first directly on the stain if the objective of my routine is to improve the color of the stains.”
Regarding pH, Herrerías assures that “in general, the most acidic pH should be applied first to clean, dry skin.” And if there are two products with an acidic pH, start with the most acidic of them, but Herrerías once again insists that it is not necessary to apply two products together that could irritate us, “put on vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night for example,” he explains.
Although a compound may not be irritating, there may be some cosmetic on the market with a higher concentration that is, such as vitamin C with an acidic pH. That is why you should avoid combining a highly concentrated niacinamide with vitamin C in general. “It is better to transition to one in the morning and another at night” according to the expert. Think about your skin's goal and choose a routine that suits what you are looking for because a simple and well-tolerated routine is usually preferable to accumulating many active ingredients. It is better to choose them well than to throw everything in our faces.
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