Dew Lilac

Skincare routine order & ingredient pairing checker

Skincare routine order builder

Tick the products you use. Dew Lilac puts them in layering order for morning and evening, splits actives that shouldn't share a night, and flags pairings to check.

General information from the AAD, Cleveland Clinic and peer-reviewed studies, not medical advice. Prescription directions always come first.

What do you use?

Jump to your routine
Cleanse
Prep
Treat: serums and actives
Moisturise
  • Evening only
Protect
  • Morning only
Options

Your routine

Morning

  1. CleanserStart on clean skin. The AAD suggests washing your face twice a day, when you get up and before bed. (AAD: Skin care in your 20s)
  2. Vitamin C serumA thin serum straight after cleansing (or toner), usually in the morning, under moisturiser and sunscreen. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)
  3. Hyaluronic acid or hydrating serumWatery serums can go before or after a treatment serum; a common habit is treatment first, then hydration. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)
  4. MoisturiserThe thickest everyday layer goes on after thinner ones. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)
  5. SunscreenAlways the last skincare step in the morning, after other products and under makeup. (AAD: Skin care in your 20s)Apply about 15 minutes before going outdoors; reapply about every two hours when outside, or after swimming or sweating. (AAD: Sunscreen FAQs)

Evening A

Alternate between evenings A and B.

  1. CleanserStart on clean skin. The AAD suggests washing your face twice a day, when you get up and before bed. (AAD: Skin care in your 20s)
  2. AHA exfoliant (glycolic, lactic, mandelic)Exfoliating acids go on clean, dry skin before thicker layers. AHAs raise UV sensitivity, so use sunscreen the next morning. (FDA: Alpha hydroxy acids)
  3. Hyaluronic acid or hydrating serumWatery serums can go before or after a treatment serum; a common habit is treatment first, then hydration. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)
  4. MoisturiserThe thickest everyday layer goes on after thinner ones. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)

Evening B

  1. CleanserStart on clean skin. The AAD suggests washing your face twice a day, when you get up and before bed. (AAD: Skin care in your 20s)
  2. Hyaluronic acid or hydrating serumWatery serums can go before or after a treatment serum; a common habit is treatment first, then hydration. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)
  3. Retinol or retinalEvening only: the AAD advises using retinoids at night because they make skin more sensitive to the sun. Start every other night. (AAD: Retinoid or retinol?)
  4. MoisturiserThe thickest everyday layer goes on after thinner ones. (Cleveland Clinic: Skin care routine order)

Pairing notes

  • AlternateAHA exfoliant (glycolic, lactic, mandelic) + Retinol or retinalPut on different evenings.The AAD warns that exfoliating while using retinol or a retinoid can worsen dryness or even trigger breakouts. Use them on different nights, and skip the acid while your skin is red or flaky. (AAD: How to safely exfoliate at home)

Your picks are saved in this browser only.

Made with Dew Lilac (dewlilac.beauty). General information, not medical advice.

How the order is worked out

Thinnest to thickest. Cleveland Clinic's rule of thumb is to layer from the lightest, most watery product to the heaviest: cleanser, toner or essence, serums, eye cream, then moisturiser. Thin layers go on first so a cream doesn't block them. Face oil sits just before moisturiser in Cleveland Clinic's order; some people prefer it last at night.

Sunscreen last in the morning. The AAD says to put sunscreen on after your other skincare and under makeup, about 15 minutes before you go out, and to reapply about every two hours outdoors.

Retinoids at night. Retinol, adapalene and tretinoin make skin more sensitive to the sun, so the AAD advises using them in the evening. Tick Put my retinoid after moisturiser to apply moisturiser first, one of the ways a dermatologist may suggest to reduce irritation.

Clashing actives. Each pair of actives is checked against the pairing checker's matrix. When two evening products are better used on different nights (retinol and a glycolic acid toner, say), you get Evening A and Evening B to alternate. Morning clashes are listed for you to move. Pairs involving a prescription retinoid are marked ask a clinician.

Example. The default picks (cleanser, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid serum, retinol, an AHA, moisturiser and sunscreen) give one morning routine and two evenings: retinol on one, the AHA on the other, both followed by serum and moisturiser.

Choose Both, Morning or Evening beside each product. Print it for the bathroom mirror, or copy it as text.

Sources

Every rule and pairing note above links here. Pairing evidence varies: some notes rest on clinical studies, others on lab chemistry, and each says which.

  1. Cleveland Clinic. How to order your skin care routine (2025). health.clevelandclinic.org
  2. AAD. Dermatologist-recommended skin care for your 20s. aad.org
  3. AAD. Sunscreen FAQs. aad.org
  4. AAD. Retinoid or retinol? aad.org
  5. AAD. How to safely exfoliate at home. aad.org
  6. AAD. Acne: Diagnosis and treatment. aad.org
  7. AAD. 10 skin care habits that can worsen acne. aad.org
  8. Reynolds RV, Yeung H, Cheng CE, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol 2024;90(5):1006.e1–1006.e30. doi.org
  9. US Food and Drug Administration. Alpha hydroxy acids (includes the Cosmetic Ingredient Review conclusion on glycolic and lactic acid). fda.gov
  10. Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Safety assessment of salicylic acid and related salicylates. Int J Toxicol 2003;22 Suppl 3:1–108. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. Martin B, Meunier C, Montels D, Watts O. Chemical stability of adapalene and tretinoin when combined with benzoyl peroxide in presence and in absence of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. Br J Dermatol 1998;139 Suppl 52:8–11 (a study by the adapalene manufacturer's laboratory). doi.org
  12. Buettner GR, Jurkiewicz BA. Catalytic metals, ascorbate and free radicals: combinations to avoid. Radiat Res 1996;145(5):532–541. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  13. Pinnell SR, Yang H, Omar M, et al. Topical L-ascorbic acid: percutaneous absorption studies. Dermatol Surg 2001;27(2):137–142. doi.org
  14. Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM. The roles of vitamin C in skin health. Nutrients 2017;9(8):866. doi.org
  15. Boo YC. Mechanistic basis and clinical evidence for the applications of nicotinamide (niacinamide) to control skin aging and pigmentation. Antioxidants 2021;10(8):1315. doi.org
  16. Ahmad I, Mobeen MF, Sheraz MA, et al. Photochemical interaction of ascorbic acid and nicotinamide in aqueous solution: a kinetic study. J Photochem Photobiol B 2018;182:115–121. doi.org
  17. Fu JJ, Hillebrand GG, Raleigh P, et al. A randomized, controlled comparative study of the wrinkle reduction benefits of a cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate product regimen vs. a prescription 0.02% tretinoin product regimen. Br J Dermatol 2010;162(3):647–654 (funded by a cosmetics manufacturer). doi.org
  18. Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. Int J Mol Sci 2018;19(7):1987. doi.org

More skincare tools

Questions

What is the right order to apply skincare?

From the thinnest product to the thickest: cleanser, toner or essence, serums and treatments, eye cream, then moisturiser. In the morning, sunscreen goes on last, after your other skincare and before makeup. If a product comes with its own directions, or a prescriber has told you otherwise, follow those.

Do I need to wait between layers?

None of the sources we use gives a fixed waiting time between skincare layers, so the builder doesn't invent one. Letting a layer sink in or dry before the next is a sensible habit. The one timing that is sourced: the AAD advises applying sunscreen about 15 minutes before going outdoors.

Why does my evening split into Evening A and Evening B?

Two of your evening actives are better on different nights, usually a retinoid and an exfoliating acid, which the AAD says can worsen dryness when combined. Alternate between the two evenings; everything that doesn't clash, like cleanser, serum and moisturiser, appears in both.

Can vitamin C and niacinamide go in the same routine?

Yes. The worry comes from old lab chemistry on the pure substances, not from skin studies. Clinical trials have used formulas containing both, and niacinamide does not cause flushing. The pairing checker shows the details and sources.

I'm pregnant. Does the order change?

The order doesn't, but what you use might. The AAD says retinoids should not be used during pregnancy, so talk to a doctor, midwife or pharmacist before using retinol, adapalene or tretinoin if you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding. Tick the pregnancy option and the builder flags any retinoid you picked.

Where is my routine saved?

Only in this browser's local storage on your device. Nothing you pick is sent anywhere. Start again clears it.