Layering order matters because each product has to reach the skin to work. The principle is universal — thinnest to thickest — and it applies to the oxygen range exactly as it does to any other.
Morning
- Cleanse — gently, or water alone if your skin is dry
- Toner or essence, if you use one — press in, do not wipe
- Serum, if you use one
- Eye cream, if you use one
- Moisturiser — onto skin that is still slightly damp
- Sun protection — always last of the skincare, before makeup
Evening
- Remove makeup and sunscreen — a milk or micellar water on dry skin
- Cleanse
- Toner, if you use one
- Treatment — retinoid or acid, on completely dry skin, and never both on the same night
- Eye cream
- Moisturiser or night cream — richer than the morning one
No sunscreen at night.
The rule underneath
Thinnest to thickest. A rich cream applied before a watery serum blocks it, and the serum sits on top doing nothing. If you are unsure where a product goes, judge by texture rather than by what it is called.
Timing
Moisturiser within a minute of cleansing, while skin is still damp. This does more for hydration than most serums, and it is the step most often skipped.
Wait for actives. Retinoids and acids go on completely dry skin — ten minutes after cleansing. Damp skin increases absorption and irritation.
Sunscreen needs a couple of minutes to settle before makeup.
The step people get backwards
Applying sunscreen before moisturiser. It goes last, over everything, because it needs to form an unbroken film on the surface. Anything applied on top of it disturbs that.
Do you need all of it
No. Cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen is a complete routine, and for many people it is the right one. Serums, toners and eye creams are optional additions with smaller returns.
Adding four products at once also makes it impossible to tell what is working. One at a time, two weeks apart.
For choosing which products to start with, see the reviews section.