What is skin cycling, and should I try it?

Dear Anonymous,

Skin cycling is a method of rotating your evening skincare products to minimize irritation by giving the skin time to recover. It takes a less-is-more approach to skincare, as opposed to what I call the “kitchen sink” method of layering different ingredients that don’t actually work well together. That means it requires fewer products, but they work smarter and harder. We’ve seen the results in real-time as millions of people put this method to the test and shared their before-and-after videos on TikTok [“skin cycling” has around 3.5 billion views].

The classic program is a four-night cycle: 

• Night 1: Exfoliation. Cleanse, exfoliate with a leave-on serum that contains AHAs or BHAs, and then a light moisturizer. 

• Night 2: A retinoid. Cleanse, pat dry, apply a retinoid, then a light moisturizer.

• Night 3: Recovery. Just cleanse and moisturize. 

• Night 4: Recovery. Just cleanse and moisturize. 

The purpose of night 1 (exfoliation) is to dissolve away that uppermost layer of dead skin cells. This will also prep the skin to get the most from the rest of the routine so that on night 2, the retinoid or retinol can penetrate more effectively. 

“Retinoid” is a big umbrella term that includes over-the-counter products like retinol and prescription-strength retinoids that one can get from a dermatologist. These are powerful, well-researched ingredients that can deliver significant results by increasing skin cell turnover and boosting collagen production — but they can be irritating when used too frequently. 

That’s why recovery nights are all about hydration and repairing the skin barrier. Although you should use a moisturizer every night, it’s the main event on recovery nights. You want to look for a well-formulated moisturizer that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid. 

Skin cycling is meant to be a flexible framework because no skincare routine is one-size-fits-all. You can level up or level down, depending on your needs. Dermatologists are very aware of skin cycling at this point, and they’re usually very open to working with patients to customize programs. Some examples of what that might look like: Those with oily, acne-prone skin or more experienced retinol users may be able to drop a recovery night or use stronger products. People with dry skin may want to add an extra recovery night before cycling back to exfoliation – especially in the winter. The key is to listen to your skin and adapt based on your needs.