A Skincare Routine for Every Skin Type
Four steps, adjusted to your skin. Here is how to work out your skin type, build a morning and night routine around it, and change it with the seasons.
Every skincare routine, for every skin type, is the same four steps: cleanse, treat, moisturise, protect. What changes between skin types is not the steps but the textures. Oily skin wants gels and lightweight lotions; dry skin wants creams. Do the four steps morning and night, finish with SPF every morning, and give it at least four weeks before judging results.
Why a Skincare Routine Matters
Your skin is a barrier before it is anything else. It holds water in and keeps pollution, dust, UV radiation and bacteria out. When that barrier is neglected it stops doing both jobs well, and the result shows up as dullness, breakouts, redness or early lines.
A routine is simply maintenance. Cleansing clears the day off, treatment addresses whatever your skin actually struggles with, moisturiser holds hydration in place, and sunscreen prevents the damage that undoes the other three.
The part most people get wrong is scale. A short routine done every day beats an elaborate one done occasionally, every time. Consistency is the active ingredient.
Find Your Skin Type First
Everything downstream depends on this. The same serum that rescues dry skin can congest oily skin, so start by working out what you actually have.
The one-hour test
- Wash your face with a gentle cleanser and pat dry
- Apply nothing at all for one hour
- Then look: tight or flaky is dry, shiny all over is oily, oily T-zone with dry cheeks is combination, red or itchy is sensitive, and comfortable and even is normal
| Skin type | How it behaves | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Even, balanced, few breakouts | Basic maintenance, nothing corrective |
| Oily | Shine, visible pores, blackheads | Oil control without stripping |
| Dry | Tightness, roughness, flaking | Richer textures and barrier support |
| Combination | Oily T-zone, drier cheeks | Balance, often two products by zone |
| Sensitive | Reacts, reddens, stings easily | Gentle, fragrance-free, minimal actives |
Skin type also shifts. Winter can turn combination skin dry, and a damaged barrier can make any type behave like sensitive skin. If products that used to be fine have started stinging, read our guide on repairing a damaged skin barrier before changing anything else.
The Four Steps Every Routine Shares
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Cleanse
Removes dirt, sweat, oil and sunscreen so everything after it can work. Use a formula matched to your skin rather than the strongest one available. The Hyaluronic Acid Face Wash cleanses while adding hydration back, which suits most skin types.
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Treat
This is the step that does the correcting, and the only one that really changes between people. A serum targets one concern well: salicylic acid for congestion, niacinamide for oil and texture, vitamin C for tone.
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Moisturise
Holds hydration in and supports the barrier. Oily skin needs this too, just in a lighter texture. Skipping it often increases oil production rather than reducing it.
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Protect
Sunscreen every morning, without exception. It is the single most effective anti-ageing step available, and it protects the results of everything else you apply. A tinted SPF 60 covers protection and light coverage in one step.
If you want the detail on where serums sit and how long to wait between layers, our guide on how to apply face serum correctly covers the order and timing properly.
Your Morning Routine
Mornings are about protection rather than correction. Keep it to three steps so you actually do it.
Hyaluronic Acid Face Wash
Gentle enough for daily use, with vitamin B5 to keep skin comfortable.
Niacinamide Serum
Controls oil, refines pores and supports the barrier. Safe for daily use.
Sebum Control Gel SPF 50
Oil-free sun protection with a matte finish that sits well under makeup.
Your Night Routine
Skin repairs itself overnight, which is when the corrective work belongs. This is where retinol goes, and where sunscreen is no longer needed.
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Cleanse with Glutathione Face Wash
Removes the day's makeup, sunscreen and pollution, with vitamin E beads for a brightening finish.
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Treat with Retinol Serum
Supports renewal, softens fine lines and improves texture overnight. Start at two to three nights a week and build up as your skin tolerates it.
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Moisturise with Vitamin C Cream
Seals the serum in and nourishes while you sleep. Applying moisturiser over retinol also reduces the irritation retinol can cause.
Routines by Skin Type
Same four steps, different textures. Find your row and work across it.
Sensitive skin should introduce one product at a time and patch test on the inner forearm for 24 hours first. Browse the full De Rien skincare range if you want to build from scratch.
A Routine for Acne-Prone Skin
Breakouts respond better to consistency than intensity. Attacking them with everything at once damages the barrier and usually makes the acne worse.
Keep it protective
- Cleanse with Tea Tree Face Wash
- Moisturise with Mandelic Acid 5% Cream
- Protect with Sebum Control Gel SPF 50
Keep it corrective
- Cleanse again with Tea Tree Face Wash
- Treat with Salicylic Acid Serum
- Moisturise with Mandelic Acid 5% Cream
Do not scrub, and do not pick. Use non-comedogenic products throughout, and give it eight to twelve weeks before deciding whether it is working. The Anti-Acne Bundle pairs these steps together, and the wider anti-acne range covers stronger options.
Adjusting for the Seasons
Skin behaves differently in January and July. You do not need a second routine, only a change of texture.
Go richer
- Cold air and indoor heating pull moisture out of the skin
- Switch to Rice + Ceramides Lotion or Glutathione Cream
- Add Vitamin C Serum for tone and repair
- Keep sunscreen on. UVA does not take winter off
Go lighter
- Heat and humidity increase oil and sweat
- Switch to Daily Moisturizing Lotion
- Add Salicylic Acid Serum if congestion increases
- Use Sunscreen Lotion with Glutathione, lightweight and non-greasy
Common Mistakes Worth Avoiding
Five that undo the rest
- Over-exfoliating. More than twice a week strips the barrier and creates the dryness you then treat with more product
- Switching products constantly. Nothing gets long enough to work. Give any new product four to six weeks
- Skipping sunscreen. It undoes brightening and anti-ageing work faster than those products can build it
- Not moisturising oily skin. Dehydrated skin produces more oil, not less
- Not patch testing. Twenty-four hours on the inner forearm prevents most bad reactions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the basic steps of a skincare routine?
Four steps cover it: cleanse, treat, moisturise and protect. Cleanse and moisturise morning and night, treat with a serum suited to your concern, and finish every morning with sunscreen. Anything beyond those four is optional.
How do I find out my skin type?
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, pat dry, then apply nothing for one hour. Tight or flaky means dry. Shiny all over means oily. An oily T-zone with dry cheeks means combination. Red or itchy means sensitive. Comfortable and even means normal.
How often should I exfoliate?
One to two times a week is enough for most people. Exfoliating more often strips the lipids that hold your skin barrier together, which causes the dryness and sensitivity people then try to treat with even more product.
Can oily skin skip moisturiser?
No. Skipping moisturiser on oily skin often makes oil production worse, because the skin compensates for the water it is losing. Use a lightweight, oil-free formula such as the Daily Moisturizing Lotion rather than skipping the step.
Is sunscreen needed indoors?
Yes. UVA rays pass through window glass and drive pigmentation and premature ageing. If you sit near a window during the day, apply sunscreen in the morning as normal. Our guide to SPF explains why.
How long before a skincare routine shows results?
Hydration improves within days. Tone, texture and pigmentation take three to four weeks at minimum, and often eight to twelve, because skin renews itself over roughly a month. Consistency matters far more than the products themselves.
In what order should I apply skincare products?
Work from thinnest texture to thickest: cleanser, toner if you use one, serum, moisturiser, then sunscreen in the morning. Applying a thick cream before a watery serum stops the serum absorbing properly.
