The Only Guide To Skin Cycling You'll Every Need: Customizable Tips & More

The fear that there could be a right and a wrong way to use skin care keeps plenty of people from picking up a serum or moisturizer in the first place. Curating a full routine from scratch is no easy task either, from scrubs to face masks and even at-home peels—the market is dense, to say the least.

Perhaps this is why skin cycling has taken the beauty space by storm over the past year. This technique has helped countless people start, redo, and optimize their skin care routine because it's literally a step-by-step process.

The term skin cycling was coined by board-certified dermatologist and mindbodygreen Collective member Whitney Bowe, M.D., FAAD. Bowe created skin cycling routines for her patients for over a year before she even shared them on social media for the first time—but what is it?

Skin cycling is the process of rolling through the actives in your routine in a three- to four-day cycle in order to prevent irritation. This is especially helpful for those new to ingredients like chemical exfoliants or retinol—or those who tend to overdo it on one product (we've all been there). 

While basic skin care can be intuitive (i.e., moisturize when you feel dry, exfoliate when you feel buildup, etc.), using the complex products on the market takes a bit more nuance. Skin cycling keeps it simple, and the best part is it's highly customizable.

"Order matters and the reason that you're exfoliating first is because a single night of gentle exfoliation is going to dissolve away the uppermost layer of dead skin cells in what's called the stratum corneum," Bowe tells mbg. This will help your next step penetrate even deeper, she explains.

What's more, some exfoliating actives can even help boost collagen production1 when used topically—so this step is contributing to a youthful complexion simultaneously.

While you can use a gentle physical exfoliant (i.e., a scrub with jojoba beads or a gentle cloth), Bowe recommends a blend of chemical exfoliant acids—including AHAs, BHA, and the often forgotten PHAs.

As a quick refresher, popular AHAs include glycolic, lactic, and mandelic acid. Salicylic acid is the most notable BHA because it's A+ for acne-prone skin. Gluconolactone, galactose, and lactobionic acid are gentle but lesser-known PHAs.

Next up is retinoid night—yes, that includes over-the-counter retinol products. Retinoids and exfoliants speed up cell turnover, but they do it in very different ways. "Retinoids are working on the receptors," Bowe explains. This is why clearing away dead skin on exfoliation night is so important.

You can opt for an OTC retinol or a prescription-grade retinoid like tretinoin or Tazorac. So which one should you choose? "I usually start people off with over-the-counter products," Bowe notes. These forms are gentler on the skin and will cause significantly less irritation than their prescription-grade cousins.

Bowe recommends looking for a 0.3% retinol product if you're just starting out. You can bump it up as your skin tolerates, but she warns: "The 1% formulas are not for the faint of heart." 

"For those with sensitive skin, I love to look for products that contain encapsulated retinol, which utilizes a technology that 'time releases' the retinol more slowly, so it's not hitting your skin all at once," board-certified dermatologist Courtney Rubin, M.D., FAAD, once told mbg.

While many people will get glowing results from OTC retinol, those with acne-prone skin may not only tolerate prescription-grade products with ease but actually need them to keep stubborn acne at bay.

On recovery nights, you'll skip the exfoliants and retinol—instead, replace the treatment step with a barrier-repair serum. The goal here is to, "Repair the stratum corneum that may have been compromised on previous skin cycling nights," board-certified dermatologist Nava Greenfield, M.D., tells mbg.

This is how you'll prevent the chance of over-exfoliating or getting a "retinol reaction" like dermatitis or increased sensitivity. If you want to lock in your recovery serum and moisturizer, you can even go for the "slugging," method—applying an occlusive layer as your final step.

"When you do exfoliation night before retinol night and then you follow up with the recovery nights, that seemed to drive the most dramatic results with the least amount of irritation," Bowe explains. This, in essence, is the goal of skin cycling.

Using actives like exfoliating acids and retinol once in a blue moon likely won't deliver noticeable results. On the flip side, overusing those same products can damage the skin barrier and cause more problems than it's worth. This is the delicate teeter-totter that skin cycling can bring balance to.

The classic four-night cycle "gives you a blueprint," Bowe explains. "I would say that most people respond beautifully to the four-night cycle," she continues. However, Bowe notes that customization is, in fact, "The future of skin cycling." Here's what you should know.

If you have acne-prone skin or want to focus more on firming, you can level up. "You can actually drop a recovery night and move to a three-night cycle," Bowe explains. "Some people tolerate multiple retinoid nights," she continues.

It's important to note that many clinical studies proving retinoids' efficacy for acne treatment2 encourage patients to use them nightly, as do many dermatologists. This can be irritating to the skin for some, but on occasion, it may be well tolerated and beneficial for breakouts. 

For those with extra-sensitive skin, you can build in an extra recovery night if need be. "It's important to have a framework, but you can tweak it based on your skin's needs and your skin goals," Bowe reiterates.