The quick reply? Serums go first, little doubt about it. “It’s best to layer lighter products like serums before heavier products like moisturizers,” board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D. tells mbg.
This is as a result of moisturizers include some occlusive substances, which assist them lure moisture within the pores and skin however stop different substances from penetrating. So in the event you layer on a serum over your face cream, the chance of your pores and skin absorbing that product and thus reaping all the advantages is slim.
However, there’s one caveat right here: “If you want to decrease the potency of a serum—like if it contains potentially irritating ingredients like retinol or salicylic acid, then applying a moisturizer first could help make the serum less potent and less irritating,” King notes.
This approach is sometimes called the “retinol sandwich,” the place you layer moisturizer below and over your retinol to buffer the impact. But must you do that with different serum substances like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin C? No, until you suppose these serums would possibly set off a adverse response from the pores and skin (which is fairly unlikely for most individuals).
In truth, the deeper these substances can penetrate, the higher. So to sum all of it up: Potentially irritating serums could be buffered through the use of a moisturizer earlier than and after, however in any other case, all serums ought to be utilized first.