By Natalie Copeland, NP, and Beth Higney, NP, Co-Founders of Complexion Nashville
Between us, we have more than 30 years of combined clinical experience in advanced cosmetic dermatology. And one of the most common questions we hear in the treatment room is: What order do I apply my skincare products?
Applying products in the right sequence helps each formula absorb properly, deliver its active ingredients where they're needed, and work with (rather than against) whatever you layer next. Applying out of order may block absorption, reduce effectiveness, or leave your skin feeling heavy when it should feel comfortable.
The good news: the logic behind the skincare routine order is simple once you understand it. And once you do, building your morning and evening routines becomes second nature.
The Rule: Thinnest to Thickest
The most reliable principle for skincare order of application is to move from your lightest, most fluid textures to your heaviest, most occlusive ones. Thinner products like serums are formulated with smaller molecules that absorb quickly into the skin. Heavier products like moisturizers create a protective layer that seals everything in.
If you reverse that order and apply a thick cream before a serum, the serum sits on top of the barrier your moisturizer just created. It can't penetrate, and the active ingredients you're counting on have nowhere to go.
Thinnest to thickest. Easy to remember. Everything else is just filling in the details.
Your Morning Skincare Routine, Step by Step
Your morning routine is about protection. You're prepping your skin to face whatever the day brings: environmental exposure, UV rays, makeup, and everything in between. The goal is to hydrate, defend, and set a clean foundation.
Step 1: Cleanser
Every routine starts with a clean canvas. In the morning, you're clearing away the oils your skin produced overnight and any residue from your evening products. You're not trying to do a deep cleanse here. A gentle, hydrating cleanser is all you need.
We formulated Reset as a creamy cleanser that refreshes and rebalances without stripping. Thirty seconds with cool water, and your skin is ready for the next step. Reset is gentle enough for daily use, morning and night, on every skin type.
Step 2: Toner or Treatment Pads
Toner is an optional step, but a valuable one. A well-formulated toner removes any remaining residue, balances your skin's pH, and preps it to absorb whatever comes next more efficiently.
If you're someone who deals with breakouts, texture issues, or congestion, treatment pads can do double duty. Our C2 Pads — Exfoliating Toner Pads for Acne & Pore Control are alcohol-free toning pads containing salicylic and glycolic acids that gently exfoliate, minimize the appearance of pores, and target hyperpigmentation. They're gentle enough to use both morning and night, and they work well on the back of your arms and thighs if you deal with bumps there, too.
Step 3: Serum
Serums are the workhorses of your routine. They're packed with concentrated active ingredients in lightweight formulas designed to absorb quickly and deliver results at the cellular level. This is the step where your skin gets its targeted treatment.
In the morning, reach for an antioxidant serum. Vitamin C is the gold standard for daytime because it brightens, protects against environmental damage, and supports collagen production.
Our AM Serum — Vitamin C Brightening & Hydrating Day Serum combines vitamin C, niacinamide, plant-based stem cells, peptides, and lactic and fruit acids into a single formula. It brightens, hydrates, calms redness, and preps your skin for SPF. Use three to four drops and press them into your skin in an upward motion. That's it. One luxurious step, and your morning serum is done.
Step 4: Eye Cream (Optional)
Eye cream is a bonus step, not a requirement. The skin around your eyes is thinner and more delicate than the rest of your face, which is why some people prefer a dedicated formula for that area.
For the morning, a lightweight gel eye cream works well. It hydrates without adding heaviness, and it can help your concealer sit more naturally throughout the day. A little extra moisture under the eye keeps product from settling into fine lines.
When you apply eye cream, think of the full eye area. Picture the shape of a panda's markings and gently pat the product around the entire orbital bone, above and below. Keep it out of the eye itself, and use your ring finger for the lightest touch.
CMPLXN® doesn't currently offer an eye cream in our online collection, but if you visit our flagship clinic in Nashville, we carry a curated selection of eye treatments we trust and recommend. Many of our clients also use their regular moisturizer around the eye area with great results.
Step 5: Moisturizer
Moisturizer locks in everything you've just applied. It creates a protective barrier that retains moisture and keeps irritants out. Even if your skin runs oily, a lightweight moisturizer supports your skin barrier, and a healthy barrier means fewer breakouts, less sensitivity, and better texture over time.
Cool Down — Hydrating Gel Cream Moisturizer with Ceramides is a weightless gel-cream moisturizer that hydrates and strengthens your skin barrier without heaviness. It absorbs in seconds and leaves your skin feeling soft, cool, and comfortable. Use a generous amount to seal in your serum and give your barrier the support it needs.
Step 6: SPF (Always Last, Every Morning)
Sunscreen is the final step of every morning skincare routine, no exceptions. It goes on after moisturizer because it needs to form an even, uninterrupted layer across your skin to protect effectively. Anything applied over SPF (other than makeup) can disrupt that protective film.
Daily sun protection is the single most effective thing you can do for long-term skin health. It prevents premature aging, dark spots, and UV-induced changes in texture.
Block Party — Mineral Sunscreen for Face, SPF 50 is a 100% mineral, broad-spectrum SPF with a sheer finish, no white cast, and no greasy residue. It sits beautifully under makeup and feels comfortable enough to wear all day. Apply it to your face as the last step in your skincare routine before you head out, and keep it in your bag for reapplication.
Your Evening Skincare Routine, Step by Step
Your evening routine is about repair. While you sleep, your skin shifts into recovery mode. Cell turnover increases, collagen production ramps up, and your skin is more receptive to active ingredients. This is the time to cleanse thoroughly, treat, and nourish.
Step 1: Double Cleanse
If you wore SPF, makeup, or both during the day (and you should be wearing SPF), a single cleanse often isn't enough. Oil-based cleansers break down sunscreen, makeup, and the day's buildup in ways that water-based cleansers alone can't.
This is where double cleansing comes in, and it's simpler than it sounds.
Start with Melt Away — Cleansing Oil for Makeup & SPF Removal, our cleansing oil that gently melts off makeup, SPF, and impurities without stripping or drying your skin. It helps reduce inflammation and redness, supports your skin barrier, and regulates sebum production. Melt Away is specifically designed for your evening routine, when you need that deeper clean.
Follow with Reset — Cream Cleanser, the same gentle cleanser you used in the morning, to wash away any remaining residue and leave your skin fresh and balanced.
Step 2: Treatment Pads
Just like in the morning, this step is optional but beneficial. You can use C2 Pads — Exfoliating Toner Pads for Acne & Pore Control in the evening for continued exfoliation and pore care.
For a more targeted treatment, try our C3 Pads — Brightening Pads for Dark Spots & Hyperpigmentation. They contain kojic acid and arbutin to fade dark spots, brighten the skin, lighten acne scars, and inhibit further pigment production. If hyperpigmentation, uneven tone, or texture is a concern, C3 Pads are a powerful addition to your routine. Use them in the morning for best effect.
Step 3: Serum
Your evening serum should focus on repair, regeneration, and the deeper work that happens while you sleep.
Our PM Serum — Anti-Aging Night Serum with Retinyl Palmitate is formulated to tackle fine lines, wrinkles, firmness, elasticity, and hydration. It includes retinyl palmitate, a form of retinol that's gentle enough for daily use yet highly effective. You can apply it to your face, neck, and décolletage.
When paired with AM Serum — Vitamin C Brightening & Hydrating Day Serum in the morning, the two work in tandem. AM Serum brightens and protects during the day. PM Serum repairs and regenerates while you rest.
Step 4: Retinol (If You Use One)
If you use a standalone retinol in your routine, apply it after your serum and before your moisturizer. Retinol is one of the most well-researched active ingredients in skincare. It accelerates cell turnover, stimulates collagen production, smooths skin texture, and fades hyperpigmentation over time.
Golden Hour — Retinol Face Serum with Superfruit Antioxidants is our retinol face serum formulated with 1% encapsulated, time-released retinol and superfruit antioxidants. The encapsulation bypasses the skin's outer layers to work more deeply, so you get retinol results with significantly less irritation than traditional formulas.
Two things to keep in mind with retinol:
First, retinol is an evening-only active. UV exposure breaks down retinol and can increase skin sensitivity, so always use it at night.
Second, when you're using a retinol, be especially diligent with your SPF the next morning. Your skin is more photosensitive during retinol use, and consistent sun protection ensures your results are lasting and your skin stays healthy. This is where Block Party — Mineral Sunscreen for Face, SPF 50 becomes especially important in your morning lineup.
Step 5: Eye Cream (Optional)
If you use a richer, more intensive eye cream, nighttime is the moment. Your skin is in repair mode, and the heavier formulas that might feel too much under makeup during the day can do their best work while you sleep.
We carry the Alastin Restorative Eye Cream in the clinic, but your moisturizer applied with a little extra attention to the eye area will do the trick, too.
Step 6: Moisturizer
Just like in the morning, Cool Down — Hydrating Gel Cream Moisturizer with Ceramides seals everything in. Your evening moisturizer locks in your serums, retinol, and treatments, and gives your skin barrier the support it needs to repair overnight.
When Serum and Moisturizer Switch Places
There is one scenario where you might consider applying your moisturizer before your serum or retinol, and it's worth knowing about.
If you're introducing a new active into your routine, like retinol, and your skin is still adjusting, applying a thin layer of moisturizer first can act as a buffer. This is sometimes called the "sandwich method" because you apply moisturizer, then your active, then moisturizer again.
Buffering slightly reduces the active ingredient's intensity, allowing your skin to build tolerance gradually. It does dilute the potency somewhat, but the trade-off is that you can keep using the active consistently while your skin acclimates. Consistency matters more than intensity, and a well-tolerated retinol you use every night will always outperform a strong one that irritates you into skipping it.
Once your skin has fully adjusted, you can go back to the standard order: serum first, moisturizer second.
The Anytime Step: R&R Spritz
Not every product fits neatly into a morning or evening box. Our R&R Spritz — Hypochlorous Acid Face Mist for Acne & Inflammation is a hypochlorous acid face mist designed for whenever your skin needs it. It's perfect after a workout when you want to kill bacteria but don't have time for a full cleanse, or after a treatment at the clinic when your skin needs something to soothe inflammation and calm things down. It works just as well during travel, on a hot afternoon, or at any moment when you need a reset without restarting your routine.
R&R Spritz fights acne, soothes inflammation, and strengthens your skin barrier. Keep it in your gym bag, your desk drawer, or your carry-on.
Where to Start If This Feels Like a Lot
You do not need every product on this list to have a great routine. If you're building from scratch, start with three: a serum, a moisturizer, and an SPF. Our AM Serum, Cool Down, and Block Party together give you antioxidant protection, hydration, barrier support, and sun defense in three simple steps.
Once that feels natural, you can add a cleanser, try treatment pads, or introduce a retinol. Build at your own pace. Strong skin is built in rhythm, not all at once.
Every CMPLXN® formula meets EU cosmetic standards and is formulated by our team after years of clinical testing and treatment-room feedback. No fillers, no artificial fragrance, and every ingredient was selected because we know it works. The products are designed to layer together seamlessly, so you can trust that what you're putting on your skin works as a system.
If you have questions about building your routine or want guidance tailored to your skin, reply to our emails or visit us at the Complexion Nashville clinic. We're always happy to help.
