Turning 25 & Other Skincare Scaries
For most of my life, I’ve owned the utmost basic skincare products: my Aveeno Positively Radiant Face Lotion and my Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser. Although I’ve had the good fortune of little-to-no breakouts or flare ups, this unfortunately means I had little knowledge about skincare for a long time. That is, until now.
This year I’m turning 25 (ooh big deal), and this happens to be the age when our skin starts showing subtle signs of aging. Our collagen and elastin production decreases, potentially leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and diminishing radiance and elasticity.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid to age, but let’s do so gracefully, yeah?
Time to learn about skincare products and to invest in long-term, healthy and happy skin. While I’m still exploring products that work best for me, I’ve done extensive research on affordable, award-winning products and what products to combine or avoid combining. This article will give you the TLDR on important need-to-knows that’ll make your skincare journey easy and informed.
Taking Skincare Step by Step
The first thing to know is simple is better. Simple routine, simple ingredients. While overly complex routines were a fad before, dermatologists actually recommend keeping a simple routine that’s gentle on the skin. Overusing various products at the same time, especially with lack of knowledge on what ingredients shouldn’t mix, can lead to skin irritation and breakouts.
The most basic morning routine is cleansing, moisturizing, and applying sunscreen, and the most basic night routine would be removing make up, cleansing, spot treatments, and moisturizing. However, for those with specific goals like anti-aging, brightening, or getting that glass skin appearance, you may want to add helpful steps to your routine. When adding in products, especially ones that have more potency, the best method is to add as you go. For instance, when I started using retinol serum, I started with applying twice a week, then slowly increased based on my skin’s reaction. I later began adding a liquid exfoliants with BHA’s (beta hydroxy acid aka salicylic acid), alternating between this and retinol to prevent irritating and drying out my skin.
This gradual and experimental approach should apply for most products as you expand your routine. While you can include or exclude as desired, the best order for a step by step routine is:
I’ll be sharing the products that I personally use, while offering insight, tips, and recommendations based on my research. Here are the steps from my routine that I’ll walk through. At the end of this article, I’ll also list what skincare ingredients to avoid mixing!
Cleanser
Exfoliants
Antioxidant Serums
Spot Treatments
Facial Mist
Eye Cream
Moisturizer
Everyday Sunscreen
Step 1: Cleanser
Cleanser is the most important step in all skincare routines because the rest of the products are basically useless without it. While micellar water is often used to remove makeup before cleansing, you can also (or alternatively) use an oil-based cleanser to rigorously remove dirt and makeup. Oil-based cleansers are designed to remove oil-soluble residue like sunscreen, makeup, and other excess impurities. Meanwhile, water-based cleansers target water-soluble dirt and sweat, making it best for removing surface-level grime. In general, if you have dry skin, you’ll want to use an oil-based cleanser and if you have oily skin, you’ll want to use a water-based cleanser.
Because I have combination skin, I’ve adopted the “double cleansing” method which uses both oil and water cleansers. It’s not necessary to do this, especially if you don’t wear a lot of sunscreen or makeup or you have dry skin. But double cleansing can be beneficial for those with combo or oily skin or those who wear makeup and sunscreen daily, as it helps clean more thoroughly. I save this for the PM only, and do a single cleanse with the water-based foam cleanser in the morning.
I started with switching to the Innis Free Green Tea Cleansing Foam, which emphasizes hydration. Then, after 2-3 weeks, I added in the Green Tea Amino Acid Cleansing Oil. I genuinely love the smell of these Korean products and they feel gentle and effective for washing my face.
If you have acne-prone skin, look for a cleansers with acids, like salicylic, AHA (alpha hydroxy), or BHA(beta-hydroxy) acid. These key ingredients aid in sloughing away dead skin that can lead to breakouts. If you have dry skin, look for a hydrating cleanser with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and plant-based oils like avocado oil.
Other product recommendations:
Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser: I personally didn’t like this cleanser very much because it didn’t feel like it was doing much for the price…and I disliked the plant-y scent. However, it’s still an award-winning cleanser with cold-pressed antioxidants to remove makeup, prevent pore clogging, and balance pH.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser: A gentle, non-stripping formula that’s great for sensitive skin. This product is packed with ingredients like squalane and glycerin that effectively cleanse while keeping your face hydrated!
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser: This is a long time favorite for sensitive skin! Thanks to its combination of ceramides, niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3), and glycerin, this creamy face wash whisks away makeup (even waterproof) without depriving skin of natural oils.
Peach & Lily Oil-Based Cleanser: This silk cleanser was Allure’s 2024 Best of Beauty “Best of Oil Cleanser.” It’s ginger root extract, grape seed oil, and sunflower seed oil helps boost that softness and hydration needed for our skin.
Step 2: Exfoliator
While I don’t use toners, I did adopt a liquid exfoliator for my PM routine. Toners (used in the AM) are for balancing pH, while liquid exfoliators are a helpful way to remove dead skin cells and reveal smoother, softer skin.
Exfoliation methods include mechanical, enzymatic, and chemical exfoliation. Mechanical, or physical, exfoliation uses friction from scrubs to brush your face. These are a bit rougher on the skin. Enzymatic exfoliation uses enzymes to gently dissolve the dead skin using acids from fruits like pineapple. Chemical exfoliation is my method of choice because it’s generally more gentle on skin than physical. It is also known to be a bit more effective than enzymatic. If you have sensitivity to fruit allergens, you may also want to consider chemical.
Chemical exfoliation uses acid enzymes from AHAs or BHAs to dissolve dead skin cells. AHAs are best for dry skin because they help break down the “glue” beinding dead skin cells together. This leads to skin that smooooth as a baby! BHAs are better suited for oilier skin because they’re oil-soluble and sink deep into the pores to clean out that old skin build up. BHAs also have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits for acne-prone skin - double whammy!
After a recent facial at HeyDay, I was recommended the Moon Juice Acid Potion. I started with using it 2-3 times a week at night as my facialist recommended. This acid potion speeds things up to help remove dull skin, unclog pores, and stimulate production of collagen! Not to mention, it helps your other serums and moisturizers penetrate deeper. If you use a BHA, make sure to use extra sunscreen, as it increases photosensitivity. Also be wary of layering retinol serum and BHAs at the same time as it can cause irritation. I switch off days for my retinol serum (we’ll talk about this in Step 3) and my liquid exfoliant.
Other product recommendations:
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant: With nearly 97k 5-star reviews and the 2025 Readers Choice Award at Allure, its no doubt a fantastic choice for quick and long-term results. It’s also said to have skin-soothing effects.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel: This product was voted “Best Chemical Exfoliant” in Cosmopolitan’s 2024 exfoliator review. These peel pads are said to make your skin clearer and smoother by removing bumps and blackheads.
Peach & Lily Glass Skin Face Polisher: A Cosmopolitan winner in 2024 for “Best Physical Exfoliator,” this powder is put into your face wash and washed to reveal smooth skin. The recommended use is 2-3 times a week.
Hyper Even Fade and Glow AHA Mask: The ingredients in this mask concoction is hit after hit: mandelic, glycolic, salicylic acid as well as papaya ferment extract. You simply apply and rinse after 15 minutes to reveal evened tones and glowy skin.
Step 3: Antioxidant Serums
There’s an endless number of serums out there that help accomplish different goals: hydration, brightening, anti-aging, or some combination of the few. For now, I want to focus on improving complexion and anti-aging while avoiding overloading my skin. It’s recommended you limit to 2-3 serums in your routine.
I use Peach & Lily Glass Skin Serum and La Roche Posay Retinol Serum, the first is for hydrating complexion and the second is for anti-aging. Serums should be applied after cleansing and toning, but before moisturizing to give your serums clean skin to penetrate while locking in all the nutrients with your moisturizer. The Peach & Lily Serum can be used in the AM and PM, but I use retinol serum at night only since retinol increases photosensitivity.
If you’re a skincare guru, you’ve definitely heard of “glass skin.” Glass skin is a huge Korean beauty trend that refers to skin that appears translucent and luminous like literal glass. The hallmark of glass skin is layers upon layers of hydration. The Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum is a blend of peach extract, niacinamide, East Asian yam, hyaluronic acid, and peptides that will help you achieve “glass skin.”
The Peach & Lily Glass Skin Serum won the 2024 Cosmopolitan Readers' Choice Award for “Best Hydrating Serum,” 3 Teen Vogue Acne Awards, and the 2023 SELF Healthy Beauty Awards for a variety of products.
My second serum is La Roche Posay Retinol B3 Serum. This product is relatively lower in retinol (0.3%) than prescriptive retinoid products and has vitamin B3, or niacinamide, which works with the retinol to combat wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne, and dullness. I avoid mixing the strong exfoliating acids like those in Peach & Lily Glass Skin Serum with this retinol serum, because it can lead to excessive irritation and dryness.
As mentioned, using BHAs and retinol together should also be done with caution. To clarify, they do different things: retinol targets aging by increasing cell turnover while BHAs target pore build up and breakouts by exfoliating inside your pores. I sprinkle my use of the retinol serum, glass skin serum, and liquid exfoliant throughout the week and on different days.
After scouring the internet, I decided to get this retinol serum, because it had crazy high reviews on Amazon and was consistently praised across searches for “best retinol serum.” It’s also the best retinol product for those with mature, oily, or acne-prone skin.
Retinol can be an irritant when not used in moderation, but I can attest this doesn’t leave my skin with irritation or burning sensations like other retinol products are said to. However, note that retinol can cause “retinol purging,” or breakouts, for the first 1-4 weeks, especially if you have sensitive skin. Although this is normal, I’d use it sparingly to avoid this if it’s your first time. Also, if you get any kind of facial waxing, you should not use retinol 10-14 days before your wax appointment. The retinol thins your skin (because it increases cell turnover) and waxing right after can cause your skin to tear or flare up. Using retinol a day after waxing is okay though.
If you’re interested in serums for plumping, brightening, or other enhancements, explore the most effective serum for that specific goal.
Other product recommendations:
Paula’s Choice PRO Retinaldehyde Dual-Retinoid Treatment: Voted “Best Overall” in Self Magazine’s retinol product review for 2025, this is pricier but was found non-irritating for sensitive skin testers. It was also one of the few products to give immediate results.
Iope Retinol Super Bounce Serum: Voted “Best Overall” in Vogue’s 2025 review of “Best Korean Retinol Products,” this is an effective product that smoothes fine lines while keeping skin plump and hydrated.
Drunk Elephant C-Luma Hydrabright Serum: A great product for brightening, this serum will give your skin a good dose of Vitamin C for a brighter complexion. It was recognized by Glamour in its “Top 27 Skin Care Products” review in 2024.
Caudalie Resveratrol-Lift Instant Firming Serum: This hydrating and collagen-boosting serum is a good alternative to retinol, as it still firms and has anti-aging effects but is gentler than retinol.
Sofie Pavitt Face Mandelic Acid Exfoliating & Clearing Serum: Recognized by Cosmopolitan as the “acne whisperer,” this serum has ingredients like mandelic acid, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol to help brighten and fight breakouts.
Step 4: Spot Treatments
When I get an unwanted pimple (talk about worst timing always), I’ve always relied on Neutrogena On the Spot. A godsend for me since high school, this acne spot treatment will dry up a sporadic pimple and make them disappear in 1-2 days. It actually works.
While spot treatments vary - benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, sulfur, and more - the one that works for you depends on your skin needs and/or severity of breakout concerns. Other products besides spot creams include pimple patches (I admittedly have never use these so I have no personal recs for these products). Spot treatments should come after cleansing and before other products for best application and adhesion.
Other product recommendations:
La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment: A favorite among dermatologists and skincare gurus, this treatment is fast-acting without being too irritating. We can thank benzoyl peroxide, a derm-favorite ingredient for reducing acne-causing bacteria.
Face Reality's Sulfur Spot Treatment: This was the winner for “Best Spot Treatment” in Cosmopolitan’s 2024 Acne Award! With its 6% sulfur formula, this sulfur-based remedy effectively shrinks a breakout within a single use. Stubborn pimple’s won’t stand a chance.
Peace Out 2% Salicylic Acid Early Stage Acne Dot: We all know that eerie feeling of a pimple sitting under our skin just waiting to come to the surface. This patch product is especially great for early stage pimples and won Allure’s 2022 and 2023 “Reader’s Choice Award.” These patches are formulated with salicylic acid and microneedles to stop those early stage flare ups.
Step 5: Mist
Of the products listed, mist is the least essential imo. It’s more useful if you have very dry skin or want instant top-level hydration, but since moving to Los Angeles, I figured what the heck, I might as well.
Because facial mist isn’t a high priority for me, I go for what’s most budget-friendly. I use Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray which comes in many different scents and won the 2022 New Beauty Award for “Best Face Mist.”
I use my facial mist right before I moisturize to lock in the additional moisture. I sometimes use it after putting on makeup for a dewy effect. The green tea, peppermint, and cucumber in this product will revitalize your skin and provide antioxidant benefits, too!
Other product recommendations:
Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray: A TikTok favorite, this mist caters to sensitive and acne or eczema prone skin and inhibits breakout-causing bacteria. It consists of just 3 ingredients: water, sodium chloride, and hypochlorous acid.
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist: A great choice for achieving silky skin, Tatcha’s mist can be sprayed over or under makeup for instant moisture. Reviews praise it’s “liquid silk” effects.
Curél Deep Moisture Spray: Voted “Best Overall” in Allure’s 2024 review, this budget-friendly mist is never greasy, but always plump and hydrated. Ceramides for barrier protection and moisture-locking are other benefits of Curél’s mist.
Step 6: Eye Cream
The most recent addition to my routine: eye cream. I struggle with sleep more often than I’d like these days, and it leaves me with tired, puffy eyes in the morning. To combat this, I added two products for my under eyes: Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment and Caffeine Eye Cream by The INKEY List. Both can be used in the AM and PM!
I’ve adopted Kendall Jenner’s favorite eye cream, Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment, which has consistently impressive reviews - and a lot of them. It depuffs and brightens under eyes using its hydrating combination of shea butter and avocado oil.
Following my under eye cream, I use the Caffeine Eye Cream. I use this product in the morning and at night. It’s a lightweight eye cream with a blend of caffeine and peptides, clinically proven to reduce appearance of puffy eyes and dark circles. Unfortunately, my boyfriend says the eye cream smells like…a retirement home? Mildewy, he said? But I can’t smell it from under my eyes so like, all good.
I use this product in addition to Kiehl’s because of its emphasis of a key ingredient: caffeine. Caffeine is used in under-eye products because it's a vasoconstrictor. It constricts blood vessels to reduce puffiness and diminish the appearance of dark circles. It leaves you looking less tired and even primes and smooths well for makeup. A fun tip is keeping this in your fridge so the chilled cream will give an extra cooling effect!
Other product recommendations:
Peter Thomas Roth Instant Firmx Eye: Although pricier, this product is praised for being fast-acting. It functions like a transparent clay mask that, as it dries, absorbs moisture and gently pulls the delicate skin and tightens it.
Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream: This eye cream is full of caffeine and ginseng, which will reduce puffiness and visibility of eye bags. It also contains lutein, an antioxidant that adds glow, as well as shea butter which will plump.
BeautyStat Universal C Eye Perfector: The eye cream that Hailey Bieber swears by. It’s more expensive, but effectively blurs imperfections, smooths fine lines, and reduces the visibility of dark circles. Clinical study shows impressive results - this was my second choice!
Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum: I’ve seen some fantastic reviews of this one and it’s only $17. With clinical results proven, this Korean eye cream targets fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness. It even addresses the loss of collagen and wrinkles.
Step 7: Moisturizer
I primarily use my Innis Free Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Cream, a complement to my matching (or should I say matcha-ing) cleansers. Let’s review the ingredients listed on its site:
Green Tea, which is rich in amino acids and antioxidants and helps provide moisture to the skin
5 Types of Hyaluronic Acid that provide deeper hydration
Green Tea Barrier Complex which blends Green Tea Seed Oil, Sugarcane-Derived Squalane, & Ceramide to fortify our skin’s moisture barrier
I love that this cream is extremely hydrating and smells so sooo good. It’s fluffy, light, and applies like some sort of whip. This cream is also budget-friendly and provides 100 hours of hydration based on their clinical study!
Another product that I use when I get unwanted acne is Aveeno Positively Radiant Face Lotion with Salicylic Acid. The salicylic acid treatment clears my skin like no other.
Many people with dry or even combination skin additionally use “night creams,” which are often heavier and thicker, to help seal in moisture and other serums used in the PM. They aren’t always necessary, but it means more hydration while the skin's natural repair process occurs while you sleep.
Similar to cleansers or sunscreens, the type of moisturizer that’s best for your skin will vary by skin type. Knowing if you have dry, oily, or combo skin is a good first step to figuring out which moisturizer to buy.
Other product recommendations:
La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Lotion: A “tried and true favorite” that doesn’t leave that greasy feeling after applying. It’s best overall and best lightweight cream across various sites.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream: Best for combo skin girlies! This sensitive skin formula will moisturize dry patches of skin, deeply hydrate, and will give you a glow without any grease.
Tatcha Water Cream: Not only is it best for oily skin, it tightens pores and refines skin texture too! It’s also got algae and green tea to sooth skin irritations. Some reviews note that it may not be hydrating enough for those with dry skin.
Drunk Elephant Bora Barrier Rich Repair Cream with 6-Butterlipid Complex: Acknowledged as a great moisturizer for those with dry skin, the cream is thick, rich, and thoroughly hydrates.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost: This lotion came out in 2010 and has been consistently well-reviewed for years. It’s great for all skin types and budget-friendly too!
Step 8: Everyday Sunscreen
The most critical step of a morning routine is sunscreen! Blocking the damaging UV from sun can help you proactively prevent aging and protect against skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher for the best protection. My favorite sunscreen for daily use is Innis Free Daily UV Defense SPF 36. I’ve also tried their SPF 45 version which is a little stickier than the SPF 36 but offers more protection against the LA sun.
I’ll also add, if you’re out in the sun for longer periods of time, you should reapply generously throughout the day. Reapplying it every 2 hours is recommended for SPF 30 to even 70, but you may need to reapply more often if you’re swimming or sweating off your sunscreen.
Other product recommendations:
Super Goop Unseen Sunscreen: This was voted “Best Overall” in Cosmopolitan’s 2024 review of daily use sunblock! It’s a completely clear sunscreen that blurs with makeup primer too! Try this (I might!) if you want an invisible and oil-free formula that smoothes your skin.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF 55: Extremely affordable, easy to find, and just as effective.
EltaMD UV Clear Face Sunscreen SPF 46: This sunscreen is apparently loved by every dermatologist because it’s great for every skin type, leaves no white residue, and doesn’t cause breakouts for sensitive and acne-prone skin.
What Skincare Ingredients NOT to Mix
Last but not least, keep a close eye on the ingredients in your products. Many people don’t realize certain skin care ingredients shouldn’t be used together, and there can be seriously unwanted damage to their skin.
Avoid overlapping these ingredients in the same use:
Retinol and Vitamin C: On their own, Retinol and Vitamin C are super beneficial, and they may help brighten skin. But you shouldn’t use them in tandem to try doubling their benefits. It’s likely they’ll leave your face red and feeling mild to high discomfort.
Retinol and Benzoyl Peroxide: Just like Retinol and Vitamin C, Retinol and Benzoyl peroxide neutralize each other’s effects and can cause skin irritation when used together.
Retinol and AHAs: Both Retinol and AHAs disrupt the skin’s natural barrier, so don’t use them together as it can cause dryness, redness, and heightened skin sensitivity.
Retinol & Salicylic Acid: You’ll notice Retinol is one of those ingredients that doesn’t mix with a lot of others. When used alongside Salicylic Acid, your skin will become extremely dry.
Vitamin C and Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs): Avoid mixing Vitamin C and AHAs such as citric acid, glycolic acid, hydroxycaproic acid, hydroxycaprylic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid. These ingredients do not to mix and will cause irritation.
Vitamin C and Benzoyl Peroxide: Vitamin C is one of the most effective ingredients because of how beneficial it is to skin, however, you’ll notice it doesn’t mix nicely with a lot of ingredients. Benzoyl Peroxide will actually cancel out the benefits of Vitamin C.
Dapsone aka Aczone & Benzoyl Peroxide: Dapsone and Benzoyl peroxide are two skin care ingredients not to mix. If you do, your skin will get a orange discoloration. Uhh what!
Benzoyl Peroxide & Hydroquinone: If mixed, these ingredients can stain your skin, making some areas appear darker than others.
Hydroquinone & AHAs: Both of these can irritate your skin alone, so avoid combining or you might irritate your skin twice as much. Double yikes.
With precautions, it may be alright to alternate between some products with conflicting ingredients, that is, if they are used at different times of the day or on different days altogether. It’s always important to chat with a skin professional about your skin to learn about what products to add or avoid.
Conclusion
In conclusion, skin care is a complex, frustrating, and sometimes scary process. No one wants to spend hundreds on products that don’t do jack sh*t and no one wants a bad skin reaction to products either! Take it slow and steady when it comes to adding in more products and be sure to research products that are best for your skin type. Going to a dermatologist or getting a facial are additional ways to learn more about your skin type and what it needs to accomplish your goals.
And lastly, despite the many products you can put on your skin, drinking lots of water, exercising, eating healthy, and managing stress are also other factors that you can use to improve your skin health. Take care of your skin, from the inside and the outside.
Sincerely,
Hannah
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