The booming beauty industry is one big, tempting candy store of skincare these days. It leads to joy for product enthusiasts, but also confusion and a tendency to over-apply. The experts are concerned. “I have a lot patients who play chemist with multiple skincare products,” says Karan Lal, DO, a double board-certified dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. “So many products that when I take their histories, I see that on average people are spending over $600 at a time.” This, he warns, is the drawback to an otherwise golden age of skincare accessibility. The barrage of info and images around hot new ingredients has prompted many of us to amass an arsenal of cleansers, toners, serums, exfoliators, masks, and moisturizers…until lengthy multi-step, mix-and-match beauty routines somehow became normal, woven into our everyday lives. Problem is, there’s an aggression hiding in the method, and it can wreak havoc on our complexion, cash flow, and time. For more on why, plus the simplified routine experts do recommend, read on.

The pitfalls of a more-is-more approach

Piling on products, taking a stab at blending ingredients, swapping formulas in and out too often, and going heavy on actives can cause issues like irritant contact dermatitis, which triggers rashes and damages your skin’s outer protective layer, warns Lal. Trust him when he says you do not want to suffer from this. “You can also aggravate preexisting skin conditions,” he continues. “For instance, people will layer in something with vitamin C not knowing it can make their acne worse. And allergies! It’s a nightmare when people use 10 products and have a reaction. We basically have to cut everything out and start fresh.”

Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, is also sounding the alarm on winging it. “You could be double dipping with certain ingredients that can lead to inflammation,” she says. “For example, niacinamide helps regulate oil production, minimize redness, and fade dark spots. However, the sweet spot for niacinamide is at a level of 3 to 5 percent. Having it in too many products in your routine can actually cause your skin to be inflamed, the very thing you were trying to correct in the first place. You also don't need more than one exfoliator. Over-exfoliating can lead to a wrecked skin barrier.”

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If you have a million-step routine, how do you know which ones are actually working?

To save your skin, probably your sanity, and certainly your savings account, the experts endorse going minimal, or “skinimal,” the rising trend that upturns the prevailing plan of attack. It means paring down your skincare routine to hardworking essentials, without sacrificing benefits. This is the plan the pros follow. And their skin says it all.

Why less is best

“There are so many benefits to a simplified skincare routine, starting with being able to stay consistent, which is necessary to seeing results,” Idriss says. She believes the magic is in using just a few effective products that are formulated to target your main skin concern. “If your biggest problem is discoloration, look for brightening ingredients. If it’s redness, look for calming and soothing ingredients. And if it’s dryness, look for hydrating and restorative ingredients. But don’t tackle all those things at once.”

To drive home the message of downsizing, she posts her own beauty routine @shereeneidriss. The rundown: After cleansing with Bioderma or Vanicream in the evenings, she uses the products from her line, PillowtalkDerm, a three-step solution for discoloration. On occasion, she swaps in retinol or a hydroquinone pad in place of exfoliating. Key word: swaps. Not adds. Her mornings are similar, except she doesn’t cleanse and adds SPF.

The more I pare back my routine, the more my skin thrives.

Whitney Bowe, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, champions the idea of skin cycling, which involves toggling between nights when you use a single active ingredient (say, an exfoliator or retinol) and those when you stick with only moisturizer. She, too, shares her personal skincare habits @drwhitneybowe. Her “exfoliation night” routine includes a gentle cleanser, her own Exfoliation Night Brightening and Resurfacing Serum, and her own Bowe Glowe moisturizer. That’s it.

Derms aren’t the only advocates of dialing down. A number of skincare brands are also onboard, bringing us either a one-and-done hero product, or a few synergetic formulas meant to comprise a full routine (shop many of our favorites, below).

One brand with simplicity at its core is Doré, recently launched by Garance Doré, the French beauty and fashion influencer. “I’ve always found that the more I pare back my routine, the more my skin thrives. Usually, it’s the complexity of too many products and too many harsh actives that has made my sensitive and acne-prone skin worse,” she says.

Vintner’s Daughter founder April Garguilo describes her philosophy as "fewer, better: fewer products that are made with the finest-quality ingredients and methodical formulation techniques,” she says.

Your pared-down plan

Skinimalism doesn’t require tossing your favorite actives. It means choosing wisely to target your most pressing concerns and avoiding overlap and overload. As the name suggests, the plan is minimal: three to four steps that include a cleanser, an active serum (this is where a great multitasker comes in that does the thinking for you by providing the right combo of ingredients in effective doses), a moisturizer or oil, and SPF (or a moisturizer with SPF). Both Lal and Idriss say you can add a booster to address a specific issue, like a retinol for acne or fine lines, hydroquinone for discoloration, or an exfoliator to smooth, but depending on the strength of the formula, this may be a step you add in once or a few times a week. Many brands have done the thinking for you, curating simplified but effective sets or an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink formula:

Minimally Minded Skincare
Le Trio
Doré Le Trio
$62 at wearedore.com

“A simple routine...is very much the French way,” says cofounder Garance Dorè. Her mix: a gentle cleanser, a cream, and a balm for extra-dry areas.

Major Fade Solution System
PillowtalkDerm Major Fade Solution System

“Selfish plug: I created this line to simplify my own routine to target my discoloration,” admits Idriss. Flash Mask exfoliates, Hyper Serum fades and illuminates, and Active Seal moisturizes. “Active Seal also has a vitamin C ester, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, so I don't need a separate vitamin C serum in my routine,” she says.

The Signature Set
Vintner's Daughter The Signature Set

“Our approach to skincare rests in a deep reverence for the ancient wisdom and the power of plants,” explains founder April Gargiulo of her essence, a hydrator and exfoliator, and her serum, a nourishing and soothing face oil. Each is formulated with whole botanicals.

Barrier Culture Moisturizer
The Nue Co Barrier Culture Moisturizer

To prevent the stress that too many products put on skin, The Nue Co offers a Barrier Culture cleanser (at right) and this moisturizer for a two-step plan. The lightweight lotion has prebiotics, ceramides, peptides, niacinamide, and squalane to support the skin barrier.

Barrier Culture Cleanser
The Nue Co Barrier Culture Cleanser

Part of The Nue Co's two-step routine, this cleans without stripping, balances pH levels, moisturizes, and repopulates your skin’s microbiome to help keep the barrier strong and healthy.

The Duo
True Two All The Duo

Based on the principle that multi-step routines are a “time suck, money suck, and can make your skin suck too,” The Duo includes a wash and a hydrator, designed to work together to maintain a healthy pH balance for all skin types.

Skin Cycling Duo
Dr. Whitney Bowe Skin Cycling Duo

"Exfoliation night" combines AHA/PHA/BHA exfoliators to brighten skin and even tone. The idea is to use it once every few nights (classic "skin cycling" is a four-night cycle, and exfoliation is night one), so you don’t overwhelm skin. Bowe Glowe hydrates and strengthens the skin barrier and is meant for every a.m. and p.m.

The Deep Repair Duo
FaTH The Deep Repair Duo

“We believe in the skin's intelligence to heal itself,” explains founder Faith Appleton. The Duo fuels skin's natural repair activity and wards off future damage with 29 botanicals suitable to all skin types. Use the oil morning and evening, and the cream at night.

One & Done Everyday Cream with SPF 40
Relevant One & Done Everyday Cream with SPF 40

Use this Everyday Cream, well, every day. Green tea extract provides antioxidants, hyaluronic acid locks in moisture, and niacinamide smooths and protects. Its inclusion of a mineral-based broad-spectrum SPF 40 means that this really is all you need for a comprehensive a.m. skincare routine.

The Hispanic and AAPI founders call this multitasking “skinwear.” It provides SPF 50, hydration, and ingredients like niacinamide (to increase collagen production) and bisabolol (to reduce inflammation). The sheer tint allows you to skip makeup, too, if you want.

Can-Dew 3-Step Kit for Glowing Skin
Three Ships Can-Dew 3-Step Kit for Glowing Skin
Now 21% Off

This kit, loaded with ingredients in efficacious proportions to target dullness, includes a gentle cleanser, brightening serum, and hydrating cream.

Intensive Repair Treatment Eczema Relief Soothing Cream
Nakery Beauty Intensive Repair Treatment Eczema Relief Soothing Cream

Relieve dry, itchy, painful skin on both face and body with a simplified, steroid-free formula that doesn't contain petrolatum or mineral oils, but rather 2 percent colloidal oatmeal, chia seed oil, seabuckthorn oil, meadowfoam seed oil, aloe, and vitamin E.

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Isabel Burton
Freelance Writer

Isabel Burton is a writer, editor, and all-around content person specializing in lifestyle, beauty, and wellness. Her work has been featured in Oprah Daily and Oprah Quarterly, Blackberry Magazine, Shape, Self, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Phenology, Wholier, and other media brands. She has held leadership positions at Shape, Self, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of InPickleball, a lifestyle-sport print and digital brand.