This is your guide to learning how to introduce Retinol/Bakuchiol into your nighttime routine.
What is Retinol / Bakuchiol used for?
One of the most effective ingredients for combating the signs of aging (fine lines and dark spots) is Retinol or its vegan alternative, Bakuchiol. It's effective because it's a powerful active ingredient that you should gradually incorporate into your nighttime routine to maintain your skin barrier and prevent irritation when you first start using it.
What is Skin Cycling?
The concept was created by New York dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe , which involves following a 4-day cycle for your nighttime routine in which you use active ingredients the first two days followed by two days of rest .
Benefits of Skin Cycling:
- Avoid skin irritation
- Accelerates the skin regeneration cycle
- Treats expression lines
- Unifies skin texture and blemishes
- Allow your skincare ingredients to do their job properly
4-Day Night Routine
Day #1 - Exfoliation
We start by removing the layer of dead cells, which helps us increase collagen production and thus stimulate skin regeneration.
- Cleanse - Double cleanse by removing impurities with Micellar Water followed by your face wash.
- Exfoliant - Use a chemical exfoliant that contains AHAs, BHAs, or PHAs in its ingredients. Look for them in masks or serums , as they are more effective than physical exfoliants like scrubs.
- Moisturizer - Apply your night cream
Day #2 - Retinol/Bakuchiol
Your skin after the night of exfoliation is ready to effectively incorporate your active ingredient.
- Cleanse - Again, double cleanse with micellar water and face soap.
- Retinol/Bakuchiol - Apply your Retinol/Bakuchiol
Day #3 and #4 - Repair
During these two days we focus on hydrating the skin, allowing it to rest and regenerate.
- Cleanse - Use gentle products like Micellar Water to cleanse.
- Repairs - Soothes and regenerates skin with a calming toner that leaves skin moist.
- Hydrate - Apply a serum containing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and/or niacinamide. We recommend using our Balancing Snail Serum , which contains lactic acid and enzymes that repair and maintain your exfoliation.
We recommend repeating this routine twice to introduce Retinol/Bakuchiol into your skin, then using your Bakuchiol Midnight Recovery Cream daily to continue treating the signs of aging at night.