How Long Should You Wait In Between Skin Care Steps? Behold, Our Guide

In what order should I layer my skin care products? Beauty experts and editors alike are constantly fielding the question (and we have the answer!), yet there's a follow-up that throws off even the most seasoned pros: How long should I wait in between steps? 

Short answer: yes, if you can! Any active ingredients you use need enough time to properly penetrate the skin. If you pile them on top of each other, you can face irritation or even render those products ineffective. "If products are applied in quick succession, there is some thought that the strength and efficacy of products could be diluted," says board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp, M.D. And no one wants that. 

Not to mention, there's the issue of pilling—or when product balls up on the skin and flakes off the surface. This usually happens when you mix water- and oil-based formulas: Oil and water repel each other, which results in those pesky little flakes. 

That being said, don't beat yourself up if you don't have the time to spend extra minutes at the sink. Board-certified dermatologist Blair Murphy-Rose, M.D., FAAD, says it best: "Not everyone has time for a multistep skin care routine that requires breaks between most steps." The best skin care routine is the one you'll do consistently, and some people prefer to cleanse, moisturize, and go—that's totally fine! 

Retinol is notoriously unstable, so you should always apply on clean, dry skin. "If skin is damp or wet, the retinol will absorb more deeply and skin could become irritated," says licensed esthetician Melissa Croff. Rose seconds the warning: "When skin is damp, product penetration is increased, and therefore skin irritation may be too," she says. 

If your skin is acclimated to retinol, you could apply it on damp skin to increase absorption and maximize effectiveness, Croff adds, but that's only for folks who feel comfortable leveling up. 

After washing your face, gently dry your skin and wait one to two minutes for any lingering water to evaporate before applying your retinol of choice. "Typically, no more than a minute is needed for skin to be sufficiently dry," Rose says. 

Vitamin C—namely, ascorbic acid—is another unstable ingredient, so, similar to retinol, you'll want to apply it on clean, dry skin to maximize absorption. "Vitamin C can lose its potency and effectiveness when exposed to air, light, and moisture, so it's best to apply on skin that has no slick or slip to it," says Croff. 

That said, the same rules apply here: After cleansing and patting dry, wait about a minute before applying a vitamin C serum. Then wait two minutes before moving on with your routine. 

Here's where things get tricky. Humectants—like hyaluronic acid—actually do their best work on damp skin. "Humectants are basically 'water magnets,'" board-certified dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D., founder of SKINFIVE, once shared with mbg, so you'll want to give them the water they need to do their job properly. 

But what does this look like in a routine? Let's back up to the cleansing step: If you have a hyaluronic acid serum in your repertoire, pat your face dry just a tad before applying the serum on slightly damp skin. 

"This can be a particularly helpful step in those with more sensitive skin," says Camp, since having that hydration layer can minimize the potential side effects of more intense actives (read: irritation and dryness). Still, make sure you give that HA enough time to dry (about two minutes) before applying retinol or vitamin C.

Or, you can take the opposite approach: Cleanse your skin and pat dry, apply your retinol or vitamin C, wait for it to fully absorb, then re-wet your face with a hydrating mist before applying hyaluronic acid. This is my preferred route since I like to apply my moisturizer right over hyaluronic acid to lock in the hydration (more on that in just a moment). 

If hyaluronic acid is your last step, then go right ahead and apply your moisturizer immediately to lock in the hydration. However, if you use retinol, vitamin C, or any other unstable active, you'll want to allow enough time for that serum to dry—again, two minutes should cover it.

That's not to say you need a timer to count down the seconds. "Serums have a low molecular structure and are absorbed very quickly into the skin," says Croff. "Once a serum is pressed into the skin and feels fully absorbed, it is fine to follow up within a minute or less with moisturizer."

Sunscreen is the most noticeably finicky, as many oil-based formulas can pill over water-based moisturizers. Not to mention, "the moisturizer may dilute the sunscreen and potentially lower its ability to protect skin from the sun," says Camp.

In a perfect world, a skin care routine would take about 10 minutes. You'd take one minute to cleanse, then wait one to two minutes before applying each product. Now, do I expect you (or myself) to follow this schedule to a T every single day? Of course not! We all have lives! Sometimes you barely have enough time to slap on a moisturizer before rushing out the door (been there!).