Skin Cycling: The Skincare Hack All The Experts Want You To Know About

Us skincare obsessives know the dance well. We browse the overladen beauty shelves - whether digital or IRL - drawn to shiny new buys that all promise clear, radiant, and toned skin. We add to basket and get going, barely resisting the temptation to pile it all on at once. The result? Irritated, sensitive skin and a compromised skin-barrier.

So, how do you make the most of what these high-tech, active ingredients have to offer, without wearing out your skin? Enter skin cycling. This is the latest viral skincare trend taking the likes of Instagram and TikTok by storm - the #skincycling hashtag currently has 143.1 million views on TikTok and counting - and unlike many other trending beauty fads, this one holds serious weight and is being backed by industry heavyweights and celebrities, alike.

What Is Skin Cycling?

CeraVe’s Consultant Dermatologist Alexis Granite explains, 'The concept of skin cycling applies to a night time routine and involves using specific active ingredients only on certain days, followed by "rest" days. The rest phase allows the skin to repair and reduce the risk of irritation. A four-day cycle is the most popular, so using an active ingredient for two nights, followed by two nights of rest, then repeating, and so on.'

What Does A Skin Cycling Routine Consist Of?

GP and Aesthetician Dr Ahmed El Muntasar, says, 'Generally speaking, one night will be an exfoliation. I usually recommend a chemical exfoliant for that like AHA’s and BHA’s. The second night will be focused on a retinol. And, of course, the recovery nights (night three and four) will be all about the moisturisers, the hyaluronic acids and the hydraters.'

This allows your skin to fully absorb the products and helps to treat the skin without irritating or drying it out.

'The reason why exfoliation must be done on day one is because the top layer epidermis of the skin is all dead and dull and needs to be exfoliated away. So you can either use chemical exfoliants or physical exfoliants, generally we don’t like physical exfoliants as it can cause trauma to the surface of the skin. Chemical exfoliants like BHAs and AHAs get rid of that top layer of the skin much more gently,' he says.

Shedding the top layer of the skin will then allow for better penetration of your subsequent actives. First cleanse, then use a toner, follow up with your selected active ingredient and finish with moisturiser.

What Is The Significance Of A Four Day Cycle?

'A four day cycle allows for recovery time between use of actives,' Dr Ahmad says.

A big believer in skin cycling, pro make-up artist Adeola Gboyega says, 'As we age our skin cell turnover slows down and this can lead to skin looking dull and uneven in texture. So, it’s important to include active ingredients in our routine such as exfoliants and retinol to help with skin cell turnover, without compromising your skin barrier all at one, a four-day skin cycle allows this.'

'My results have been great and it’s something I’ve done consciously as a way to keep my skin looking healthy and radiant,' adds Adeola.

Can Anyone Weave Skin Cycling Into Their Routine?

Absolutely. And, the best bit is that this method is completely geared towards sensitive skin types. 'Anyone can benefit from skin cycling, but particularly those with sensitive skin. Cycling is a nice option when starting potentially irritating ingredients such as retinol and exfoliators,' says Dr Alexis Granite.

What Results Can You Expect?

Expect to see all the results your go-to active skin products offer, without the sensitivity and dryness you'd been experiencing before. You may also find lesspurging occurs .