The 5-Step Glow Routine

Step 1: Cleanse without stripping

The cleanser is where most routines go wrong. Foaming, sulfate-based cleansers strip the skin's natural oils, leave it tight, and force the rest of your routine to do double duty just to undo the damage.

A gentle cream cleanser or low-pH gel cleanser is enough for almost everyone. Lukewarm water, not hot. Pat dry, don't rub.

Step 2: Layer hydration

Apply a hydrating toner or essence to damp skin, then a humectant like hyaluronic acid. Skin can hold far more water than people give it credit for — but only if you layer hydration on damp skin and seal it in immediately. Dry skin doesn't glow; hydrated skin does.

Step 3: Add an antioxidant

An antioxidant serum in the morning — a stable vitamin C derivative, ferulic acid, or vitamin E — does two things: neutralizes the free radicals from sun and pollution, and brightens over time. This is the single biggest glow multiplier you can add to a routine.

Step 4: Seal it in

Moisturizer's job is to lock in the layers underneath. Lightweight for oily skin, richer for dry. Peptides and ceramides in your moisturizer support the barrier; niacinamide calms redness and refines the look of pores.

Step 5: Protect — every single day

SPF is the only step that protects everything you've built underneath. Even cloudy days, even winter, even indoors near windows. Broad-spectrum SPF 30 minimum; SPF 50 for sun-prone days. Without it, every other step is temporary.

The 5-step routine is the foundation. Once it's established, additions like brightening serums or retinol slot in cleanly at step 3. The Routine Builder walks through it for every skin type.