What the heck is ‘skin cycling?’
One of many trends born on TikTok, it’s really quite simple. It’s all about rotating skin products over a four-day cycle, giving your skin a ‘breather’ in between heavy exfoliating and Retin A.
For instance, Day 1 could be ‘Exfoliation’ night; Day 2 Retinol, Day 3 and 4 is ‘barrier repair’ aka moisturizer night (think serums and Hyaluronic Acid .)
“Although the term is new [coined by Dr. Whitney Bowe], the concept has been around for a while,” said Dr. J. Brauer, a New York board-certified dermatologist.
“Skin cycling is so popular because it is simple, effective, and can be personalized for different skin types. Instead of the simultaneous application of too many products, skin cycling helps simplify your topical routine. For example, night one may be ‘exfoliation’ night, night two is ‘retinol night’ and nights three and four are recovery nights so you hold off on the exfoliation and retinoids and give your skin a chance to recover.”
Just as with exercise, our skin needs ‘rest’ days, instead of slathering on multiple products each night.
Makes sense, right?
Here’s Dr. Whitney Bowe, who created the term, on skin cycling.