The Esthetician’s Guide to Skin Cycling

The term “Skin Cycling” has taken over social media. On TikTok alone, the hashtag has garnered 3.5 billion views – that’s billion. But on a platform where skin care trends can range from ‘amazing’ to ‘avoid-at-all-costs’ (looking at you, diy dermaplaning) – we knew it was time to talk about this surging trend.

first, what is Skin Cycling?

Skin Cycling is a 3 to 4 day nighttime routine, where you “cycle” your skin through exfoliation, then retinol, followed by rest/hydration. The cadence of the days means that the active ingredients in your routine get spaced out, giving skin’s barrier time to adjust and recover from potential irritation. Active ingredients for two nights, followed by two nights of hydrating, barrier reparative ingredients. Then repeat!

do skin care experts recommend Skin Cycling?

Yes! Turns out, the method behind skin cycling has been recommended by estheticians and dermatologists for years and years. And while the method is not new, is can deliver visible results when practiced correctly, and when using the best skin cycling products. Let’s call it Smart Skin Cycling. Here’s what our estheticians recommend:

Skin Cycling Night 1: Exfoliation

Skin cycling is all about order. And you start with exfoliation, in order to dissolve and sweep away the uppermost layer of dead skin cells. A chemical exfoliator is a great choice for night 1, as alpha hydroxy acids can penetrate deep and dissolve the intercellular glue that holds dead cells together. After cleansing and toning skin, apply your exfoliator, and follow with moisturizer.

ESTHETICIAN RECOMMENDATION: Quick Refiner

Skin Cycling Night 2: Retinol

Now that you exfoliated your skin the night before, your skin is ready for active ingredients to penetrate deep down. Apply a retinol product after cleansing, over your face and neck. Think of skin like a mattress that sags over time. Retinol works to make the mattress firm again, by helping connective tissues weave together and become denser. The microencapsulated retinol used in Bioelements formulas targets fine lines, wrinkles, rough and dull skin.

ESTHETICIAN RECOMMENDATION: Age Activist Clinical Youth Serum

Skin Cycling Nights 3/4: Barrier Repair + Recovery

Now it’s time to nourish, hydrate and repair your skin’s barrier. There are multiple ways to do this: give skin a surge of hyaluronic acid in a hydrating serum, and use a barrier-targeted moisturizer that’s designed to push comforting hydration deep into skin with barrier repairing ingredients. You can also lock in moisture and replenish protective barrier lipids with an effective argan + squalene face oil.

ESTHETICIAN RECOMMENDATION: Moisture x10, Barrier Fix Daily Hydrator, Dewluxe