The Complete Guide to Layering Your Skin Care Products

Let's be honest, skincare can feel overwhelming. Serums, acids, moisturizers, SPF, in what order? Can you mix them if you're using too much or not enough? If you've ever stood in front of the bathroom mirror thinking, Am I doing this right? You're not alone. We've helped thousands of women stop guessing and start seeing results by simplifying one thing: how to layer their products correctly.

Today, we're cutting through the confusion and giving you a foolproof layering guide so you know exactly what to use, when to use it, and how to get the most out of your routine. So, skincare can be a little bit confusing. Yeah.

There are a lot of questions about how we should layer products. Does it matter? Does it matter if I put this on before this? Is this gonna cancel out this? And there are some rules for specific ingredients, of course. So let's kind of go over some basics for somebody who is really just wondering, like, what is the best way that I put all these on? Yeah, and I think, obviously, as you add on more products, you know, it gets more confusing because maybe you have multiples of one thing, and that causes confusion.

So let's start first. What order do we put things in? Right. To simplify it to its simplest thing, we're gonna go from thin to thick.

All your powerhouse serums and things like that are gonna be very thin, so they penetrate easy. And then the thicker things that are gonna like lock in moisture, and we want them to take a little while to penetrate, you know, those are always gonna go on last. So it's very easy.

We're gonna start with serums. Okay, you've washed your face. Your skin's a little bit damp.

Now we're gonna put a serum on. Now, let's say you get a variety of serums. Maybe you have, you know, this one's got alcohol and acid in it, and this one uses water and peptides.

Well, which goes on first, right? Correct. So the first thing that you should always put on would be an acid or an alcohol. And if you have an acid and an alcohol, I generally say put the acid on first, the highest percentage of acid first, like our serum 15.

Got it. And then alcohol-based. So the reason you put these on first is that they're gonna dissipate really quickly.

Got it. And then just that acid or main ingredient is gonna penetrate. And now we wanna put our water-based things on.

So you could have a variety of these. It really doesn't matter which you put on first. You can mix them and put them on.

You can do one at a time. I'm a mixer. It doesn't matter.

I like to mix them too. I don't have all that kind of time. I just pump of this, couple drops of this, few of this, mix it up, put it on.

That's how I do it. But you know, a lot of people really want to do things in order. Let's talk about, you should wait in between layering? I get that question a lot.

No, you don't need to wait. If you want to stay, maybe after those acids or alcohols, if you wanna let it dissipate for a second, okay, go ahead. Then put your water-based things on.

But there's no need to wait. You're putting water on. You're just adding more moisture to your skin.

That's not causing the ingredients not to penetrate or anything like that. There's no need to wait until you feel dry or something in between layers. By the time you get that on, put that down, grab your next one.

We only get 10 seconds or something. That's a long enough time. So we've done our acids and alcohols and then all our water-based serums together, singularly, whatever you want.

And then you move on to your creams. Now the creams also generally have active ingredients in them, but they're gonna penetrate a little bit more slowly because it's thicker. And what most creams also have are moisturizers, humectants, maybe some oils, things to keep the moisture in your skin.

So all those water-based things that you just put on and the water in your skin, now we're trying to trap it in there. Sealing it in. So your skin is nice and glowy and dewy and all that kind of stuff.

So your creams. And now, not everybody has to put oil on, of course, but let's say you want to use an oil, like let's say you use Emu Oil, because it's transdermal, helps to push things deeper in your skin. If you're using it for that, you wanna put that on top of everything you wanna go into your skin.

It's also good for helping prevent water loss again. So oils go on last. So we've got alcohol-based, water-based creams, oils, and really, you're done with that.

Then you put your SPF on. SPF is its own thing. It's not gonna be really penetrating any ingredients.

It's there to be a reflectant to the sun and protect your skin. And once that's on, at that point, I guess I would give it a little bit of time before I went to put my makeup on or something like that. You finish all your shower things; you're all ready to walk out of the bathroom.

Now, yeah, go ahead and put your makeup on. I think everything's nice and set. And I think a lot of times the SPFs are really moisturizing too.

They can actually make a nice base for makeup. And I don't mean like foundation. I don't put a lot of foundation or anything on, but for anything else that you're putting on, it helps it to stay in your skin well, gives you more of a glowy feel.

Most of them, I think, are like that. The biggest mistake people make is treating their skin the same way year-round. Your routines should change based on your skin's needs.

That's why we made the Regimen Builder. It customizes everything for you, so you don't have to guess. All right, let's discuss the AM, PM routines.

Typical routine. Right. What products are essential to apply in the morning? What products are necessary to use at night and why? Yeah, so obviously during the day, we know that we're gonna be going outside and we're gonna be putting on things that are going to protect our skin from damage, like antioxidants.

Yes. The antioxidants go on in the morning. So that's where your vitamin C or your resveratrol, green tea, whatever you're using, put that on during the day.

And also, obviously, sunblock. So those are like two key things that make this a morning routine. Because other than that, we're still gonna apply them in the same order we always do.

We're gonna go thin to thick. Yep. So let's say we're gonna start with our favorite cleanser.

I'm gonna say the anti-aging lactic cleanser, because maybe we've got a little bit sensitive skin. So we're gonna wash that and rinse that off. And while our skin is still a little bit moist, I would generally say, put your Fade Bright on.

Sure. Right? Fade Bright has a little bit of alcohol in it, and it's got some acids in it. So we definitely want it to be one of our first products.

Correct. So go ahead and put your Fade Bright on. And then after that, we like to use our water-based serums.

I recommend something like Regenerate Epidermal Growth Factor, or maybe some PDRN. Or Dr. Platinum Potions. Any of the Dr. Platinum Potions.

And then after that, now our vitamin C doesn't have any water in it, but you still kind of want to put it on at the same time. Right. And because that's an antioxidant, because we're dealing with hyperpigmentation, we want to put that on in our scenario here.

Yes. And then we're going to pick our moisturizer. So let's say we have sensitive dry skin.

So I'm going to pick the DermaSnap 8LM. I'm going to put that on. Got it.

And then we're going to top it off with our Sunblock. In this case, I would say like Flawless, which is SPF 50. Right.

We're going to put that on, and we're suitable for the day. A little tip with our vitamin C. Yeah. Since you mentioned it is a waterless formula.

Oh yeah. It is best just to apply a very small pea-sized amount. Half a pea.

Yeah. Just a tiny bit. Pump two of your moisturizers or your hyaluronic acid.

Mix it with something. Mix it with something and then apply it to your face. If not, I guarantee you're going to use too much.

Yeah, that's a good one. I think a lot of people like to mix it with the hyaluronic, or in our case, you could mix it with the Regenerate because that also has a lot of hyaluronic in it. Or the Dr. Platinum potions.

Or the potions, anything. Those are great. But mixing it with something really does help to get that to apply and spread further.

Just a little side note. I agree. All right, now let's go over PM.

So, PM, the difference in PM is that we no longer need the SPF. We don't really need our antioxidants. But we do want to focus on real regenerative products.

Like we can put our clothes on at night, we want to put our retinoids on at night. Retinoids, mainly because the sun can damage the retinoids.

So it's best to put them on at night. So let's say our same routine for somebody that has hyperpigmentation, because that's just so common. So nighttime, same thing.

You know, you're going to wash your face and you're going to scrub for a good 30 seconds. We've got to get the SPF off, all those products off. And the day's sweat and dirt, makeup.

Absolutely. I will wash my skin once, maybe even twice. It depends on whether you put a lot on, if you use foundations and things.

Then you're going to move on to your Fade Bright again. Now you don't always have to do Fade Bright twice a day. One to two times per day.

If your skin is acclimated to it, twice a day is good. So let's say we're going to put that on. And if you have any other serums, let's say maybe you want to use Serum 15 tonight instead of your Fusion A. You could do, you know, Serum 15.

And then put any other water-based serums, like your potions, again, your Regenerate. I love Regenerate. And then your cream.

Now, a lot of times I don't put cream on. A lot of times, I use my Fusion A instead of a cream. So that's up to you.

You know, if you feel that you need more hydration, more moisture, you can use your Derma Snap again. You can use whatever you want. Add a pump of Emu Oil.

Add a pump of Essential Healing Blend. Whatever you want. You can use your Essential FX.

There you go. Anything you want to use. So our nighttime products, the only things, like I said, are copper.

You can use copper during the day, but it's always, I think, blue at night and yellow during the day. So that's one of the common questions is you can't use vitamin C and copper together. Why can't you? Well, there is no hard set rule about this.

It is just that Dr. Picard, and he's the one who makes copper. Correct. He felt that they didn't work well together.

And I'm not sure which one he felt damaged, the other one. Right. Something was canceling something out.

So he suggested they be applied at least eight hours apart. Yes. So we put the C on during the day because that's its natural time to go on.

Yes. Copper, like I said, copper could go on day or night. Yes.

Because it's blue, I think it's easiest to remember, put it on at night. So that's generally a water-based serum. Yes.

So you put that on just with your other water-based serums if you're using something like that. And I can't think of anything else that's a specific, oh, this one can't be used with this one, or something like that. Yeah, those are, that's the two major ones.

It's always a big question. What can't I put on together? And with the copper serums, the super and the CP serum, the nice part about those is you can simply add two to three drops of those to your moisturizer at night. Yeah.

Mix it, apply it to your entire face and neck. Now, if you are treating scars or blemishes with the Super Cop 2X, that is a thicker cream. Yeah.

That one goes on as your very last product, correct? And you would just kind of spot treat wherever you- Spot treat as needed. Yeah. The only time that I would suggest putting the Super Cop 2X on first is if like you have depressed scars.

I almost think of it as spackle. Instead, fill in those little areas. I like to fill in the hole.

That makes sense to Pat it on there, wipe anything off, just kind of smooth the surface with that. But that's only with an atrophic scar like that, where you're trying to fill it in because it's not a smooth surface to begin with. That's the only time I would ever say to put it out of order.

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Usually it's like a cream and you would put it on later. But yeah, I would say definitely if you're dealing with scarring like that, you would put it on first.

So it doesn't have to be rocket science. No, you have to use it according to your particular needs. Thin to thick is the best rule of thumb.

C in the morning, retinoids at night. Those are the only key things. Yeah, and sunscreen in the day.

And if you still have questions, you don't have to figure it out all alone. In our Peel Nation Facebook group, we have skincare experts, experienced peelers, and a whole community ready to help. Big questions or recurring questions from customers are, you know, they get a little confused about the copper peptides.

Yeah, I can see why. First generation copper is the GHK. Second generation copper is the Super CP, the CP Super Cop 2X.

They get a little confused about, you know, what you can and cannot use with the GHK products. Yeah, okay, so GHK, this is Dr. Picard's original formulation. He had a different company.

He patented it under that company, and only that company could use it. So this was his very original one. And it is terrific.

It does great things for your skin. It's a little bit fragile. So you cannot put it on with things like acids.

And acids are things like, no one is an acid, that's retinoic acid. You cannot put it on with Serum 15 or Serum 30. Fabrite has a lower percentage.

I think it would be okay. I would put something in between the two. But this is his original one.

We generally say we have the 7%, which you could add to lots of different products. We have the Luxe. We also have the Crepey Skin Escape.

These we recommend for people who obviously have a little bit more sensitive skin, or they're not using tretinoin or acids. They can use this without any issues. It's still good for anti-aging.

It is definitely still skin remodeling. But the second generation is more geared towards bigger issues. I feel like this is terrific.

But I think if you're dealing with intense wrinkles or scarring and things like that, you need to move on to the second generation, which is this. The second generation came about when he left his own company. I think he sold that company off.

And they still held the patent to that. So he could no longer use that. He had to create his own.

And what he did, because he had a goal in mind, he's like, this one has some issues. We can't put it on with the acids and all that kind of stuff. So I'm going to make it a little bit stronger, a more hardier solution.

So this one is, it's still obviously the copper peptides, but it's a different type of peptide. This is like the copper two-plus ion. It's not the GHK form.

So this one can go on with acids. It can go on. He made sure this could go on right.

You can put this on at the same time as you put serum 15 or tretinoin, or anything that's strong and irritating. These will hold up. And then he did the CP serum.

Then the super CP serum is more potent. And there's actually a Super Cop, which we don't carry. And then the Super Cop 2X is the strongest, which is why we just kind of skipped that one.

It was just a little redundant. We're going to start most people with just a couple of drops of the CP serum. I know everybody always wants to move up.

They always want to use the 2X, but don't. Don't do this. It's too strong.

It's irritating. It's not a product that you necessarily are going to ever put all over your face unless you are a very, very long-time user. Long-time user of copper.

Because you have to be careful with copper, because copper does two things, one, it breaks down damaged tissues. And then the second, it helps to regenerate new tissues.

So if you put this on super aggressively, you are breaking down, breaking down, breaking down, breaking down, and you're not giving your skin that chance to regenerate fast enough, then you're going to end up looking not as good for a little while. Your skin looks a little ruddy. They call it the ugliest copper.

Yes. It's a syndrome. You've got to stop.

Stop using it for probably five, six days. Your skin will reverse. Give your skin a chance to catch up, which it will.

And you'll be looking amazing. And then you'll want to make that same mistake again, but don't. Just a couple of drops.

You don't need to bathe in this. Don't be overaggressive. Because this comes in bigger sizes, but I refuse to offer it.

Because I know people will overuse it. You're supposed to use two or three drops of this. You're not supposed to use them.

I mean, that's not good. Let's talk about color and scent. Oh yeah, because this one's dark.

Over time, the color will dissipate. The scent will dissipate. Yeah.

This starts off typically, and I don't have a super fresh one here, but you know, if we can look in the camera, like this is the 2X. And you can see because it's in cream. The cream is white.

So you can see the blue in this. Now this one has been sitting here for a little bit. A little bit darker.

And I can still see blue, but it's like a blue-green. Yeah. And it's getting darker, darker.

Yeah. This can turn so dark. I've had some in my house.

Let's say there's like this much left in the bottle. It's almost black. Right, right.

And it's fine. Yeah. It's fine.

This stuff is good for three to five years. Doesn't matter what color it is. And then he starts.

He adds a little bit of scent to it, which is nice. The smell it's a pleasant scent. It's because copper is not a fabulous-smelling ingredient.

It doesn't smell great. But after a few months, I would say maybe three months or so, that scent just kind of whittles away. And then all of a sudden, you're smelling the actual product.

Yeah. And that's when people are like, I think there's something wrong with it. And it's like, no, that's what it smells like.

For sure. So it's fine. Yeah.

But you'll see that less is more. A couple of drops of that mixed in with something else is not going to smell nearly as much as pouring a bunch of this on your face. But yeah, it's okay if it gets dark.

It's okay if it smells. It's still good. Yes.

Still going to work. Studies have been done where, five years later, the copper peptides were still active. Still active.

It's a great product, which is why we've carried it for, it's been over 20 years. Absolutely. It's been over 20 years.

It was one of the first products that I bought. And it's a great product. It helps with overall skin tone, texture, and tightening.

Yeah. So, what is it suitable for? It's good for, well, of course it's good for like scars and things. It's fantastic for regenerating scar tissue.

So you can use it on scars that are 25 years old, 30 years old, two years old, or six months old. Mine is it's healed and sealed. Healed and sealed.

We're good to go. It's also super for anti-aging. Cause you think remodeling, all different types of things break down, and it's not just scar tissue that's different.

You know, other tissues are breaking down, and it just helps to regenerate new tissues, tighten, and firm. And it's a fantastic product to use. So yeah, suitable for, good for everything, anybody.

And you know, it's something that you can definitely add on if you're looking for anti-aging and you just want to kick it up a notch. I think that's a great one. Super simple.

A couple of drops, add it to your moisturizer, and it's all done. Yeah. Oh, and one other, one other thing I forgot.

Dr. Burkhardt always liked to mix it with Emu Oil or top it with Emu Oil. So I just want to explain a little something. Emu Oil is transdermal, right? So if you're trying to push the copper deeper into your skin, you can put the copper on first, put the Emu Oil on top, and it will help to push it in.

Generally, if you mix the copper and the Emu Oil, it'll still penetrate wonderfully. Now let's say that something is too substantial for you, or it's irritating for you. What he suggested in that case is to go ahead and put, like Emu Oil, on your face first.

Now we're using it as a barrier, and now we put the copper on top, and then the Emu will slow down the penetration of copper. So that's what he said to do for people who were experiencing irritation with this. But start with the CP, work up to the super CP, and then maybe one day you might be using the Super Cop 2X on your whole face, but I doubt it.

You could stick with super CP serum for a very, very long time and still reap the fantastic benefits. Unless you have scars or you're spot treating it, then go right for the 2X. And I think it's highly recommended.

Perfect. Yeah. All right, a quick recap on the layering of the skincare products.

Yep, thin to thick, just think thin to thick. Put your serums on first, all your alcohols and acids first, watery serums, creams, oils, and SPF. It never changes.

Simple. I love it. Perfect.

If you have any questions and you still need some guidance, we realize that it may still be overwhelming, and that's okay. We're here to help. You can phone us at 1-800-917-3155.

Email us. Support at platinumskincare.com. And you can also visit us in our Platinum Skin Care Guru group on Facebook if you're a social media user. Absolutely.

Perfect. We're here to help. We're happy to do so.