Yes, you could have as many steps as you want in your daytime skincare routine—but some days you might want to abbreviate it (uh, hello snooze button) or if you’re starting out, you want something easy you can stick to.

Luckily the basics of a daytime anti-aging routine are simply:

1. GENTLE CLEANSER

If you have very dry, sensitive skin and did a proper cleanse the night before, you might opt to just rinse the skin with water and move onto the next step.

SHOP CLEANSERS IN THE WIDGETS BELOW

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SENSITIVE SKIN (ALL TYPES)

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2. VITAMIN C

Vitamin C can be amazing for stimulating collagen production (collagen is the protein in the skin that helps keep it looking SNATCHED), helping to fight against all the things that try to come for our skin during the day (pollution, free radicals, UV, etc), and can also help brighten the complexion.

Vitamin C in its purest form (l ascorbic acid) is said to be the gold standard, however for some this can be irritating, and that’s where some derivatives come in. Make sure you check out this vitamin C series on my Youtube channel to learn more.

SHOP VITAMIN C PRODUCTS IN THE WIDGET BELOW

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For those who have tried and just can’t tolerate vitamin C or just prefer something else, you can also look into other antioxidants like green tea, niacinamide, etc and peptides to help plump the skin.

SHOP OTHER ANTIOXIDANTS AND PEPTIDES IN THE WIDGET BELOW

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3. MOISTURIZING SUNSCREEN

For some this might be split into two steps: moisturizer and then sunscreen, but if you’re sunscreen is moisturizing enough on its own, you can combine the steps.

Sunscreen is one of our biggest allies in fighting things like premature aging, dark spots, melasma, and even acne (sun exposure makes these and many other skin conditions worse).

SHOP MOISTURIZING SUNSCREENS IN THE WIDGET BELOW

DRY SKIN

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OILY/COMBO SKIN

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FOR MINERAL SUNSCREEN RECOMMENDATIONS, CLICK HERE.

Mineral sunscreens are typically recommended for those with sensitive skin, but keep in mind that “sensitive skin” is not a skin type—it’s important to patch test and then slowly introduce any new products into your routine and take special care to note which products and ingredients typically irritate your skin.

See a simple nighttime anti-aging routine here.