I mean, we all have done it at one point – overdoing our skincare routine, and discovering the ugly consequences. I mean I have! But, in a classic case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ (although I’ve been getting much better!) learn from my mistakes. Learn how much skincare is too much!

So, you have an exceptional skincare routine. You wear sunscreen. You exfoliate (chemically of course!). You use antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides, retinoids, BHA, AHA, Vitamin C. You double-cleanse religiously. And yet, your skin doesn’t look – good. Maaaaaaaaaybe you skincare routine doesn’t help your skin?!

Or, you’re a newbie and don’t know where to start with a skincare routine. Hiiiiiiii! Welcome, hi! Let’s start with determining when too much is too much.

How much skincare actives should you use

The possible problems: Either you’re using a concentration of ONE active that’s too high for your skin, or you’re using one too often, or too many actives at once.

Let me tell you a secret I wish someone had told me when I started with actives: you don’t need to use all of them. Remember, companies want to sell their products, and their messaging can be confusing: of course you want brightening, glow, hydration, radiance and firmness! Anti-acne AND anti-aging! Obviously! But, here’s the deal: let’s assume you want to fight hyperpigmentation. Actives recommended for that are (among others) Vitamin C, Niacinamide and retinoids. You don’t need all of them. You can, actually, pick and choose, and the secret is to introduce an active ingredient slowly, try it out for a few months, and then DITCH IT if it doesn’t do anything for you. Do not go and implement another one on top of the old one.

Skincare myths

There’s also the persisting myth that higher concentrations are more effective (they aren’t necessarily, because with higher concentrations usually come higher potential for irritation), and that you should exfoliate once a day. I exfoliate once a week at most, and my skin lets me know when I should, because I can feel a bit of roughness when I cleanse.

Overdoing actives are a great way to disturb and compromise your skin barrier, and we don’t want that. The danger with that is also that you likely won’t realise that the reason for your skin problems is the barrier, and add even more actives to combat the problem.

Takeaway: Listen to your skin, and go slow. Slow and steady wins the race!

Do you need to double cleanse

Listen to some skincare influencers and you’d think it would be a crime not to double cleanse, aka using an oil-based cleansing oil or balm plus a foaming cleanser. Oh, and cleanse in the morning.

For people with very dry or sensitive skin that’s not always true, though. They can get on very well with washing their face with only water in the morning. As always, you want to find your skin’s happy place: clean, but not stripped. I honestly don’t see the benefit of a double cleanse even with waterproof sunscreen – the secret is, IMO, to not expect your face to be clean after a five-second cleanse. I usually cleanse 30 seconds with a cleanser of my choice, and my face is clean afterwards.

Takeaway: if your skin is tight or oily after a cleanse, you’re doing it wrong.

How much Niacinamide should you use

Niacinamide tends to be in everything nowadays. It’s an ‘entry active’ which is supposed to do more good than harm in every iteration. It can cerrtainly do a lot: This form of Vitamin B3 is the swiss army knife of skincare, because it does it all. Anti-aging properties? Check. Acne-fighting? Check. Antioxidant? Check. Brightening? Check. Studies show that concentrations of 2.5% help against breakouts, and concentrations of 4-5% help with hyperpigmentation. Please note that ‘high doses’ are already considered around 5%. And yes, higher concentration CAN lead to irritation.

Takeaway: you very likely don’t need products with niacinamide in every step of your skincare routine.

Using too much skincare products

Too much?

More is more? Very tempting to think when you’ve got dry skin, especially, but using a quarter bottle of that hydrating toner or that moisturizer doesn’t bring more benefits with it. If your skincare doesn’t absorb properly after a few minutes, you’ve either used too much of the product is too rich for you. Especially if you want to layer sunscreen over that, it’s not ideal: sunscreen can’t form its protective film properly if it’s swimming on a layer of skincare products.

Takeaway: don’t douse yourself with products, especially if you need to apply sunscreen afterwards.

Is slugging for all skintypes?

Ah, slugging. In theory, great for dry skin: occlusive moisturizers can trap moisture in the skin, preventing trans-epidermal water loss. For people with rosacea, perioral dematitis or even acne it’s not ideal: exactly that occlusive state can trigger or exacerbate inflammation.

Takeaway: not every skintype benefits from excessive hydration.

In the end, why should you use more products than you need? It’s wasteful, and costs a lot of money. The best skincare routine is the one tailored to your skin, and the one that gives you skin what it needs. It’s not less, and definitely not more. Skincare is very rarely a quick fix, but rather a long process.

If your skin needs just sunscreen and a cleanser, how great is that?! If it doesn’t, on the other hand, don’t worry. You’ll figure it out.

Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way! Twindly is an independent blog, and our reviews reflect that. Sometimes we’ll use affiliate links that will be clearly marked. Affiliate links mean that if you choose to buy a product through this link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost for you. If you decide to do that, thank you for helping to keep the blog afloat! (No matter if the link is affiliate or not, the reviews will always truthfully reflect how any product performed when I tested it.)