Cleanse & Exfoliate

Everything that comes off the face rather than staying on it — the first step of every routine, and the weekly reset.

It is also the part of a routine most often overdone. Skin that feels squeaky is skin that has lost more than it needed to, and almost every complaint that follows — tightness, shine an hour later, stinging when a serum goes on — traces back to this step rather than to the ones after it.

The four groups

• Cleansers — gel, foam, milk, oil, micellar and bi-phasic. The format matters more than the marketing; that page explains which suits what, and whether you actually need to double cleanse.
• Exfoliators — chemical or physical, once or twice a week. Choosing wrongly between the two is the usual route to an irritated face.
• Toners — three products under one word: exfoliating, hydrating and purifying. Work out which one you want before buying any of them.
• Masks and mists — the occasional additions, not the foundation of anything.

The order

Cleanse, then exfoliate if it is an exfoliating night, then tone on damp skin, then the rest of the routine. Never exfoliate twice in one session, and never on the same night as a strong active unless you already know your skin tolerates it.

Lukewarm water throughout. Hot water strips more than any formula on this page.