A good morning routine has four steps: cleanse, treat, moisturize, SPF. What changes is what you reach for at each step — and that depends almost entirely on your skin type.
Step 1: Cleanse
The goal of your morning cleanse is to remove overnight sebum and any residue from your PM products — not strip your skin.
Dry skin: Use a cream or oil cleanser. Something that emulsifies gently without disrupting your barrier.
Oily skin: A gel or foaming cleanser that removes excess oil without over-drying. If your skin feels tight after cleansing, the cleanser is too harsh.
Combination skin: A gentle gel cleanser works for most. Avoid using two different cleansers on different zones — it creates more disruption than it solves.
Sensitive skin: Micellar water or a fragrance-free milk cleanser. Nothing with active ingredients at this step.
Step 2: Treat
Morning is for antioxidants and hydration. Save your retinoids, AHAs, and BHAs for the evening — they either degrade in sunlight or increase photosensitivity.
All skin types: Vitamin C serum (L-ascorbic acid or a stable derivative like ascorbyl glucoside). Apply on dry skin and let it absorb for 60 seconds before layering.
Acne-prone skin: A lightweight niacinamide serum instead of or alongside vitamin C. Niacinamide regulates sebum, minimizes pores, and calms post-inflammatory redness.
Dry or compromised skin: A hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid or peptides before moisturizer.
Step 3: Moisturize
Every skin type needs a moisturizer — including oily skin. When skin is dehydrated, it overproduces oil to compensate.
Dry skin: A rich cream with ceramides or shea butter.
Oily or acne-prone skin: A lightweight, oil-free gel moisturizer. Look for ingredients like niacinamide, zinc, or centella asiatica.
Sensitive skin: Fragrance-free, minimal-ingredient formulas. Ceramide-based moisturizers reinforce the skin barrier.
Step 4: SPF
This is non-negotiable. UVA rays — the ones responsible for aging and pigmentation — penetrate clouds and glass. If you're inside near a window, you're getting UVA exposure.
Apply SPF as the last step in your routine, after moisturizer. Use at least SPF 30, and a broad-spectrum formula that protects against both UVA and UVB.
For SF's microclimate specifically: see our guide on SPF in San Francisco fog.