The Only 3 Products You Need For a Minimalist Skincare Routine

Rome was not built in a day and neither does flawless, glowing skin. 

Practising good skin habits and using the correct skincare products in the right order is essential to ensure that your skin receives the full benefits of each product. Dr Anup Dhir, senior consultant and cosmetic surgeon, Apollo Hospital, Delhi says, "Though Korean 10 step skincare is being advertised heavily, regular skincare needs to be simple, in order to be done daily."

Here are his suggestions to begin a simple yet effective minimal skincare routine:

Keep it gentle

"In the morning, start by splashing your face with warm water or, if you must, wash with a gentle face cleanser designed for your skin type. It can be followed by a toner to balance the pH of the skin. After this, antioxidant serums should be used which provide a variety of benefits from blunting the skin’s inflammatory response to neutralizing damage from UV rays and environmental pollutants. These help to correct signs of aging and help the skin to heal and brighten itself. Vitamin C serum is very good for morning use." 

Serums are your bae

"Vitamin C is one of the most popular antioxidants available for the skin. Other than being a free radical scavenger, it has many other skin benefits such as boosting collagen production and fading dark spots. If you are looking for brightening and a healthy glow, Glutathione serum can be combined as well. This is a powerful antioxidant that aids in cell repair and protection of vital organs such as the liver, kidney, brain and skin. Applying a Glutathione serum will help detoxify the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, resulting in smoother, more supple skin."

Sunscreen is bae

"Finally a good sunscreen with SPF 40 completes the morning ritual. If you are using moisturizer and sunscreen separately, sunscreen should always be applied after moisturizer. For maximum protection, sunscreen should be applied directly onto the skin, underneath any makeup, other moisturizers or skin-care products. You can put sunscreen on over your foundation, but ideally, you should wash it all off and reapply."

Apply in the correct order

"During night time start with a cleanser and toner, follow it up with antioxidant containing over the counter strength Retinol. If there’s one anti-ageing ingredient that’s been proven time and time again to help turn back the clock on ageing skin, it’s retinol. A derivative of vitamin A, retinol is particularly effective in going deep enough into the skin and effectively stimulate collagen production and accelerate cell renewal and repair, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles and improving skin tone in the process. After this use eye cream followed by a moisturiser."