Here’s what you can skip from your skin routine, according to beauty experts

With new beauty products launching all the time, it’s easy to get swept up by slick marketing and fancy-sounding ingredients. But a ‘more is more’ approach to skincare might be doing more harm than good.

Many 'skinthusiasts' subscribe to the notion that the more active-packed potions they apply in their skincare routine, the better their complexion will look. But skin burnout is real, and if yours has become dull, sensitive, red and prone to breakouts, it could be a sign you’re over-exfoliating or layering too many actives.

We’re not here to tell you to dump your favourite mask or face mist, but if your skin is drowning in product, and you want to save time and money, these are the products experts say you can skip from your skin routine.

5 skin steps you can skip, according to beauty experts

Dermatologists generally agree that cleanse, moisturise and protect with high-level, broad-spectrum SPF are non-negotiables.

You can supplement these absolutes however you wish to address specific skin concerns, by all means - perhaps a targeted vitamin c serum in the morning, brightening eye cream, and a repairing retinoid in the evening.

“What’s more important is avoiding ingredient overload,” warns Laura Porter, Skincare Expert, Facialist & Founder of FAB Skincare. “A pared-back routine not only reduces the risk of irritation but also makes it easier to pinpoint which products truly work for your skin.” And of course, which don't...

1. Neck cream

The neck is a neglected area, but the secret to delaying the onset of horizontal creases and crepey skin is dedicating the same care and attention below the chin as you do your face.

According to Dr Simon Ourian, co-founder of Simon Ourian MD and renowned celebrity cosmetic dermatology doctor, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to splurge on a targeted neck treatment. “Many of these are marketed as essentials, but your face products can work on your neck.

A good moisturiser or serum with active ingredients like retinol, peptides, or vitamin C can be extended down to the neck and décolletage. The skin on your neck is thinner, so applying these products gently and consistently is what matters most, not necessarily having a separate neck cream.”

2. Boosters

These souped-up treatments were all the rage a few years ago, powered by concentrated, high-potency active ingredients to target specific skin concerns. Sound familiar? That’s because they’re basically serums dressed up with a fancy new name, a pipette applicator, and some clever marketing.

As Laura Porter explains, “These booster products often offer marginal benefits that are already covered by a well-formulated serum and moisturiser. If you're looking for hydration or an extra boost, a serum with ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin can easily take its place without adding unnecessary steps.”

3. Toner

Toner comes after cleansing, before serum and moisturiser. Traditionally, the best toners were used to balance the skin’s pH after cleansing to restore equilibrium, but according to Laura Porter, that’s an obsolete purpose. “Most modern cleansers are already pH-balanced, so using a toner purely for pH correction is largely outdated.”

It’s an approach backed by beauty editor, Stephanie Maylor. “As a millennial, I was brought up on the mantra of ‘cleanse, tone, moisturise’. It was ingrained like a prayer, a plea to the skin gods.

My friends and I were obsessed with a certain exfoliating tonic in our teens. Splashed on a cotton pad and swept across skin, it would sting and make your eyes water, but we lived for that squeaky-clean, skin-tautening feeling, not knowing it was wreaking havoc on our skin barriers. I haven’t used a toner for about 20 years now. I much prefer a double cleanse to give that fresh skin feeling.”

4. Essence

A skin essence is a lightweight formula that contains hydrating and anti-ageing ingredients, gently patted into the skin. Although they share a similar watery consistency, toners and essences do very different things. Where toners clean out skin, essences seek to put in, packed with hydrators like hyaluronic acid or antioxidants.

A quick poll of the beauty team revealed that essences don’t feature in any of our routines. As beauty writer Annie Milroy explains, “I feel that essences are only really of use when you're not cleansing or moisturising properly," she said. "If you have a good cleansing routine in place, and hydrate with a serum and moisturiser, then I don't think an essence is necessary.”

For those with very dry skin, adding an extra dose of moisture via a skin essence can be beneficial. However, for those looking to streamline, it’s a justifiable step to bypass, moving straight on to a targeted serum to suit your skin’s needs.

5. Over-use of acids

Alpha hydroxy acids are chemical exfoliators that loosen the bonds holding dead skin cells together so they can shed to reveal softer, brighter, fresher skin. So far, so beneficial.

But skin can have too much of a good thing, and this is where the issue lies for Pamela Marshall, clinical aesthetician and co-founder of skin clinic, Mortar & Milk. “Most of us over-exfoliate,” she says. “We have to pull right back on AHA use. The most common thing I see in-clinic is acne that won't heal because it's being over-exfoliated. Think of AHAs as wounders - all wounds need time to heal. If they are repeatedly ‘wounded’, then this is a problem and a detriment to our skin's barrier function.”

Whilst exfoliation is important, particularly as cell turnover slows with age, excessive use of acids can leave a trail of destruction, including redness, irritation, and a compromised skin barrier, so proceed with caution and restraint.

The non-negotiables everybody should use daily