How Many Skincare Steps Do You Actually Need? Professor Caitriona Ryan Explains
Professor Caitriona Ryan, Consultant Dermatologist and Co-Founder of the Institute of Dermatologists, joined Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1 this weekend to talk about a trend she sees every day in clinic: skincare routines that have spiralled completely out of control.
Most people need far fewer skincare steps than social media suggests. A dermatologist-approved routine is: cleanse, moisturise if needed, and SPF in the morning; cleanse, a retinoid, and moisturiser in the evening. Everything else is optional, and much of it is not scientifically necessary at all.
Why Has Skincare Become So Complicated?
According to Professor Caitriona Ryan, the ten and twelve-step routines now common among even very young skincare users are a recent phenomenon, driven by social media rather than science.
"It's really only in the last ten to fifteen years, and it's social media driven. It's a commercially driven thing rather than scientifically driven," she explained. "Our skin is such a sophisticated organ, it can pretty much look after itself when it comes to cell turnover and keeping hydration in, in someone who's healthy with normal skin. The one thing it can't do by itself is protect against UV rays."
That last point is the one exception she wants everyone to hear.
What Should a Morning Skincare Routine Actually Include?
Just three steps, in this order:
Cleanse with a gentle cleanser. It does not need to be expensive.
Moisturise, but only if your skin actually needs it.
SPF, every single day of the year, applied last, before makeup.
"A twenty-five-year-old with normal, oily skin doesn't always need a moisturiser," Professor Ryan noted. "There's far too much emphasis put on moisturising normal skin." Skin barrier needs change with age and with conditions like eczema or rosacea, and shift again during perimenopause as oestrogen levels affect the skin's lipid barrier, so a moisturiser becomes more necessary for many people from their forties on.
On sunscreen, she is clear: "People should use a sunblock every single day of the year, and that's very, very important. Every dermatologist will say the same." Most cumulative sun damage to the face, neck and hands happens during ordinary daily life in Ireland, not in two weeks in Spain, and it continues through the winter.
"The one thing skin can't do by itself is protect against UV rays." — Professor Caitriona Ryan, Institute of Dermatologists
Where Do Serums Actually Fit In?
Serums are a delivery format, not an ingredient. "A serum just means the vehicle, a lightweight vehicle that gets into the skin," Professor Ryan said. "You could have a serum of arsenic." What matters is what is actually in it, whether that is vitamin C, an antioxidant, or hyaluronic acid.
If you use one, the order matters: lightest products go on first, heaviest go on last. So serum, then moisturiser, then SPF. Layering too many products, or not letting each one dry before the next, is what causes pilling, the rolling, flaking texture that shows up under makeup.
For anyone who wants a genuine shortcut, a tinted mineral SPF like EltaMD UV Clear Tinted that also functions as a moisturiser removes a step entirely, and is a particularly easy way to bring men into a daily sunscreen habit, often as a straightforward substitute for a post-shave moisturiser.
What Should an Evening Skincare Routine Include?
Cleanse, a retinoid, and moisturiser afterwards if needed.
Cleansing at night matters because of what accumulates on skin across the day, including sunscreen, makeup and general environmental exposure that needs to be properly removed before bed.
Are Retinoids Actually Worth It?
Along with SPF, Professor Ryan is passionate about retinoids. Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives, and she describes them as "the ultimate multitasker."
"Retinoids are the most scientifically proven product, the most potent thing to actually help your skin," she said. Their documented benefits include stimulating collagen production, regulating the sebaceous glands (useful for acne-prone skin), reducing the appearance of pores, improving skin turnover and radiance, addressing abnormal pigmentation, and offering a mild preventative effect against pre-cancerous skin changes.
For patients focused on skin ageing, she narrows her advice to two non-negotiables: "A tinted sunblock in the morning, retinoid at nighttime. That's what I care about. I can tell when my patients haven't been using it."
Retinoids can irritate skin initially, which is why she recommends following them with a moisturiser, and building up frequency gradually rather than starting at full strength every night.
Product choice matters as much as consistency. For those new to retinoids or with more sensitive skin, Skinbetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream is well tolerated while still delivering results. Clinical Skin's Retinol + Peptides Refining Serum adds peptides for extra collagen support, and the Retinol + AOX Renewal Cream pairs retinol with antioxidants for texture and pigmentation concerns.
One Important Caution: Fewer Products, Used Consistently, Achieve More
Professor Ryan spoke about the influencer-driven routines built around ten or more steps, describing much of it as "nonsense" that is "not scientifically driven at all." She's also seen extreme overnight routines go viral, involving multiple sheet masks, jaw taping and elaborate multi-hour rituals, and pointed out how vulnerable younger audiences in particular are to this kind of trend. Her advice cuts the other way: fewer, better-chosen products, used consistently, achieve more than an elaborate routine most people don't have time for anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to use a moisturiser every day?
Not necessarily. Normal, oily skin in younger adults often does not need one. Moisturiser becomes more important with age, with skin barrier conditions like eczema or rosacea, and during perimenopause.
What order do sunscreen, moisturiser and serum go on in?
Cleanse first, then serum (if used), then moisturiser, then sunscreen last, before makeup. Lighter products always go on before heavier ones.
Should children wear SPF every day?
Yes. Children's skin is more susceptible to UV-related DNA damage, and severe sunburn in childhood is a recognised risk factor for skin cancer, including melanoma, later in life.
Do I still need to use a toner?
Not for the reason toners originally existed. Older cleansers were alkaline, and toners were needed to restore the skin's pH afterwards. Modern gentle cleansers have largely removed that need, so a toner is not an essential step for most people.
The Institute of Dermatologists stocks only one toner, the EltaMD Skin Recovery Essence Toner, and it's there for a different reason than the pH-balancing role described above: barrier repair, not pH correction. It's formulated with AAComplex, an amino acid blend that helps repair a compromised skin barrier and calm redness, which is why we recommend it specifically for sensitive, reactive or acne-prone skin rather than as a routine step for everyone.
Is a retinoid the same as retinol?
Retinoid is the umbrella term for the vitamin A family of ingredients, of which retinol is one type. Formulation affects both how well a retinoid is tolerated and how effectively it performs, which is part of why product choice matters.
The Simple Routine, In Full
Morning: Cleanse. Moisturise (if needed). SPF.
Evening: Cleanse. Retinoid. Moisturise (if needed).
Everything else is optional.
For anyone ready to simplify, the Institute of Dermatologists' ecommerce store stocks the dermatologist-recommended basics mentioned here, including tinted SPF-moisturiser hybrids and a range of retinoids suited to different skin types and sensitivities.
This article is based on Professor Caitriona Ryan's interview with Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1, broadcast Saturday 29 August 2026.
