Ingredients · Routine building

Knowing what a skincare ingredient does is one thing. Knowing when to use it, how often to use it, and where it fits in your routine is another.

Consider this your skincare ingredient cheat sheet: what some of the most popular ingredients do, when to use them, and how often they may belong in your routine.

The Quick Cheat Sheet

Why: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can help brighten the appearance of uneven skin tone and defend against oxidative stress caused by environmental exposure. It works especially well in a morning routine alongside sunscreen. Just remember: vitamin C supports your sunscreen, but it doesn’t replace it.

Why: Gentle but effective, niacinamide can support the skin barrier, help improve uneven skin tone, and reduce the appearance of pores. It’s also easy to incorporate into either your morning or evening routine.

Why: Sulfur is a strong contender when it comes to treating acne, absorbing excess oil, and helping clear clogged pores. Because it can be drying for some skin types, follow the directions for your specific product and moisturize afterward as needed.

Award-winning Our Cosmopolitan Magazine award-winning Clear Skin Clay Mask contains sulfur and can be used as a mask or to spot treat active breakouts.

Why: Ceramides help support and strengthen the skin barrier, while peptides can support smoother, firmer-looking skin. Both are easy to incorporate into a morning or evening routine, especially when your skin needs extra moisture and barrier support.

Barrier support We formulated our F-Hydra Moisturizer specifically to support the skin barrier, and it’s packed with both ceramides and peptides. You can use it as your daily moisturizer, day and night.

Why: There’s a reason shea butter shows up in so many moisturizers and body care products. It’s rich in fatty acids that help soften skin and prevent moisture loss. You can use it morning or night as part of your moisturizing routine, or throughout the day on areas that need extra moisture.

Why: Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that exfoliates the surface of the skin, helping improve the appearance of uneven tone, dark marks, and texture over time. Because exfoliating acids can increase sun sensitivity, they’re generally a good fit for your nighttime routine.

If you’re new to glycolic acid, start gradually rather than adding it to your routine every night right away. Sunscreen is especially important when exfoliating acids are part of your routine.

10% glycolic acid Our Nighttime Repair Serum contains 10% glycolic acid and is designed specifically for nighttime use.

Which Skincare Ingredients Can You Use Together?

Knowing when to use an ingredient is helpful, but knowing what you can pair it with can make building your routine much easier.

Vitamin C + sunscreen A great morning pairing. Vitamin C provides antioxidant support while sunscreen protects your skin from UV exposure.	Niacinamide + most actives Niacinamide is generally easy to layer into a routine and pairs well with many other skincare ingredients.
Ceramides + treatment ingredients Ceramides can be especially useful in a routine that includes exfoliating or acne treatments because they help support your skin barrier.	Multiple exfoliating treatments More isn’t necessarily better. Avoid piling several strong exfoliating products into the same routine, especially when you’re first introducing them.

Building Your Routine

Now that you know the what, when, and why, building a routine that works for your skin is really about choosing the ingredients that address your skin’s needs and using them consistently.

A good rule of thumb: start simple, introduce one new ingredient at a time, and pay attention to how your skin responds. You don’t have to use every ingredient on this list every day. A simple routine you can use consistently is usually a better place to start.

And no matter which actives you land on, sunscreen is the one step that ties it all together. Daily sunscreen helps protect your skin from UV damage and is especially important if you’re working to improve the appearance of dark spots and uneven tone.

Still not sure where to start? Explore our full skincare collection or check out more ingredient breakdowns on the Bolden blog to keep building your routine, one ingredient at a time.