Morning Skincare Routine for Men

You wouldn’t skip your morning coffee or leave the house without brushing your teeth. Everyone’s personal morning routine is sacred — almost like a set of rituals that set you up for the day ahead.

Well, the same should go for your morning skincare routine; it’s a small but powerful act that prepares you to face the outside world feeling confident with a strong skin barrier. Each morning, your skin needs care just like the rest of your body.

Sadly, skincare often gets dismissed as optional when it’s actually one of the most important ways to keep your skin healthy and young. In the short term, it helps you feel refreshed and protects your skin from daily stress. Long-term, it can make a world of difference in preventing irritation and early signs of aging, like dark spots.

A consistent skin care routine should be simple and effective. And just like that first cup of coffee, your gentle cleanser and the rest of your skincare routine should be something you look forward to. Let’s walk through the essentials so you can start your days with a morning skincare routine that refreshes your skin, invigorates your senses, and sets you up for success.

Morning Routines 101: The Best Skincare Products

Your skin care routine can get very complex, very fast - but it doesn't need to. There are thousands of options out there, and new scientific developments are quickly bringing new formulas to the table - lactic acid, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, eye cream, night cream, exfoliating toner, face oils, oil cleansers, anti-aging products... the list goes on and on.

Yet the basics haven’t changed: cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize.

Cleansing should always be the first step, as your skin accumulates sweat and oil overnight. Removing these impurities first thing in the morning allows your skin to breathe and better absorb what’s coming next with an intact skin barrier. This applies for acne-prone skin too.

Exfoliation removes dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. Your skin is constantly shedding dead skin cells to make room for new ones, and exfoliating prevents those dead cells from clogging up pores and forming dry patches on your face.

On top of all this, moisturizer forms a barrier on the skin that prevents water from escaping (or, better said, evaporating). This seal is your skin's barrier and it makes your skin feel and look smoother, preventing dryness.

Our Daily Advanced Face Care Routine covers these bases with three effective products that work for acne prone skin:

• Clarifying Gel Face Wash: Made with aloe vera, geranium, and coconut-based cleansers, our face wash removes impurities without drying your skin. At the same time, it refreshes your skin and controls shine. It's great for acne-prone skin too, but it's gentle without salicylic acid.
• Renewing Face Scrub: Our scrub gently exfoliates dead skin cells and unclogs pores for a clear skin tone. We specifically designed it to help with a smoother, irritation-free shave.
• Daily Essential Face Moisturizer: Lightweight and with quick absorption, our moisturizer locks in the water in your skin to keep it looking plump. It's free of oils, as its formulation mostly revolves around aloe vera, jojoba, and DMAE.

How Often Should You Exfoliate?

Exfoliation is one of the most effective ways to keep your skin smooth and healthy while reducing excess face oils. However, it should always be done in moderation, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Over-exfoliating can damage healthy skin cells along with sweeping the dead ones, which can quickly lead to dryness and irritation, even in guys that don't usually have sensitive skin. At the same time, excessive exfoliation can erode your natural moisture barrier and leave your skin feeling tight and sensitive.

We recommend exfoliating two to three times per week for the best balance between removing dead cells, reducing face oils, and keeping your skin’s barrier healthy. This will also promote a brighter skin and reduce shaving irritation.

Keep in mind that the harshness of the exfoliating scrub or product can affect this frequency. Gentler exfoliators can be used more often, while harsher ones may need even less frequent usage. Always check the labels before starting a routine, particularly if you have sensitive skin.

It may also depend on your skin type, as sensitive skin sometimes needs more time in between exfoliating sessions.

Protecting Your Skin

If you're going out for the day, there is one extra step that most people gloss over: protection. Sunscreen is an absolute must. Sun damage from UV rays is a leading cause of aging skin, and avoiding damage is as simple as applying some SPF. 

Our Daily Defense Face Moisturizer With SPF 20 protects your skin against UV rays throughout the day. Packed with potent natural active ingredients ranging from vitamin E to zinc oxide, it's easier on your skin than most chemical sunscreens and can handle every skin tone and type and deserves a place in your skin care routine.

Implementing Anti-Aging Skincare in the Morning

Routines aren’t a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. They can (and should) be tailored to your specific preferences and long-term goals, such as eye serum or eye cream for puffiness. Reducing the appearance of aging, for example, is a common goal for men who want to take their skin care routine beyond the basic morning habit. 

As you get older, your skin loses elasticity and collagen, creating fine lines and an uneven tone on your face. While basic exfoliation and moisturizing can help, your skin needs a more specific type of care. Many guys turn to eye serum with hyaluronic acid to address dark circles and fine lines around the eyes.

Our Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream targets wrinkles and sagging skin in all skin tones and types. Made with natural ingredients such as vitamin C, borage oil, and MSM, this formula can:

• Tighten and firm the skin
• Reduce UV damage
• Support collagen production
• Correct pigmentation issues/dark circles
• Rehydrate aging skin

The lightweight texture of our Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream makes it ideal for morning anti-aging skincare. After a few minutes, you’ll forget you even put it on in the first place, and the vitamin C included goes a long way in protecting your skin against the sun.

Our Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream is the night cream companion of the Resurfacing Cream. Thicker and more focused on nourishing the skin for a good night’s sleep, it’s made from DMAE, MSM, and hyaluronic acid.

Together, these two products make up our Day and Night Anti-Aging Cream Routine — a powerful combo that results in more elastic skin, reduced wrinkles, and a more youthful look with both day and night cream.

What About Serums?

If you’re looking for something a bit more lightweight, then our Daily Anti-Aging Serum Routine is the perfect choice. 

The daytime Reviving Hyaluronic Acid Serum boosts collagen production and promotes a tight, plump skin appearance throughout the day. It contains aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and protein peptides to combat wrinkles, fine lines, and dark spots.

The Repairing Vitamin C Serum, on the other hand, takes advantage of plant stem cells to repair aging skin while you’re asleep. Applying just a pea-sized drop onto your face can reduce inflammation and boost collagen production for firmer skin thanks to its combination of natural active ingredients, including hyaluronic acid and vitamin C.

Serums usually absorb much more quickly than creams and often have more concentrated ingredients. This doesn’t mean that they are superior to creams, though. Each has its own use, like an eye serum that's a dark circle corrector and addresses crow's feet and other skin concerns - so it depends largely on your personal preference related to anti-aging products.

Apply Retinol Products at Night for Best Results

Retinol is a powerful form of vitamin A that’s widely used in skincare. It has anti-acne and anti-aging effects and helps unclog pores, increase cell turnover, and increase collagen production.

However, retinol cream can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and increase your risk of UV damage. We recommend applying retinol products that include hyaluronic acid at night as part of your bedtime skincare routine. Applying it at night also has the added benefit of allowing your skin to absorb and process it without the added stress of being outside.

During the day, follow up with an SPF product to protect your newly renewed skin with higher cell turnover from UV exposure. Think of retinol and SPF as a tag team: they work together, but at different times.

How to Get the Best Results from Your Morning Skincare Routine

The difference between good skin and great skin often comes down to consistency. Even the best morning skincare products won’t work if you only use them every once in a while. Your skincare routine should be a non-negotiable — something that's a mandatory part of your morning and addresses your specific skin concerns.

Besides consistency, however, there are a few other habits that make a lasting difference.

Choose High Quality Products

Natural, non-harsh ingredients matter. Avoid alcohol-based products. Artificial, low-quality products can strip your skin of its barriers or even trigger irritation. Our formulas - including our eye serum with hyaluronic acid - are designed to nourish using only safe and effective ingredients, mostly coming from nature.

Stick to Healthy Habits

Not everything is about the products themselves. Skincare starts from within — more specifically, from good sleep, diet, and hydration. These habits form a solid base to amplify the benefits of topical skincare products. Minimizing other factors, such as smoking and constant stress, can help avoid skin damage as well.

Follow Up and Adjust

Check your skin concerns regularly for new spots or color changes that feel out of the ordinary as well. Implementing new products always carries a risk of side effects, so keep an eye out for any warning signs.

Don't Overdo It

More isn’t always better. Over-exfoliating or layering too many products on can result in irritated skin. Stick to the essentials: cleanser, moisturizer, SPF, and occasional exfoliation.

A well-planned morning skincare routine can completely transform how you look day after day. It’s a small investment with a major return: finally feeling confident in your own skin.

If you’re ready to transform your morning routine into something that your skin deserves, check out our best-selling products today. From face scrubs and eye creams to moisturizers and pre-packaged routines, we’ve got everything you need to start making skincare a part of your daily ritual.