Skin Cycling, a skincare trend coined by an American dermatologist that gained attention a few years ago and which stems from the Western world's hype around the powerful ingredient retinol, involves a planned schedule of exfoliation, retinol and repairing ingredients in order to minimize the risks of negative side effects that can come with the ingredient retinol.
This ingredient has been in high demand with us at glowid and has not been as common in k-beauty before but has begun to be introduced in recent years.

"Koreans do everything in their power to try to avoid factors that can irritate the skin."

The thing to know about active ingredients and K-beauty is that Koreans do everything in their power to try to avoid factors that can irritate the skin. Retinol has a high irritation potential if used in high concentrations and if used incorrectly. Therefore, you can always be sure that retinol in K-beauty products is ALWAYS formulated together with highly repairing and soothing ingredients to minimize the risk of irritation.

Who should use retinol and skin cycling?

Retinol is suitable for those aged 25+ who want to treat skin conditions such as pigmentation, wrinkles/fine lines, uneven texture or acne problems. It involves products that stimulate cell renewal in depth and work both correctively and preventively.
Why 25+, you might wonder? According to research, collagen production starts to slow down around this age, the figure is general and of course you can experience the aforementioned skin condition earlier or later in life.
(An exception would be acne-prone skin that may benefit from retinol a little earlier, but if that's the case, we recommend you consult a dermatologist first.)
We do not recommend starting with retinol if you have not yet started experiencing these skin conditions.

Skin cycling is not suitable for those who are taking prescription skin medications/creams or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

How does Skin Cycling work?

The skincare cycle consists of three parts: exfoliation, retinol and repair, where the latter step consists of at least two days of repair, but which can be more depending on how sensitive your skin is. This means that from person to person, you may need to repair your skin for more or fewer days.

• The routine begins on night #1 with exfoliation .
• The following evening #2, apply retinol .
• The coming evenings #3 and #4 give space for skin repair .
• Then the cycle can be repeated again. ♻️ If your skin is sensitive or you are completely new to retinol, you can continue to recover your skin for a few days longer.

💡EXFOLIATION:

Removes dead skin cells from the skin surface, renews and increases the penetration of subsequent products. How you choose to exfoliate your skin is entirely up to you and your skin type, below are some suggestions:

Sensitive skin? Invest in gentle enzymes, e.g. this product from By Wishtrend.

Dry skin? A mild AHA acid is a good start 1-3 nights a week to wake up with radiance and glow! This product is Cecilia's favorite also from By Wishtrend.

Oily/acne-prone skin ? A mild BHA acid will work anti-inflammatory and clean deep down into the pores. This soothing and cleansing facial toner from COSRX which is used 1-3 evenings a week.

Mature skin with pigmentation? Check out the powerhouse from Saturday Skin, a facial toner with 10% glycolic acid that exfoliates the skin's surface and works to even out both texture and skin tone.

💡RETINOL:

Is a vitamin A derivative that works stimulatingly down to the cellular level. Retinol is one of the most researched ingredients in skincare and is therefore guaranteed to deliver results, but due to its power, it is important to introduce this ingredient slowly. 🔬 The properties are many:
-Reduces wrinkles and fine lines.
-Evens out pigmentation for a more even skin tone.
-Neutralizes sebum production.
-Stimulates collagen production.
⚠️Overuse of retinol can result in irritation, redness, flaking, dryness, and a generally damaged barrier.

Our range includes various retinol alternatives, both serums and creams for sensitive and resistant skin.

Sensitive or a beginner ? Check out COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream , a night cream with 0.1% retinol along with the antioxidant Vitamin E that protects and softens and Panthenol that soothes and strengthens the barrier at the same time. Use only a grain of rice-sized amount on the forehead, cheeks and chin or exposed areas, avoiding the eyes and mouth area. Apply last in the evening routine.

If you want something even milder, you can look at Saturday Skin Yuzu Sleep Mask with the main ingredient vitamin C but a lower content of retinol is also found in this softening and brightening night mask!

Acne-prone / Dry - COSRX The Retinol 0.1 Cream or COSRX The Retinol 0.5 Oil , a light oil serum with 0.5% retinol, vitamin E and squalane that protects, softens and moisturizes at the same time! 2-3 drops are enough for the entire face, avoid the eyes and mouth area. Apply after toner or essence and follow up with your regular moisturizing cream.

Mature, dry and/or pigmented - By Wishtrend Vitamin A-mazing Bakuchiol Night Cream , a night cream with retinal (slightly more effective and powerful than retinol) and bakuchiol (nature's answer to retinol, gentler version). This night cream is applied last in the routine, 1 pump is plenty, you should not overdose more than 2 pumps. It is enriched with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and glycerin so it is simultaneously softening and moisturizing.

💡REPAIR

Evening 3,4,5… Focus is on soothing and barrier-strengthening products to restore the skin. Think of these as your skin’s rest days after two tough workouts!

⚠️The number of repair evenings can vary. The more sensitive the skin, the longer the recovery time!

⚠️Complete beginner? Aim to use retinol 1 night a week for the first month.
🌞Don't forget the sunscreen during the day!

Giving yourself time to recover, rest and repair is essential when you're working hard, right? That's exactly how you should think about your skincare too, and see active ingredients like acids and retinol as the ones that "work hard". Repairing ingredients include, to name a few: centella, panthenol, allantoin, ceramides, rice extract, snail secretion, mugworth, propolis, glycerin, squalane, hyaluronic acid and more.

Here is a truly soothing and repairing trio. Click on the product to read more about them.

Skin Cycling schedules based on different skin conditions:

Sensitive skin can include a repair day between exfoliation and retinol application and then focus extra on calming and recovering the skin with the help of centella , panthenol, allantoin, glycerin and more.

Oily/acne-prone skin exfoliates about 2 nights a week and recovers the skin with the help of niacinamide aka vitamin B3 which strengthens the skin barrier and neutralizes oil production.

Mature/hyperpigmented skin exfoliates with AHA acids and repairs with vitamins C&E , two antioxidants that work on skin tone and skin barrier.

Dry skin exfoliates with mandelic acid and recovers the skin with moisture-binding hyaluronic acids that bind and attract more moisture to the skin.

So to summarize Skin Cycling:

• Choose an evening where you start by exfoliate with any product.
• The following evening, apply a retinol product.
• In the evenings after that, the focus is on calming and repair skin. (How many nights this is depends on the sensitivity of your skin.)
• Repeat the bike.