How to adopt a minimalist skincare routine this year
Getting on board with the skinimalism trend will streamline your routine to involve as few steps and products as possible
As we move through the new year, many of us will be trying to keep to our resolutions in the hope of bettering our lives. One aim that most of us can stand to live by is a decision to buy and consume less, particularly when it comes to our fashion and beauty habits.
Enter “skinimalism”, an antidote to unnecessary, expensive 12-step skincare routines and bathrooms filled with half-used products, which returned as one of 2025’s biggest beauty trends.
Speaking as a languorous and low-maintenance woman, it’s a lot less daunting to be faced with the prospect of washing my face, applying moisturiser and maybe finishing with a serum to help produce new skin cells than a routine that takes half an hour and makes me feel like a fairytale witch brewing a particularly complex potion.
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“Skinimalism is a welcome reset. For years we’ve seen clients layering multiple active ingredients without understanding how they interact. Paring back to a few evidence-based essentials can improve tolerance and reduce inflammation,” says Dr Sumaira Muneer, dermatologist at The Skin Investment Clinic.
In recent years, she says, many patients have come to the clinic with irritation caused by mixing too many strong actives — ingredients that are designed to target specific problems such as dryness.
“Using too many harsh actives at once can break down the skin barrier. When that happens, people experience redness, stinging, breakouts and increased sensitivity. Ironically, they often respond by adding more products, which only worsens the cycle,” says Muneer.
“You don’t need 10 steps for healthy skin. You need the right steps — protection, hydration and controlled cell turnover will outperform an overloaded routine every time,” she adds, referring to the process where new, healthy cells are produced to replace old ones.
Many of us get our skincare and beauty advice from social media, where a “more is more” mentality has become the norm — no doubt in part due to the rise of influencers whose job is to sell us things. The idea here is to get back to basics, streamlining your routine so that it involves as few steps and products as possible without sacrificing your skin’s health. The start of a new year is the perfect time to reevaluate what works for us and what doesn’t, a mindset that can as easily be applied to your skincare routine as to your relationships.
Though skincare is obviously a personal choice, depending on taste and skin type, Muneer advises prioritising three stages: a gentle cleanser, a hybrid sunscreen and a moisturiser or serum that either includes vitamin C or retinol to help with improving overall texture and evening out skin tone to avoid blotchiness.
Another aspect of skinimalism is embracing a more natural look, but if you do wear makeup, consider using a single cleanser that helps remove it, along with sunscreen and any other impurities such as dirt and oil, while deeply cleansing pores. Dermalogica’s oil to foam total cleanser, or The Cleansing Balm from Skin Rocks have worked well for me, and are both vegan and cruelty free.
For cell turnover, it’s advisable to use something with vitamin C in the morning and retinol (vitamin A) at night. Vitamin C works with sunscreen to shield skin from UV damage, whereas retinol’s penetrative nature makes skin more sensitive to UV and is therefore best used before bed. Both help to boost collagen, reduce fine lines and smooth the skin. Depending on budget, Skinceuticals’ high potency C E Ferulic serum or Medik8’s award-winning Crystal Retinal come highly recommended.
To finish, look for moisturisers that feature nourishing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and ceramides. Niacinamide helps calm redness and irritation while ceramides reinforce the skin’s defense against environmental stressors such as UV radiation and air pollution. Beauty of Joseon’s Dynasty Cream ticks all three boxes and is BDS-friendly, and Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint includes sun protection. In any case, always make sure to finish with an SPF of at least 30, even on cloudy days.
If you’re planning on simplifying your routine, make sure to ease yourself in gently, particularly if your skin is used to multiple products.
“Reduce step by step rather than stopping everything overnight. Keep your sunscreen constant, then choose one active to continue and build around that,” advises Dr Muneer. “Avoid making multiple changes at once. The skin needs consistency to show genuine results.”
