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Quick answer
Build a simple AM and PM routine around cleansing, moisturising and sun protection; add an optional treatment for a specific concern. Follow each product’s directions and compatibility guidance. The Ordinary’s retinoids should be kept separate from direct acids, direct vitamin C and copper peptides in the same routine.
Background guidance: The Ordinary: layering guide · The Ordinary: retinoid instructions.
Updated : Opening answer clarified and its supporting references checked; jump navigation added. Product prices were not refreshed in this update.
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The Ordinary Routine: Order, Options and Compatibility
This guide helps you put The Ordinary products into a manageable morning and evening routine: what goes where, which steps are optional, and which combinations need care. For product-by-product buying decisions, use our original ranking.
The examples below organise products by their place in a routine, rather than ranking ten bottles you need to buy. Begin with the products you already tolerate, then decide whether one additional step serves a clear purpose.
Glow Protocol uses AI to assist research, comparisons and writing, with human curation by Carolina Menezes. These are editorial routine examples, not results from a controlled product test or personalised medical advice.
Which Ordinary products belong in your routine?
Take the 2-minute Glow Protocol quiz. It factors in your current routine, your age, whether you are already using peptides or retinoids, and your primary concern. Then tells you the exact Ordinary products to buy and how to layer them.
Free 2-minute skin quiz · personal to your skin, climate, and hormones
How to Use This Curated Routine Guide
We organise this guide around application order, optional steps and manufacturer compatibility guidance. Prices shown are approximate article estimates; check the current size, formula and checkout price before buying.
Start with the basics. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a simple approach to affordable skincare: cleansing, moisturising and sun protection. Its budget skincare guidance supports that structure, not the superiority of any product listed here.
Use the label for the details. Formulation, strength, storage and directions differ between products. Follow the directions on your current bottle; ingredient research alone cannot establish the results of every finished formula.
Keep additions purposeful. A low price does not make a product necessary. Choose the step your routine is missing before adding another serum with a similar role.
Introduce products gradually. Patch test as directed and establish tolerance to one new product before adding another. Ongoing irritation or a skin condition calls for advice from a qualified clinician.
A Simple Morning Routine
- Cleanse gently.
- If using an optional serum, apply it according to its directions before heavier creams.
- Apply moisturiser as needed.
- Finish with broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher and follow the sunscreen directions for reapplication.
You can use products you already own for the basics. The AAD’s application-order guidance places treatment after cleansing and before moisturiser or sunscreen. You do not need every serum featured below.
An Evening Routine, With or Without a Treatment
- Cleanse.
- Use your chosen treatment only on the nights and at the frequency appropriate to its directions and your tolerance. A simple evening without actives is also an option.
- Apply moisturiser.
For The Ordinary retinoids, the brand places them in the evening after cleansing and water-based serums, then before moisturiser. Its layering guide explains why product format matters and advises following each product’s directions.
Keep Conflicting Treatments Separate
The Ordinary advises separating its retinoids from direct acids, direct vitamin C and copper peptides, and avoiding multiple retinoids in one regimen. Check its retinoid guidance and the label of your exact product. Establish tolerance to one new active before introducing another; there is no universal weekly schedule for everyone.
Adapting the Routine After 30 or 40
Use your skin’s comfort and your existing routine to decide what to change. Age alone does not require a stronger retinoid, a peptide serum or several additional layers. If considering a peptide step, our best peptide serums ranked guide compares options. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, discuss treatment choices with your clinician.
Routine Roles: Serum, Night Treatment and Moisturiser
These examples show three different roles: an optional water-based serum, an optional night treatment and a moisturiser. They are not a required starter trio.
Optional serum
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% · ~$5
An optional serum step, not a substitute for moisturiser. If this is the serum you choose, place it before heavier creams and introduce it separately from other new treatments. You do not need it simply because you have turned 30.
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Optional night treatment
The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane · ~$9
An optional evening treatment. The 0.5% product is not an automatic starting strength for everyone. Check the current directions, introduce it gradually and avoid combining it with another retinoid. Follow the compatibility guidance in the routine section above.
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Moisturiser
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA · ~$10
This is the moisturiser step in the examples. Apply after the treatment steps you use. Texture and comfort matter when choosing a moisturiser; an extra serum is optional. For other moisturiser options, see our best ceramide moisturiser guide.
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Optional Treatments: Choose for a Specific Concern
These are optional treatment choices. Select for a specific concern and check the current directions and conflicts instead of combining the whole group.
Optional tone-focused serum
The Ordinary Alpha-Arbutin 2% + HA · ~$12
An optional choice to assess when uneven tone is your priority. Follow the current product directions and introduce it as one change to your routine. This guide does not establish a percentage of fading or a treatment plan for melasma.
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Optional peptide serum
The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% · ~$27
An optional peptide step before moisturiser. Keep copper peptides and retinoids in separate routines in line with The Ordinary’s guidance. For the distinction between peptide categories, read our copper peptides vs signal peptides guide.
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Optional direct vitamin C
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% · ~$6
A direct vitamin C option to assess separately from retinoids. Follow the product label for application and avoid adding it at the same time as several other new actives. For storage and stability, see our vitamin C serum guide.
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Optional azelaic acid
The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% · ~$8
An optional azelaic acid product to consider by its current directions and your tolerance. Cosmetic 10% products are not interchangeable with prescription treatment. If you are managing rosacea or persistent irritation, ask a qualified clinician about an appropriate routine.
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Overwhelmed by which Ordinary products to start with?
The quiz factors in your existing routine, your age, and your specific concern (barrier weakness, collagen loss, or pigmentation). Then tells you the exact starting product and how to layer it.
Free 2-minute skin quiz · personal to your skin, climate, and hormones
Optional Extras: Hydration, Vitamin C and Eye Care
These optional additions serve hydration, vitamin C or eye-area preferences. You can leave them out if your existing routine already meets those needs.
Optional hydration serum
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 · ~$8
An optional hydration serum before moisturiser. It may be unnecessary if you are comfortable with your current routine. Having hyaluronic acid in two products does not by itself mean that everyone needs both or that the combination is unsuitable.
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Optional vitamin C derivative
The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12% · ~$9
A vitamin C derivative option. Choose one vitamin C product deliberately rather than automatically layering this with the suspension above. Follow its own directions; results and tolerance cannot be inferred from the concentration alone.
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Optional eye serum
The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG · ~$8
An optional eye-area product. Follow the label for where and how much to apply. Consider whether it adds a useful step for you; this guide does not promise a measured reduction in puffiness or dark circles.
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Steps You May Not Need
A practical shopping filter is to ask what an extra bottle adds to the routine you already use.
A second retinoid. The Ordinary advises against combining multiple retinoids in one regimen. A higher strength or an extra product is not an automatic upgrade.
Several strong actives at once. Avoid introducing an exfoliating acid and a retinoid together. Follow the product directions and establish tolerance before considering another active.
Another hydration serum. Consider one only if it adds something your moisturiser and current serums do not provide. Hyaluronic acid serum and moisturiser have different roles, so using both is optional rather than automatically necessary or redundant.
Build a Routine You Can Maintain
Build the routine in stages: establish the basics, identify one priority, then check where an optional treatment fits. Use the product guide for buying comparisons and this page for order and compatibility.
Examples already listed here include Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, Retinol 0.5% in Squalane, and Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA. Other optional choices include Alpha-Arbutin 2% + HA and Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%. These are alternatives to assess, not a shopping list to use together.
A note from Carolina
My role is to curate useful options and make the choices easier to understand. This guide does not claim that we measured product performance or proved equivalence to luxury or prescription products.
The most useful question is where a product fits in your own routine. Keep what suits you, check the directions and resist adding steps simply because they are inexpensive.
Not sure whether the Ordinary trio belongs in your specific routine, or whether you should be layering something more advanced? Take the Glow Protocol quiz. It matches you to the right entry point based on your age, existing routine, and specific concern.
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Sources
Research context: these sources cover ingredients, skin biology or specific tested formulations. Results depend on the concentration, delivery method and population studied. Product selections are editorial curation; these references are not head-to-head tests of all products listed.
- Tanno O, et al. (2000). Nicotinamide increases biosynthesis of ceramides as well as other stratum corneum lipids to improve the epidermal permeability barrier. Br J Dermatol. PubMed 10971324 Mechanistic evidence on niacinamide and barrier lipids.
- Tucker-Samaras S, et al. (2009). A stabilized 0.1% retinol facial moisturizer improves the appearance of photodamaged skin in an eight-week, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study. J Drugs Dermatol. PubMed 19852122 Specific 0.1% retinol moisturiser; eight-week vehicle-controlled study.
- Hakozaki T, et al. (2002). The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer. Br J Dermatol. PubMed 12100180 Pigmentation research; not proof of every niacinamide product.
- Pinnell SR, et al. (2001). Topical L-ascorbic acid: percutaneous absorption studies. Dermatol Surg. PubMed 11207686 Pig-skin absorption study; not a universal layering timer.
- Spada F, et al. (2018). Skin hydration is significantly increased by a cream formulated to mimic the skin’s own natural moisturizing systems. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. PubMed 30410378 Trial of one moisturising formula; not all ceramide products.
- Sauermann K, et al. (2004). Topically applied vitamin C increases the density of dermal papillae in aged human skin. BMC Dermatol. PubMed 15456516 Specific 3% vitamin C cream; four months.
Additional reading: the original Ordinary ranking guide, best peptide serums ranked, vitamin C serum guide, copper vs signal peptides, and best ceramide moisturiser.
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