Skin cycling was a terrible trend. There, I said it. Someone needed to.

The idea of rotating a retinoid one night, an exfoliant the next, followed by 1-2 nights of rest? Complicated. Worse, it means using your most effective ingredient - your retinoid - less often.

This is just one example of why your routine might not be working as well for you as it could. If you feel like your progress has hit a wall, read on.

1. Overdoing the Actives - or Alternating Too Many Products

Skin cycling is just one example of how you can fall into the trap of trying to cycle in every product. You can end up not using your most effective products to their full potential. Or end up overusing irritating actives like exfoliants.

Overuse leads to irritation, compromising your skin barrier and leaving it vulnerable. Balance is key - follow recommended usage and listen to your skin’s signals. It’s often best to start with the most effective products and then work in other products around them as needed.

Tip: Know your products! Benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, salicylic acid, and AHAs are all exfoliants, but many people unknowingly layer them together.

The Fix: Building a skincare routine is like building a house. You need a solid foundation - cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen - before layering in treatment products. Once your routine is stable, you can experiment with trending products or that overpriced luxury serum that just feels amazing on your skin.

2. Following Skincare Trends, Not Science

Trends are fun. I’ve tried the viral collagen masks, and there’s a salmon sperm serum collecting dust somewhere on my shelf. Not every product needs to be strictly functional - it’s okay to enjoy the experience of applying skincare or have fun trying out a trend.

The problem? If your entire routine is built on trendy ingredients (looking at you, castor oil and hyaluronic acid), you might not see the results you’re after. An ingredient with a large body of evidence behind it, like tretinoin, is most likely to work. When a viral product lacks any research at all, it’s going to be a coin toss on whether it will work.

The Fix: Don’t let hype distract you from science. The most effective ingredients - like retinoids - have been studied for decades, they’re not trends. Prioritize what’s proven and when trying out trends, adapt them to suit your skin.

3. Switching Up Your Routine Too Often

It’s tempting to swap products the second you don’t see results. Or to introduce too many at once, hoping something works. Skin issues are incredibly challenging and can hurt your self-confidence. But using too much can just make it that much more challenging to find out what is helping or track what you’re using. 

Often when people say they’ve “tried everything,” they haven’t given each a proper trial. Skincare is the perfect example of trusting the process. True changes to the skin take time.

The Fix:

1. Start with one science-backed product and give it time.

2. If results are lacking, adjust strength or frequency before ditching it.

3. If you see some improvement but not enough, try combo therapy - like pairing a retinoid with a pigment inhibitor instead of starting over.

4. Mixing Incompatible Ingredients

First, don’t start worrying - most of your products are fine to use together.  Social media loves to fearmonger about “bad” pairings, but most ingredients remain stable. If it lost efficacy during the minute or two you were applying it to your face, it probably wouldn’t be stable in cosmetics to begin with.

However, some combinations react quickly via a chemical reaction, potentially reducing efficacy. 

The Fix:

Avoid these pairings:

• Benzoyl peroxide with retinol/tretinoin (unless stabilized), ascorbic acid, or hydroquinone (staining risk).

• Hypochlorous acid with antioxidants (more testing needed but best to be safe).

• Copper peptides with ascorbic acid (possible temporary separation of peptide from copper or oxidation of ascorbic acid by residual free copper).

That’s it. It’s a very short list.

5. Using the Wrong Products for Your Skin

What if you’re doing everything right - using well-researched ingredients, following a consistent routine - only to see no result?

Even the best ingredients don’t work for everyone. Tretinoin is the gold standard for anti-aging, but some skin types can’t tolerate it, even at low strengths. If that’s you, a gentler retinoid like retinol might be a better fit (like Stratia Skin Night Shift). Or if you’re dry, it’s not just about swapping to gentler exfoliants like mandelic acid but looking for hydrating products like the Interface Peptide Cream.

The Fix:

1. Have a Plan B. Identify the most effective products for your concerns and be open to alternatives.

2. Consider your skin type. A product’s overall formulation matters just as much as the ingredient you’re after.

Final Thoughts

There are rarely absolute rules in skincare. Everyone’s skin is different, and our goals vary. But skincare is a commitment - one that requires time, patience, and, let’s be real, money. If your routine isn’t working, take a step back and reassess from all angles. The answer might be simpler than you think.

Mira is a skincare educator, blogger, and the content creator behind Skin Science by Mira and The Skincare Forum on Facebook. While skincare keeps her busy, she’s also pursuing her degree in Nursing and loves to spend her free time hiking.  As a content writer for Stratia Skin, Mira shares her evidence-based approach to skincare topics and a passion for making science accessible.