The No-Fuss, No-Fail 4-Step Skincare Regimen

The internet loves excess. Hence the popularity of the 10-step (sometimes 12-step) skincare regimen. But lately, we’ve noted a move toward simplicity, with many skincare experts downgrading the overweight skincare routine in favor of a few basic essentials.

Simplicity is something we’ve always believed in. When we launched Vivant in 1990, our philosophy was total skin health through a simple, effective 4-step regimen. It still is. For good reason. Let’s get into it.

Whether or not you need a drawerful of products to complete your daily skincare regimen comes down to whether you are a minimalist or a maximalist. From a dermatological standpoint, less is definitely more.

Aside from being time-consuming and expensive, an overabundance of products may do your skin more harm than good. The skin barrier is easily stressed. Too many actives or too much scrubbing can leave the barrier weakened and compromised, leading to irritation, redness, even the potential for infection.

Or your skin may become congested because of too many occlusive ingredients sitting on the skin and blocking pores. Result? Breakouts. Inflammation. Dullness.

The simple truth is you don’t need a lot of products. You just need the right ones. A healthy skincare routine consists of a few effective products targeted to specific issues and designed to work synergistically.

A cleanser is the foundation of your regimen. It clears away dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and makeup to keep pores clear encourage cell renewal. Vivant cleansers are formulated not just to clean but to optimize with ingredients that support a healthy skin barrier.

You can opt for a wash or a scrub, depending on how much exfoliation you want. For sensitive skin, use a gentle cleanser daily and add a scrub a couple of times a week to boost exfoliation. Green Tea Antioxidant Cleanser and Cleansing Milk are excellent choices. You can add Buffing Grains Exfoliating Cleanser to either to turn it into a scrub.

For controlling acne, choose something with anti-bacterial properties. Mandelic acid or benzoyl peroxide are optimum choices. Except in the case of active, inflamed flare-ups, we recommend a daily scrub. For more specifics, see our blog, “The Best Acne Cleanser for Every Skin.”

Aside from clarifying, balancing pH, reducing the appearance of pores, and generally improving skin health, a toner clears away the dead skin cells to enhance product absorption and introduce moisture to the skin.

The best toners balance hydrating and nourishing properties along with astringency in formulas that address all skin types, not just oily or acneic skin. Even dry skin needs a toner. Lack of moisture causes skin cells to die more rapidly than in more hydrated skin, creating a buildup of dead cells, which block the moisture barrier and keep your products from delivering their beneficial ingredients.

If the toner is your enhancer, the corrective serum is your enforcer, repairing and protecting against damage, neutralizing free radicals, and regenerating healthy skin.

Serums are formulated to be maximally potent with highly concentrated ingredients that target specific concerns like acne, aging, or discoloration. In short, they are the workhorses of your skincare stable capable of taking on and transforming all your trouble spots.

Pure C + E is a must for any regimen to repair and prevent age-accelerating environmental damage, boost collagen production, and promote a bright, radiant glow. Vivant’s vitamin A serums accelerate cell turnover, decongest pores, and firm up skin structure. A mandelic acid serum is an excellent choice for targeting acne, discoloration, and signs of aging, especially in sensitive or dark skin tones prone to hyperpigmentation. Peptide serums are cell signalers that trigger the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid while also calming redness.

Our Day Treatment Lotion SPF 15 is the perfect solution for light, non-greasy UV protection and hydration in one. If you’re looking for more moisture, we have a range of hydrators with additional benefits.