Skin cycling involves rotating certain key skin ingredients in skincare products at night to get better results. Skin cycling causes fewer side effects, like irritation and inflammation. The basic skin cycling routine involves four nights: exfoliation on night one, retinoids on night two, and rest on nights three and four.

Skin cycling refers to the practice of alternating which skin care products you use in order to avoid unwanted side effects, such as irritation and dryness. The term skin cycling was coined by Whitney Bowe, MD–a board-certified dermatologist who popularized the concept on TikTok.

Skin cycling is a type of skincare routine that isolates your use of specific active ingredients to different nights (not mornings!) of the week. “This spaces out the actives to reduce the chances of skin irritation,” says Courtney Rubin, M.D., co-founder and chief medical officer of Fig. 1 skincare.

The concept of skin cycling allows for a balance between two effective yet potentially irritating ingredients. Alternating the use of exfoliant and retinol — and following them up with two nights of recovery — allows the skin time to build tolerance and reduces the potential of overdoing it. Other dermatologists generally agree.

Dr. Whitney Bowe, a New York-based dermatologist has been credited with coining the term "skin cycling." According to Bowe, the classic skin cycling routine consists of a four-night schedule. Night one is exfoliation, night two is for retinoids and nights three and four are recovery nights, where you focus on hydration and barrier repair.