This story is excerpted from Life Kit's Guide to Skin Care. Sign up for the one-week newsletter series here to get more advice on what works to improve your skin's health and appearance.
My bathroom vanity holds an array of different products that are supposed to help my skin.
Looking at these bottles, jars and containers — some half-full, some barely used, others I'm already panicking about needing to replace — it strikes me as excessive, and kind of embarrassing. I mean, do I really need all this stuff?
To find out, I spoke with half a dozen skin care experts — dermatologists, researchers and cosmetic chemists. Some of them also do consulting work for companies that make skin care products.
The short answer? No.
Beyond the must-haves for well-functioning skin (which we'll get to below), everything else is optional. "I would consider them as nice-to-haves," says Dr. Saranya Wyles, a dermatologist and researcher who specializes in skin longevity.
This includes products designed to help brighten, smooth and refresh your skin — like many of the jars and bottles lining my vanity. And while some ingredients can improve skin's appearance, there are limits to what any topical nonprescription product can do — like turn back the hands of time.
But skin also needs topical support to help keep that protective barrier intact. According to all the experts I spoke with, the essential product list needed for skin health is short:
The 3 essential skin care products
🫧 A gentle cleanser
Its job is simple: remove dirt, sweat, makeup and pollutants. Use something that contains hydrating ingredients and is mild and fragrance-free, to avoid allergic reactions and stripping the natural oils that help maintain skin's barrier function.
Don't worry about getting a cleanser with special ingredients."It's staying on your skin for such a short period of time" and then you rinse it off, says Dr. Amy Wechsler, founder of Spotless walk-in acne clinics in New York City — so it's not going to do much more than clean your skin.
As far as frequency goes, wash your face every night to clean off the accumulated buildup of the day. In the morning? That's more subjective, experts say. If you went to bed with clean skin, you may not need more than a morning rinse with water.
💦 A moisturizer that's right for your skin
Moisturizers are heavy hitters in a skin care routine — they hydrate and lock in moisture, which supports our outer barrier and keeps skin functioning the way it should.
Most moisturizers combine three types of ingredients: humectants to draw water in, emollients to smooth and soften skin and occlusives to seal moisture in, says cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos.
They are often formulated to support different skin needs. So make sure you know whether your skin is dry, oily, a combination of the two or sensitive — and know that this may change at different life stages.
Wherever your skin is now, look for a product designed for those needs. "No matter your skin type, you need a moisturizer that's appropriate," says dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon Michelle Henry.
Because moisturizers stay on your face (and don't get washed off like cleansers), getting one with ingredients that offer extra benefits isn't a bad idea — for example, antioxidants to help support skin health or retinols to improve texture and tone. (To learn about the active ingredients that move the needle in skin health and appearance, sign up for our newsletter.)
☀️ A broad-spectrum sunscreen that's at least SPF 30
Experts agree that the very best thing you can do for the health and appearance of your skin is to protect it from the sun's damaging UV rays.
Choose one that offers broad-spectrum protection from both UVB and UVA rays — both can cause skin cancer and visible signs of aging.
At minimum, you need sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, and reapply every two hours if you're going to be outside.
Make using sunscreen a no-brainer part of your day, says dermatologist Fayne Frey. "You get up, brush your teeth and put your sunscreen on."
Some helpful tips:
Put on your moisturizer before you put on your sunscreen. Thinnest to thickest is an easy way to remember how to layer skin care products, says Henry. It makes sense. "If you put a thick product on first, then the thinner product can't penetrate," she adds.
If you've got a multipurpose product, like a moisturizer that contains sunscreen, go ahead and use it. It can simplify a routine, says Dobos. Just don't forget to reapply it every two hours if you're outside.
For more skin care tips, including how to find effective over-the-counter products and when to see a dermatologist, sign up for our one-week Skin Care Guide here.
You might be wondering: Are foreign sunscreens better?
Probably. Sunscreens made in Europe, Japan and South Korea allow different chemical filters, including iscotrizinol, that are better at blocking the sun's deep-penetrating UVA rays than what's long been approved in the United States.
This month, the Food and Drug Administration added bemotrizinol — which is commonly used in foreign-made sunscreens — to the list of permitted sunscreen ingredients, the first new inclusion in more than 20 years.
"We're a little behind," says Wechsler, who likes to layer European sunscreens.
Sunscreen sold in the U.S. focuses on SPF (sun protection factor), which indicates its ability to block UVB rays. Sunscreens labeled "broad spectrum" are supposed to offer protection from UVA rays as well, but as reported by NPR, they often don't meet more rigorous European Union standards.
To ensure you get more UVA coverage, experts recommend physical sunscreens that include minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
❗Wait, I use a lot more skin care products than this❗
We all turn to skin care for different reasons. For some of us, it's to target specific concerns like adult acne or to diminish the appearance of large pores. For others, it might be a fun part of your self-care routine (or your favorite aisle in the drugstore).
So if your list of daily skin care products is longer than this, we get it. As Wyles says, some of these extras are "nice-to-haves."
Loved this story and want more skin care advice? Sign up for Life Kit’s Guide to Skin Care — and get a week of expert tips on products, ingredients, routines and more.
Kelle Walsh is a health and wellness journalist based in Colorado.
This story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is CJ Riculan. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and sign up for our newsletter.
Copyright 2026 NPR