With all the options when it comes to skincare, it can get quite overwhelming. Essential ingredients, chemical exfoliants, physical exfoliants, paraben-free, fragrance-free, the list goes on. That’s why we sat down with Haute Beauty skin expert Dr. Mamina Turegano to break down her skincare guide and dive into what you need to know.

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Mamina Turegano, MD, is a triple board-certified dermatologist, internist, and dermatopathologist. Dr. Turegano has a special interest in evaluating how nutrition, lifestyle, sleep, and other environmental factors can play a significant role in inflammation, aging, and cancer. She enjoys incorporating holistic practices in her patients who deal with anything ranging from acne to warts. Dr. Turegano plays an active role in social media, particularly Instagram and TikTok. In addition to providing skincare tips and knowledge on dermatological conditions through her social media platforms, she shares her Japanese mom’s anti-aging tips, which incorporates holistic and traditional Japanese beauty practices.

Cleansers

Dry & Sensitive Skin

“I would look for more like a creamy or oil-based skin cleanser and I would also look for a cleanser that is fragrance-free, just because that’s a potential irritant,” says Dr. Turegano.

She says to look for ingredients that have ceramides and hyaluronic acid that are hydrating.

Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, Dr. Turegano recommends using an oil-based cleanser as your first cleanser to remove makeup and is a firm believer in the double cleanse method and starting with an oil-based cleanser or a cleansing balm and then following it with like a gentle cleanser.

She always recommends using fragrance-free cleansers to decrease irritation, if you can. “It’s still a very small percentage of the population, like under 5%, that’s sensitive to fragrances. So, don’t freak out if you have a scent in one of your cleansers,” she adds.

Dr. Turegano maintains that the most important thing to remember when it comes to cleansers is maintaining the PH balance and barrier of your skin. Looking for ceramides and glycerin in the ingredients lists will help with that.

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Toners

Contrary to popular belief, toners are not an essential part of the skincare routine.

“A toner is awesome if you feel like you didn’t get enough of the dirt or impurities in your pores. If you still feel like there’s something stuck in there or if you have other issues like acne, it has extra ingredients that can help with that,” Dr. Turregano recommends, ingredients like witch hazel is something that can help with acne and herself uses a salicylic acid toner, “I’m obsessed with the Paula’s Choice BHA exfoliant for people with oily, acne-prone, blackhead filled skin, and enlarged pores. That one’s an awesome toner” she adds.

Serum

“A serum is just a vehicle of providing some type of ingredient that is helpful to your skin,” says Dr. Turregano.

When it comes to anti-aging and sticking to the basics, Dr. Turegano says that everyone should incorporate vitamin C plus antioxidants serum in the morning and a layer of hyaluronic acid serum after your vitamin C.

“Interestingly, when we apply products, the goal is to go from thinnest to thickest, but I also think it’s important to keep in mind the products that you want to work most in your skin,” she adds.

Retinoids

“You want to put that as early on your skin as possible. You want that to be earlier in the stages,” says Dr. Turegano about retinoids which are typically cream or a gel. “So do that and then put your hyaluronic acid serum over it,” she adds.

Retinoids which are used for treating acne, wrinkles work by increasing the production of collagen, should be used at night and be incorporated into your skincare routine gradually.