The ESK blog
Skin cycling: Tiktok fad or backed by science?
05 March 2024
Dr Anne Thomson
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There is no shortage of beauty trends on Tiktok (or any other kind of trend for that matter!) but one known as “skin cycling”, which recently went viral, certainly caught our attention. Is there any scientific basis to it and should you try it?
What is skin cycling?
Skin cycling is a term coined by a US dermatologist a couple of years ago on Tiktok that quickly took off. The idea is that two commonly used ingredients: chemical exfoliators like hydroxyacids, and anti-ageing retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) are irritating if used daily, so giving the skin a “rest” from them seems to make sense.
It basically consists of a four day - actually a four night - cycle where you use your exfoliating product one night, your retinoid product the next, and then have two nights “recovery” where you only apply moisturiser.
The theory is that your skin should now be able to reap the benefits of these two active ingredients without any of the side-effects such as irritation, redness, dryness and so on.
What does the science say?
Plug “skin cycling” into the National Library of Medicine, our top destination for evidence-checking and you’ll get….nothing. No published studies. Well, unless you count a study on cashmere goat skin seasonal variations or baboon placentas! But no published research on the four night skin cycling regime.
The dermatologist who coined the term says she has based the regime on her experience with thousands of patients and that she has conducted independent tests on skin cycling using her own products with (of course), excellent results. Unfortunately for us, these studies have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, making it hard for us to judge for ourselves.
The question really is – does our skin in fact need a rest each week from these two ingredients?
Our answer would be – not if you are using the right ones!
There are now numerous studies showing that one of the over-the-counter retinoids, retinaldehyde, AKA retinal (note retinAL, not retinOL), is as effective as the prescription-only tretinoin at treating skin ageing, rosacea and acne AND is extremely well-tolerated even by sensitive skin. These studies have been on daily use.
Ditto many of the chemical exfoliators such as alpha-, beta- and poly-hydroxic acids along with salicylic acid. These actives gently exfoliate and smooth the skin, improving its texture and tone, even combatting pigmentation. In lower concentrations and the correct formulation, numerous studies also show them to be very well tolerated and effective with daily use.
Is skin cycling really a new thing?
Actually, dermatologists have been recommending skin cycling in some way, shape or form for years. The term “skin cycling” may be new (and catchy!), but the concept isn’t. It is a well-established way to introduce prescription strength retinoids, with most specialists recommending starting gradually and building up to nightly, or sometimes alternate nightly use. It is not generally required however for the over-the-counter retinoids, especially retinal.
And most of us have probably already been skin cycling without realising it – changing your skin care regime on the basis of the seasons is a common one (in fact we wrote about it here), such as moisturising more in winter or switching to a lighter serum in summer.
Is there any downside?
Not really, although….the 4 day cycle appears to be suggesting retinoids for everyone – and these are not recommended for use in pregnancy. People with very sensitive skin may also find some exfoliating products cause irritation.
Apart from those scenarios, the only other potential harm may be to your wallet: using active ingredients a couple of times a week may mean you are wasting your money: most of the research centres on daily use to give reliable results.
But is skin cycling really necessary?
The bottom line is there is no one-size fits all skincare regime. There are so many different skin-types and conditions, not to mention skincare goals (Anti-ageing? Pigmentation? Rosacea or acne flare-ups?), so this particular approach is not going to suit everyone.
Our take, based on the evidence, is that with the right active ingredients, in the correct formulation, your skin shouldn’t need a two day break from them every four days. But being flexible is important too – our skin can change with the weather, age, hormones, stress levels and a veritable smorgasbord of other environmental factors, so it’s important to get to know your skin, and your ingredients so you can respond to any changes. That’s the kind of skin cycling we can live with!