Last year, “skin cycling” went viral after it was introduced to the world by Whitney Bowe, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty. For the unfamiliar, it’s a four-night skin-care routine that features exfoliation on night one and retinol on night two, with nights three and four focusing on recovery with hydrating products.
The entire regimen can be customized to suit your specific skin-care needs, but so far, I’ve only seen the routine applied to the face and neck. I tested it out earlier last year and had great results on my sensitive, acne-prone skin, which made me curious about whether I could apply the same routine to my body.
I’d describe the skin on my body as fairly normal, although I do suffer from dry skin. In general, I would say it’s pretty tolerant of almost all products I use. Typically, I only exfoliate if I’m going to apply self-tanner, and although I apply body lotion religiously after every shower, I don’t do much more than that. I wanted to see if skin cycling would work to get my skin in better shape before the warmer months, and I’m glad I did.
Keep scrolling to learn more about my body skin cycling routine.
Image Source: Photo Illustration: Becky Jiras
Body Skin Cycling Routine
Night 1: Exfoliation
Dr. Bowe suggests using a chemical exfoliant rather than a physical scrub in her skin-cycling routine, but I typically use either a physical scrub or an exfoliating mitt like the Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Glove ($15) any time I want to remove dead skin from my body. I started off the week by shaving and using my exfoliating glove in the shower, and when I finished, I felt like a baby dolphin. After that, I followed everything with the Gold Bond Healing Sensitive Daily Body and Face Lotion ($10).
Night 2: Retinol
For the retinol night, I opted to use the Sol De Janeiro Beija Flor Elasti-Cream ($48) after showering. One of the key ingredients is cacay oil, which is a bio-retinol containing vitamin A. Plus, it smells delicious. However, after workshopping this process a bit more, I’ve started rotating in the Gold Bond Body Bright Vitamin C Lotion ($12). I don’t experience any irritated with either product, but I like using the Sol De Janeiro lotion for firming and the Gold Bond lotion for brightening. Plus, the Sol De Janeiro lotion is a bit pricey, so I like swapping it for a more affordable product every other week.
Night 3: Recovery
Rather than do one night of recovery, followed by more exfoliation, I like to do five full nights of recovery and just swap out different products. Immediately after showering, I like to apply the Osea Body Oil ($84), then layer the Naturium The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Butter ($20) on top. This combination gives me the best glow, and it’s perfect for when I’m in need of a lot of extra hydration. On the nights when I’m heading out for dinner or a date, I like to start with the Rahua Enchanted Island Body Glow Serum ($85) and follow it up with the Rahua Enchanted Island Body Glow Cream ($85). The combo doesn’t leave my body feeling sticky or too heavy, so I can easily layer on clothes immediately after application.
Since trying out body cycling, I’ve noticed a big difference in the look and feel of my skin. I used to find myself reapplying lotion to my body any chance I got, but now I can go the entire day without a need for re-application. Also, on my recovery nights, I’ve found that I wake up in the morning, and my skin still feels extremely hydrated – so much so that if I have to run out the door without slapping on body lotion, I’m usually OK. If you’ve been looking for a way to get your skin on track, I’d give body skin cycling a try.
Renee Rodriguez is a staff writer and social producer for POPSUGAR. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for POPSUGAR’s TikTok and Instagram accounts.
