The Secret to Preventing Skincare Pilling: Tips for Layering Serum and Cream Correctly
You might expect an old sweater to pill, but you don’t want pilling skin when you apply your skincare routine. If you’ve experienced little balls on the surface of your skin when applying moisturizer or makeup, don’t worry, your skin isn’t actually flaking off. Instead, the product is clumping, rather than absorbing properly into the skin.
Skin pilling occurs for several reasons, including your skin’s health, the products you use, product timing, and skincare layering order. Today’s article will explore the ins and outs of skincare pilling, and our best skincare tips for avoiding it altogether. Continue reading to discover:
- How product formulation and ingredients contribute to pilling skincare
- How to avoid pilling with proper application
- How long should you wait before layering skincare?
- How should skincare be layered?
Understanding Product Formulation and Ingredient Order
If you experience skincare pilling, it feels like small balls gathering on the skin’s surface as you rub in your moisturizer, makeup, or other skincare product. Moisturizer pilling can occur for several reasons, including the ingredients in a specific product and their compatibility with your skin type.
NassifMD® facial plastic surgeon skincare is expertly formulated by Dr. Paul Nassif to include high-quality, well-tolerated, synergistic ingredients. Unlike drugstore brands, you get what you pay for, including highly absorbable formulas and products that you can layer on top of one another without pilling or other issues.
Let’s explore some tips for skincare to optimize ingredients and compatibility. First, ensure the product is right for your skin type. For example, using an oil-based product on oily skin could contribute to pilling. You may need to patch test a product to ensure it works for you. Second, understand that certain ingredient combinations can cause pilling, such as mixing silicone and oil. And finally, consider your skincare routine, including the amount of product you use, the application process, and skincare layering. We’ll cover all this below.
Patting Vs. Rubbing: Application Technique for Absorption
When it comes to applying skincare, always refer to the guidance provided on the product label or website. For all NassifMD® Skincare products, consult the “How to Use” section on the product page of the website for best practices.
Patting is a skincare application technique where you apply a small amount of the product to your fingertips and pat it into the skin. Patting is the gentlest method for applying skincare products, including serums, and may be the most effective for product absorption, provided you allow the time required for the product to absorb fully.
Rubbing skincare products can increase circulation to the area, but it can also contribute to pilling for some people. Research suggests that rubbing in skincare products in circular and linear motions correlated with more pilling events.
Using too much of a particular product or using too many products altogether can also contribute to pilling. Using more of a product isn’t always better if it prevents absorption and causes pilling. In some cases, less is more. For example, you may only need a few drops (or one pump) of a serum. Likewise, sometimes you’ll get more benefit from a simple routine consisting of intentional products and active ingredients.
How Long to Wait Between Skincare Layers?
In addition to how you apply skincare products (gently), you can prevent pilling by allowing each product to fully absorb before applying the next. Following this rule might mean you need more time to complete a complex, multi-step skincare routine.
Most products will absorb in 30 to 60 seconds, but some may require a few minutes to fully absorb. Your skin will feel dry to the touch and slightly tight when it’s ready for your next skincare step.
The main point here is not to rush through your skincare routine. Take your time and be patient. If you have limited time, you may achieve better results by simplifying your routine rather than quickly layering skincare, which can cause pilling.
Identifying Ingredients that Cause Skincare Pilling
According to some research, skincare pilling is more likely to occur with the application of sunscreen, which is typically the last step in a morning skincare routine. However, it’s also possible to experience foundation, moisturizer, and lotion pilling.
Pilling may depend on skincare product layering and how well the ingredients in different products work together. For example, you should avoid mixing silicone and oil, or hyaluronic acid and polymers. Don’t worry, when using NassifMD® Skincare, we have the details covered for you. Dr. Nassif designed each product for layering and compatibility with one another.
Lower-quality products are more likely to pill, even on their own, so it’s worth investing in a trusted brand like NassifMD® facial plastic surgeon skincare.
Creating a Perfect Morning Routine to Prevent Pilling
When you don’t layer products in the correct order or let them fully absorb, the products can mix on the skin’s surface and create pills. Let’s walk through the perfect morning routine, including the order of application to prevent pilling.
Begin with cleansing and toning, followed by a serum or serums. We suggest using NassifMD® Hydro-Screen Hydrating Serum as part of your morning routine, although it can also be used at night. With hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and retinol, you’ll hydrate, nourish, and firm the skin for visible anti-aging results and a smooth finish.
This serum is so versatile that you can also mix it with your moisturizer or apply it as a primer before your makeup or sunscreen without pilling. One pump is all you need. Regardless of how you use it, be sure to let it dry completely before proceeding to the next step in your routine.
Pro tip: If you use multiple serums, layer them from thickest to thinnest, allowing each layer to fully dry before applying the next.
After serums, apply NassifMD® Soft Focus Hydrating Day Cream as your pill-free daytime moisturizer to hydrate and illuminate your skin with hyaluronic acid, skincare peptides, and red clover complex.
Don’t forget to apply sunscreen, and then apply makeup as desired. This simple morning routine nourishes, hydrates, and protects the skin with highly absorbable and effective products, without causing pilling.
Pilling isn’t just annoying, it means your products (and their active ingredients) aren’t absorbing optimally into the skin and you’re likely missing out on some of their benefits. By choosing skin-compatible products, layering them correctly, and allowing each layer to fully absorb, you can prevent pilling and achieve your skincare goals.
References
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Lua, B. L., Ruan, L., Lyu, Y., & Liu, S. (2024). Understanding the causes of skincare product pilling. Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI), 30(8), e13828.
