{"id":"misun-skincare-layering-order-planner","version":"1.0.0","reviewedAt":"2026-08-12","jurisdiction":"Skincare and sunscreen products marketed at retail in the United States","whatItDoes":"Orders a set of user-selected routine steps for one half of the day, states why each step sits where it does, and marks every position as either a sourced rule or a convention.","basisDefinitions":{"sourced":"One of the documents in the source ledger states this ordering rule outright, or states the fact the rule rests on.","convention":"Standard practice that we could not anchor to a primary source. Shown to the reader as convention rather than presented as evidence."},"steps":[{"id":"oil-cleanser","label":"Oil or balm cleanser","order":10,"group":"cleanse","phases":["evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]},{"id":"cleanser","label":"Water-based cleanser","order":20,"group":"cleanse","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"sourced","sources":["aad-dry-skin"]},{"id":"toner","label":"Toner, essence, or hydrating mist","order":30,"group":"treat","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]},{"id":"vitamin-c","label":"Vitamin C serum","order":40,"group":"treat","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]},{"id":"exfoliating-acid","label":"Exfoliating acid (AHA or BHA)","order":50,"group":"treat","phases":["evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]},{"id":"benzoyl-peroxide","label":"Benzoyl peroxide","order":55,"group":"treat","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":["martin-1998","jaad-2010"]},{"id":"retinoid","label":"Retinoid (tretinoin, adapalene, or retinol)","order":60,"group":"treat","phases":["evening"],"basis":"sourced","sources":["tretinoin-label"]},{"id":"eye-cream","label":"Eye cream","order":70,"group":"moisturize","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]},{"id":"moisturizer","label":"Lotion or cream moisturizer","order":80,"group":"moisturize","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"sourced","sources":["aad-dry-skin"]},{"id":"spf-moisturizer","label":"Moisturizer with SPF in it","order":85,"group":"protect","phases":["morning"],"basis":"sourced","sources":["lourenco-2019"]},{"id":"face-oil","label":"Facial oil","order":90,"group":"moisturize","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]},{"id":"occlusive-balm","label":"Anhydrous balm or ointment","order":100,"group":"moisturize","phases":["morning","evening"],"basis":"sourced","sources":["sethi-2016","statpearls-moisturizers"]},{"id":"sunscreen","label":"Sunscreen","order":110,"group":"protect","phases":["morning"],"basis":"sourced","sources":["aad-sunscreen"]},{"id":"makeup","label":"Makeup","order":120,"group":"protect","phases":["morning"],"basis":"convention","sources":[]}],"timingRules":[{"id":"retinoid-dry-down","wait":"20 to 30 minutes after washing, before a retinoid","basis":"sourced","source":"tretinoin-label","detail":"The tretinoin cream prescribing information instructs the user to wait 20 to 30 minutes after washing because the skin needs to be completely dry to minimize possible irritation."},{"id":"sunscreen-protection-onset","wait":"About 15 minutes between finishing sunscreen and being protected outdoors","basis":"sourced","source":"aad-sunscreen","detail":"The AAD states it takes approximately 15 minutes for skin to absorb sunscreen and provide protection."},{"id":"inter-layer-settling","wait":"A minute or two between a moisturizing layer and sunscreen","basis":"convention","source":null,"detail":"Letting a layer settle so the sunscreen film is not mixed into it is ordinary practice rather than a tested interval, and the planner labels it as convention."}],"combinationChecks":[{"id":"retinoid-benzoyl-peroxide","basis":"sourced","sources":["martin-1998","jaad-2010"],"detail":"Flags the pairing and presents both the 1998 degradation finding and the later formulation-specific null result, without ruling on the user's specific product."},{"id":"occlusion-over-actives","basis":"sourced","sources":["zhai-2001"],"detail":"Notes that occlusion often, though not always, increases percutaneous absorption, so an occlusive over an active is a different routine from the active alone."},{"id":"spf-moisturizer-coverage","basis":"sourced","sources":["lourenco-2019"],"detail":"Reports measured coverage figures for SPF moisturiser against dedicated sunscreen rather than advising for or against either."},{"id":"stacked-actives","basis":"convention","sources":[],"detail":"Notes that alternating nights rather than stacking three or more actives is standard practice, explicitly marked as convention."}],"processing":{"location":"Browser","submittedToServer":false,"storedByPlanner":false},"excludedByDesign":["No product rating, safety score, or quality ranking","No diagnosis, allergy prediction, or personal suitability verdict","No claim that any product treats, prevents, or improves a skin condition","No invented wait times where no source gives one","No advice that overrides the directions printed on a product label or given with a prescription"],"sourceLedger":[{"key":"aad-dry-skin","title":"American Academy of Dermatology, Dermatologists' top tips for relieving dry skin","url":"https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/dry/dermatologists-tips-relieve-dry-skin","supports":"Apply moisturizer while the skin is still damp after washing, ointments and creams are more effective than lotions for dry skin, and fragrance-free products are advised over harsh ones such as deodorant soaps."},{"key":"aad-sunscreen","title":"American Academy of Dermatology, How to apply sunscreen","url":"https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-apply-sunscreen","supports":"It takes about 15 minutes for skin to absorb sunscreen and be protected, most adults need about 1 ounce for the body and at least 1 teaspoon for the face, and sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours and after swimming or sweating."},{"key":"tretinoin-label","title":"Tretinoin cream, USP, prescribing information, DailyMed","url":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=745cc3ce-60b4-4479-a055-316817567949","supports":"Apply once daily before bedtime, wait 20 to 30 minutes after washing because the skin needs to be completely dry to minimize possible irritation, and use about a half inch or less on a fingertip for the whole face."},{"key":"martin-1998","title":"Martin B, Meunier C, Montels D, Watts O. Chemical stability of adapalene and tretinoin when combined with benzoyl peroxide in presence and in absence of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. Br J Dermatol. 1998;139(s52):8-11","url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2133.1998.1390s2008.x","supports":"Tretinoin combined with benzoyl peroxide and light showed more than 50% degradation in about 2 hours and 95% at 24 hours, while adapalene was stable."},{"key":"jaad-2010","title":"Del Rosso JQ, Pillai R, Moore R. Absence of degradation of tretinoin when benzoyl peroxide is combined with an optimized formulation of tretinoin gel (0.05%). J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2010;3(10):26-30","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2958193/","supports":"A later formulation-specific study found no benzoyl peroxide induced degradation of tretinoin in an optimized 0.05% gel, which is why the pairing note is formulation dependent rather than absolute."},{"key":"zhai-2001","title":"Zhai H, Maibach HI. Effects of skin occlusion on percutaneous absorption: an overview. Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol. 2001;14(1):1-10","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11174085/","supports":"Occlusion changes stratum corneum hydration and barrier permeability and often, though not always, increases percutaneous absorption of an applied chemical."},{"key":"lourenco-2019","title":"Lourenco EAJ, Shaw L, Pratt H, et al. Application of SPF moisturisers is inferior to sunscreens in coverage of facial and eyelid regions. PLoS One. 2019;14(4):e0212548","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6447356/","supports":"In 84 participants photographed under UV, 11.1% of the whole face was missed with sunscreen against 16.6% with an SPF moisturiser, and 14.0% of the eyelid region against 20.9%."},{"key":"sethi-2016","title":"Sethi A, Kaur T, Malhotra SK, Gambhir ML. Moisturizers: The Slippery Road. Indian J Dermatol. 2016;61(3):279-287","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4885180/","supports":"Defines occlusives as agents that form a hydrophobic barrier slowing water loss, and describes humectants as double-edged because water drawn into the outer layer can then be lost to the air."},{"key":"statpearls-moisturizers","title":"Moisturizers. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf NBK545171","url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545171/","supports":"Groups occlusives into hydrocarbons, silicones, vegetable oils, animal fats, and waxes and sterols, and notes that some humectants can increase water loss without an occlusive used alongside them."}],"correctionPolicy":"Review sources quarterly and correct confirmed ordering, timing, or citation errors in place with a new version and reviewedAt date."}