Editor's note

The best routine is the one you actually do. Most people's skincare failures aren't ingredient failures — they're consistency failures, and consistency failures are almost always time failures. The four-minute routine is a structure: one cleanser, one treatment, one moisturiser, one SPF in the morning. Four steps. Four minutes. The rest — toners, essences, eye creams, mists — these are extensions of that structure, not the structure itself.

What a four-minute routine actually contains

The four-minute routine has four steps: cleanse (60 seconds), active treatment — serum or spot treatment (45 seconds), moisturise (30 seconds), and SPF (45 seconds). In the evening, the SPF step becomes a second, lighter cleanser if needed. Every other product category is an extension, not a requirement.

Myth, meet fact

• Myth: A minimal routine means skipping active treatment. Fact: The serum is the step most likely to produce a visible difference. If anything gets cut, it's the toner, not the serum.
• Myth: You need separate day and night products for a functional routine. Fact: One cleanser, one serum, one moisturiser. AM adds SPF. That's it.
• Myth: A faster routine means results take longer. Fact: Results come from consistency and the right actives. A four-minute routine every day outperforms an elaborate one used sporadically.

Start here, if you're building from scratch

1. The four steps that cover everything (3 min)
2. Choosing one serum to anchor your routine (5 min)
3. Moisturiser in four seconds (3 min)
4. The AM routine — adding SPF without adding time (4 min)
5. The PM routine — the cleanser question (4 min)

Everything on the four-minute routine

• A four-step skincare routine that actually covers everything
• The serum question: which one, and why one is enough
• The morning routine in under four minutes
• What happens if you skip the toner
• The evening routine: how short can it be?