When it comes to skincare, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Between endless TikTok hacks, 10-step routines, and shelves full of “must-have” products, you might be left wondering: Do I really need all of this?
The truth is, less often does more. Skin doesn’t thrive on chaos—it thrives on consistency, balance, and ingredients that work with your body, not against it. If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of trying everything yet seeing minimal results, it’s time to step back and simplify your routine.
This post will walk you through a minimal skincare routine that delivers big results—the foundation you can rely on every day. With just a few steps and the right products, you can support your skin barrier, prevent breakouts, and achieve that lit-from-within glow.
Let’s get back to basics!
Why Less Is (Sometimes) More in Skincare
Let’s be real: your skin doesn’t need a dozen products layered on top of each other. Some people find joy and see results from using more products, but it’s absolutely essential to get the foundations right before layering more products into a routine!
Starting off a routine with too many actives or pore-clogging ingredients can create the very issues you’re trying to solve—think irritation, sensitivity, and more breakouts.
Paring back your skincare routine to the basics for a while can help you:
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Strengthen your skin barrier. A broken skin barrier = breakouts! A healthy skin barrier is essential for clear skin, so giving it a break from harsh actives or questionable products can help it restore.
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Reduce pore congestion. Fewer products = less risk of hidden pore-clogging ingredients sneaking in.
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Stay consistent. Simplicity makes it easier to actually stick to your routine daily.
And that consistency is where real transformation happens.
The Core Three: Cleanse, Treat, Protect
Think of your skincare like building blocks. You need a strong foundation before adding any extras. These are the core, non-negotiables that keep skin clear, balanced, and resilient:
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Cleanse – Washing away dirt, oil, and pore-clogging debris sets the stage for everything else. A gentle but effective cleanser like GENTLECLEAN keeps your skin barrier intact while removing buildup that can trigger breakouts.
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Treat – This is where you target your personal skin goals, whether that’s calming acne, fading dark spots, or boosting radiance. Treatments and serums like CELLRENEW® deliver active ingredients directly where they’re needed most.
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Protect – From daily moisturization to SPF, protecting your skin ensures that all your hard work isn’t undone by dryness, irritation, or sun damage. A lightweight, acne-friendly moisturizer like HYDRAGLOW locks in moisture without clogging pores—something most moisturizers on the market can’t promise. Always follow with SPF in the morning!
Together, these three steps cover the essentials of healthy skin on a daily basis. Once you’ve built consistency with the Core Three, everything else—exfoliants, masks, toners—becomes optional add-ons rather than essentials.
Step 1: Gentle Cleansing for Fresh Skin
Cleansing is the reset button for your skin—it removes impurities, excess oil, and makeup so your skin can breathe. But here’s the catch: many cleansers on the market are either too harsh (stripping your barrier) or too heavy (leaving behind pore-clogging residue).
That’s why we formulated GENTLECLEAN, our best-selling daily cleanser designed specifically for acne-prone skin. It’s sulfate-free, packed with calming botanicals, and removes debris without leaving your skin tight or dry. Unlike foaming cleansers that compromise your barrier, GENTLECLEAN keeps skin balanced and comfortable—making it the perfect start to any minimal skincare routine.
The clinical results from GENTLECLEAN are super impressive! While many cleansers strip, this one is shown to continue hydrating skin for 8 hours even after you’re done cleansing!
Pro Tip: Cleanse once in the morning and twice at night (a double cleanse if you’re wearing sunscreen and makeup) to ensure pores stay clear.
Step 2: Targeted Treatments for Your Skin Needs
This is where skincare gets personal. Treatments—like serums or acne-fighting formulas—address your unique concerns, whether that’s breakouts, discoloration, or dullness.
The key? Use only what your skin actually needs. Loading on multiple treatments at once often causes irritation. Instead, identify your main goal and choose a treatment that delivers targeted results.
The serums we recommend for pretty much anyone with acne-prone skin:
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CLEARITY 8% Mandelic Acid Serum: Using this serum once nightly helps keep your pores clear and exfoliates smoother skin, helping clear up skin.
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CELLRENEW Advanced Renewal Serum: This multitasker is beloved by sensitive, acne-prone skin because it helps your skin take care of itself! The Allantoin in the formula also helps your skin tolerate strong actives in a routine, making it a CLEARSTEM essential.
Once you have your core treatments locked in, you can customize and layer based on your skin’s unique needs. Have dark spots? Consider adding a toning step with BRIGHTMEUP. Wanting to add in some face massage or gua sha? Grab GOLDENHOUR. Want an extra kick of anti-aging power? BOUNCEBACK is your best friend.
As far as CLEARSTEM products go, we developed our line to be used together (and with no pore-clogging ingredients!), so building your routine with us is a great option, always.
Step 3: Moisturize to Lock In Hydration
Even acne-prone skin needs moisture. In fact, skipping moisturizer can backfire—when your skin feels dehydrated, it compensates by producing more oil, which can lead to more breakouts.
The trick is finding the right formula. Many moisturizers marketed as “hydrating” are loaded with ingredients like shea butter or coconut oil, which are notorious pore cloggers! That’s why we created HYDRAGLOW, the ultimate multi-tasking moisturizer for acne-prone skin.
Lightweight yet deeply nourishing, HYDRAGLOW keeps your barrier strong and your skin hydrated, minus the pore-clogging ingredients. It’s proof that you don’t need to sacrifice glow for the clear complexion you want—you can have both.
Pro Tip: Apply HYDRAGLOW while skin is still slightly damp from cleansing or treatments to lock in hydration more effectively.
Step 4: Sunscreen—The Non-Negotiable
If there’s one product you cannot skip, it’s sunscreen. UV exposure not only accelerates skin aging but also worsens hyperpigmentation and post-acne marks. Without daily SPF, even the best treatments won’t deliver lasting results.
Choose a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen like YOUARESUNSHINE® that’s non-comedogenic. Apply it every morning, rain or shine, and reapply if you’re spending extended time outdoors.
Optional Boosters: When to Add More
Once you’ve mastered your Core Three, you can layer in extras—but only if they serve a clear purpose.
Some examples include:
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Exfoliants like CLEARITY® for smoother texture - just don’t overdo it! Go slow to see what your skin can tolerate.
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Hydrating mists like SKINSPRAY ALL DAY for added plumpness.
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Targeted masks like SULFUR SPOT&MASK® or PREGAME® for occasional treatments.
The goal isn’t to complicate—it’s to strategically support your skin where it needs it most.
Building Consistency Over Complication
The skincare industry often sells complexity because more steps = more products. But the truth is, glowing skin doesn’t come from doing everything. It comes from doing the right things consistently.
If you stick to your minimal skincare routine—cleanse, treat, protect—you’ll create an environment where your skin can naturally thrive. From there, you can tweak and layer only when needed.
Think of it like nutrition: a balanced plate daily is better than crash diets or supplements you only remember once a month. Consistency builds long-term results!
Final Thoughts: Glowing Skin, Simplified
Skincare doesn’t need to be overwhelming or expensive to work. By swapping out your pore-clogging skincare basics like cleanser and moisturizer to CLEARSTEM’s acne-friendly versions, you’re setting yourself up for the biggest results with minimal effort.
The best affordable skincare products for a simple routine start with the ones that are thoughtfully formulated, hormone-friendly, and designed for real, sustainable change.
At CLEARSTEM, every product is created with this philosophy in mind. GENTLECLEAN and HYDRAGLOW are proof that when you go back to basics, major change is not only possible—it can feel effortless.
So, if your skincare shelf feels overwhelming, take a breath. Clear the clutter. Start simple. Because glowing, healthy skin isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters most, every single day.
