Should You Be ‘Skin Cycling’?

It took Lauren Feiler, a stay-at-home mom in Dallas, five years to reach “skin-care nirvana,” a state of being that, according to Ms. Feiler, is characterized by skin that looks filtered or airbrushed without makeup (or a filter).

It has been a journey. After her son was born in 2017, Ms. Feiler, 34, was applying up to 12 products a day, including a placenta serum (made with biomimetic placenta, not human or animal placenta) and a $155 mask, at the suggestion of her facialist, to feel like her pre-baby self. Two and a half years later, the breakouts started; the biomimetic placenta went in the trash, along with the rest of her routine, save for cleanser and moisturizer.

Eventually, Ms. Feiler incorporated prescription-strength retinol and exfoliating peel pads with seven different kinds of acid, rotating between the two every other night. There was some improvement, but Ms. Feiler still wasn’t bowled over with the texture of her skin.

Eight weeks ago, Ms. Feiler took up “skin cycling,” which is not a workout for your face, but a skin-care routine trending online that seemed legitimate, at least compared with the libido gummies and collagen powders she bought because saw them on TikTok.

The concept is pretty simple: a four-day cycle that alternates between the use of active ingredients and “nights off.” On Night 1, cyclers apply a chemical exfoliant; on Night 2, a retinoid; and on Night 3 and Night 4, a moisturizer. Cleansing is always the first step.

“My skin is so soft, it’s like a baby’s butt,” Ms. Feiler said. “I haven’t been able to get that texture in a long time.”