Basic Skincare Routine For Men
Smart skincare doesn’t need to be complicated, and this basic skincare routine for men proves that. It only takes a few products to maintain clear, healthy skin. The basic skincare routine for men is really just two or three steps, and it still promotes clear, healthy complexion. Here is a look at that regimen, and how it alters (ever so slightly) from morning to midday to night.

Smart skincare doesn’t need to be complicated, and this basic skincare routine for men proves that. It only takes a few products to maintain clear, healthy skin.
Some people’s skincare routines are long, ornate, and often intimidating to anyone trying to build his or her own regimen for the first time. However, it’s possible and acceptable to follow a much simpler regimen if you want to—especially when starting out. The basic skincare routine for men is really just two or three steps, and it still promotes clear, healthy complexion. Here is a look at that regimen, and how it alters (ever so slightly) from morning to midday to night.
Step 1: Cleanse
For morning and night, you’ll need a cleanser. Pick one that deep cleans the pores: A clay cleanser, for example, can be both gentle on skin and extremely powerful in removing oil and grime from deep within pores. (This is why Cardon chose clay as a key ingredient in its cleanser.)


When you wake up in the morning, you’ve got to wash your face right away. You’ve been sleeping on your pillows night after night, which have soaked up your sweat and oils, and thus they’re likely harboring lots of bacteria. (Bonus hygiene tip: Wash your pillowcases weekly, and your bed sheets every other week.)
Before bed, then, you’ve also got to wash away the entire day’s accumulation of oil, grime, sweat, and dirt. If not, you’ll layer all of these things onto your pillowcase and then press your also-dirty face into it for eight hours while you sleep. And then you’ll wake with breakouts, enlarged pores, or that not-so-fresh feeling.
Step 2: Moisturize
Next, in both the morning and evening, you need to moisturize the skin. There is more purpose to using moisturizer than simply adding hydration. Moisturizer boosts the “barrier function” of the skin, in that it works as a “double epidermis”. (Try saying "double epidermis" ten times fast.) It does so in one way by protecting skin from environmental toxins, like pollution, that otherwise age our appearance and damage cells. In addition to that defense, the barrier boost of moisturizers also prevents excess water loss from beneath the skin. So, it prevents bad stuff from getting in, and good stuff from getting out.
Look for moisturizers that feature nourishing ingredients, from plant extracts to vitamins. Each moisturizer’s formula will deliver something different to the skin based on which of these ingredients is used, and each brand should be able to articulate why they chose the ones they did. Take Cardon as an example, which uses cactus extract as a key ingredient in each of its products. This ingredient is known for its soothing, healing properties, and gives a moisturizer that much more muscle.
Your moisturizer should differ from morning to night. So, in theory, you should have two moisturizers on your sinkledge. Here is how they differ:
Morning moisturizer: The morning moisturizer needs to include broad-spectrum SPF of at least 30 or greater. (SPF 30 provides 97% protection from the sun, whereas SPF 15 only offers 93% coverage.) It’s easy to mistake SPF as only necessary for long sunny picnics or beach days, but it is imperative to use every day. That’s because the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays are active every day, and they mutate our skin cells and can lead to premature skin aging (that’s UVA rays) as well as skin cancer (that’s UVB rays). On top of that, UVA rays can also go through glass, meaning the sun can still age your skin prematurely and aggressively even if you’re sitting indoors or inside the car. It’s like they’re stalking you.


But SPF gives you an invisibility cloak of sorts, at least from these omnipresent and oppressive UV rays. Pick a lightweight, water-based, fast-absorbing SPF moisturizer for daily use—like Cardon’s Daily SPF + Moisturizer—so that it doesn’t leave any greasy residue on the skin or cause excess sweating. This type of SPF moisturizer is good for all skin types, too. In particular, anyone dealing with oily skin will appreciate how it doesn’t aggravate the situation.
This morning moisturizer should be reapplied midday, too. For one, the barrier-boosting powers of the product will have started to wane, but also, SPF typically only wears for a couple hours. Assuming you ditch the office for a lunch break, that’s the perfect time for a second application, or a couple hours later to precede your commute home. Just wash your hands and splash some water on your face, then let it dry before reapplying.
Evening moisturizer: You obviously don’t need SPF at bedtime, unless you live in Norway and it’s summer and you sleep with the blinds drawn like a crazy person. Also, at bedtime, you want something a little thicker and denser that will wear longer than a typical daytime option, and that promises to help repair the skin. This is important, the repairing bit. Because as you sleep, your body is healing and your cells are regenerating.


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Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
$29.00
Every part of you is getting stronger, including your skin, and a repairing nighttime moisturizer works in tandem with the body’s regenerative cycle to magnify these overnight results. So look for ingredients that help firm complexion, boost moisture, stimulate collagen production, and the likes—this is why Cardon put the multitasking, anti-aging rosehip oil into its nighttime gel moisturizer.
Basic Men’s Skincare Regimen Recap
AM: Cleanse, Moisturize with SPF hydrator
Midday: Moisturize with SPF hydrator
PM: Cleanse, Moisturize with reparative nighttime hydrator
Once you’ve mastered this list, you can then target the specifics of your own grooming needs. A more advanced skincare routine can include eye creams or gels for dark circles, fine lines, and puffy eyes; targeted treatments for acne or dark spots; face masks for deep cleansing or deep moisture; an anti-aging regimen that includes serums and retinol to help skin look firm, bright, and youthful; and much more. But don’t stress about that stuff now—focus on mastering the basics, and you can add complexities as you see fit and necessary.
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Beginners
Essentials Skincare Set
good for:
Everything you need, nothing you don’t—the Essentials Set is your skincare starter pack. Just cleanse, moisturize, and protect. We took the guesswork out of developing a skincare routine. This is all you need for everyday skin health.
Includes Steps:
- 01 Purifying Clay Cleanser
- 02 Daily SPF + Moisturizer
- 03 Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
Get 30% OFF your first set subscription $71 $49.70 with code FIRSTSET
Essentials Skincare Set
good for:
Everything you need, nothing you don’t—the Essentials Set is your skincare starter pack. Just cleanse, moisturize, and protect. We took the guesswork out of developing a skincare routine. This is all you need for everyday skin health.
Includes Steps:
- 01 Purifying Clay Cleanser
- 02 Daily SPF + Moisturizer
- 03 Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
Get 30% OFF your first set subscription $71 $49.70 with code FIRSTSET


Purifying Clay Cleanser
good for:
The Purifying Clay Cleanser dares to answer the question: “what if you combined a detoxifying clay mask with a hydrating face wash?”
Our 2x Ask Men Grooming award-winning cleanser uses Cactus Extract and a Tri-Clay blend to remove excess oil and cleanse skin deeply from the grime of the day, never leaving skin feeling dry or tight. Powerful ingredients, yet gentle enough for daily use.
“The best face wash I have found for my oily, sensitive, acne-prone skin! With continued use, I've even seen a drastic reduction of oily shine on my face after long days in the office!” - Steve C.
Purifying Clay Cleanser
good for:
The Purifying Clay Cleanser dares to answer the question: “what if you combined a detoxifying clay mask with a hydrating face wash?”
Our 2x Ask Men Grooming award-winning cleanser uses Cactus Extract and a Tri-Clay blend to remove excess oil and cleanse skin deeply from the grime of the day, never leaving skin feeling dry or tight. Powerful ingredients, yet gentle enough for daily use.
“The best face wash I have found for my oily, sensitive, acne-prone skin! With continued use, I've even seen a drastic reduction of oily shine on my face after long days in the office!” - Steve C.


Daily SPF + Moisturizer
good for:
We’re playing favorites—this is the #1 most important step in your skincare routine. Stave off sun damage for healthy, youthful skin for years to come with our Daily SPF + Moisturizer, acclaimed best lightweight moisturizer with SPF by GQ!
Its fast-absorbing, lightweight formula uses Cactus and Chia Seed Extract to provide all-day hydration, plus Broad Spectrum SPF 30 to protect against UVA and UVB rays with ZERO residue or white cast.
“After trying several different brands, I finally found a product I like. It's lightweight, not sticky, and has a very subtle, fresh scent. Will definitely order again. I highly recommend this product.” - Sara T.
Daily SPF + Moisturizer
good for:
We’re playing favorites—this is the #1 most important step in your skincare routine. Stave off sun damage for healthy, youthful skin for years to come with our Daily SPF + Moisturizer, acclaimed best lightweight moisturizer with SPF by GQ!
Its fast-absorbing, lightweight formula uses Cactus and Chia Seed Extract to provide all-day hydration, plus Broad Spectrum SPF 30 to protect against UVA and UVB rays with ZERO residue or white cast.
“After trying several different brands, I finally found a product I like. It's lightweight, not sticky, and has a very subtle, fresh scent. Will definitely order again. I highly recommend this product.” - Sara T.


Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
good for:
Like a night cap for your skin, our Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer is the ideal way to finish your evening.
This 3-in-1 gel moisturizer uses Cactus Extract and Rosehip Oil to put in the work while you snooze—hydrating, soothing, and repairing your skin all night long.
“This easily became part of my nightly routine. I've started to notice my face looking healthier and smoother. As a 32 y/o, you start to notice wrinkles creeping in, this helps me keep them at bay.” - Andrew S.
Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
good for:
Like a night cap for your skin, our Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer is the ideal way to finish your evening.
This 3-in-1 gel moisturizer uses Cactus Extract and Rosehip Oil to put in the work while you snooze—hydrating, soothing, and repairing your skin all night long.
“This easily became part of my nightly routine. I've started to notice my face looking healthier and smoother. As a 32 y/o, you start to notice wrinkles creeping in, this helps me keep them at bay.” - Andrew S.
Cardon Products Are
Easy to Use
We never create two products when we can achieve the same results with one. Cardon products are designed to be easy to use every day.
Backed By Korean Innovation
Korean R&D is two decades ahead of the rest of the world. Cardon products use the highest quality, most effective ingredients out there.
Non-Toxic
Finally, an ingredient label you can feel good about. Every ingredient in Cardon products is good for your skin, and easy on the mind.