If you've noticed your skin seems to follow its own monthly rhythm (clearer some weeks, more reactive or congested in others) you're not imagining it. Hormones shift constantly through the month, and skin, sensitive as it is, responds to that shift. Once you start to notice the pattern, it becomes much easier to work with your skin rather than react to whatever it's doing on any given day.
The good news is that most of your routine doesn't need to change at all. Cleansing, hydrating, moisturising; these stay steady no matter where you are in your cycle. What can shift, gently, is the serum or oil you reach for at night. That's the one step with room to flex, and it's often enough to keep your skin feeling supported all month long.
A note before we begin: this is written from a skincare perspective only. Hormonal health is personal and complex, and if you have any concerns about your cycle or hormonal wellbeing, it's worth speaking with your healthcare professional.
The steps that hold steady
Think of your foundational routine (cleanser, Hydrating Spritz, moisturiser) as the frame your skin can always rely on, whatever else is going on underneath.
Cleansing is really about matching the formula to how your skin feels that day rather than the calendar. A cream-based cleanser suits most people most of the time, with something foaming or slightly more thorough earning its place on oilier days, or for those who notice breakouts as a recurring feature of their cycle. If gentle daily renewal appeals to you, a lactic-based gel cleanser can fold that step in without adding anything extra to your routine.
Between every layer, our Hydrating Spritz does more work than it's given credit for. It's not a finishing touch, it's what supports everything that follows, serum, oil, moisturiser, to actually absorb. Used straight after cleansing and again before moisturising, it's the thread that connects each step.
Moisturiser is worth adjusting to how your skin feels, phase to phase. A lighter formula works well when skin runs oilier; something richer earns its place when skin feels drier or more depleted, which for many people happens around menstruation. There's no need to overthink it, just let your skin tell you which side of that spectrum it's on this week.
The one step worth adjusting
After cleansing and toning with our Hydrating Spritz, there's a single step in your evening routine that can flex with your cycle: the serum or oil you use before moisturiser. This is where you can respond to what your skin is actually asking for — hydration, calm, renewal, or a little extra help staying clear.
Days 1–5: When skin needs comfort
As oestrogen and progesterone drop away, skin often feels drier, thinner and less resilient than usual. This is a moment for gentleness rather than ambition. A simple routine, with hydration and repair doing the heavy lifting.
Our Biohydra+ Serum (built around Polyglutamic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid, paired with a native Australian botanical complex) tends to suit this phase well. It holds moisture generously and helps skin feel replenished rather than tight. If skin needs more than that, a few drops of a nutrient-rich Rosehip Oil can be layered in for extra overnight repair. A weekly hydrating mask, or a richer cream-based mask for skin that's feeling particularly dry or sensitive, is a nice ritual to add here too (just remember to exfoliate first so it can do its job properly).
Duos for this phase
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The Sensitive Active Duo: Biohydra+ Serum hydrates and supports the barrier through the day, and Rosehip Oil helps calm and repair overnight.
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The Hydration Active Duo: A daily hydrating serum paired with a weekly mask, for skin that feels tight or depleted.
Days 6–13: When skin finds its footing
As oestrogen begins to climb, skin usually settles: clearer, calmer, a little more forgiving. This is often the easiest window of the month, and a good one to lean into renewal.
If hydration is still the priority, there's no need to change anything. If skin feels ready for more, this is a considered moment to introduce a Bakuchiol-based oil (a gentler, plant-derived alternative to retinol) alongside antioxidants that support glow and help defend against everyday environmental stress. Skin also tends to handle exfoliation well during this window, whether that's an enzyme-based or slightly more physical option, if that's a step you'd like to bring in.
Duos for this phase
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The Radiance Active Duo: Active Brightening Serum helps protect against free radical damage through the day, and Antioxidant Face Oil nourishes and supports glow overnight.
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The Protective Active Duo: Vita-A+CE Complex delivers a concentrated blend of Vitamins A, C and E to revitalise, re-firm, while Antioxidant Face Oil helps plump and restore luminosity
Days 14–16: When skin is at its most receptive
Around ovulation, oestrogen peaks and skin often looks and feels its best: bright, even, comfortable. Whatever you've been using tends to keep working well here, so there's rarely a need to change course.
If tone, early signs of ageing, or long-term brightness are on your mind, this resilient window is a sensible time to bring in something more active. A Vitamin C serum, or a complex built around Vitamins A, C and E, both support healthy cell turnover and an even, clear complexion over time.
Duos for this phase
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The Brightening Active Duo: Vitamin C Serum helps brighten and protect through the day, and Active Brightening Serum works overnight to support a more even tone. Shop the duo →
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The Renewal Active Duo: Vita-A+CE Complex helps revitalise and re-firm through the day, and Biohydra+ Serum hydrates and supports the barrier overnight. Shop the duo →
Days 17–28: When skin needs a different kind of support
As progesterone rises, so does oil production, which can create the conditions for congestion in the days before your period. This doesn't happen to everyone, but if it's a pattern you recognise in your own skin, there's a simple adjustment that can help.
Switching to a Vitamin C serum in this window, ideally one that also carries calming, soothing ingredients, can help keep skin clearer before congestion has a chance to set in. Here, Vitamin C works as much as a preventative as it does a brightening ingredient. If a blemish has already appeared, a targeted spot treatment applied directly after cleansing is worth keeping alongside your regular routine rather than in place of it.
A few nights a week, it's also worth considering a nourishing lactic acid treatment to gently resurface skin and support clarity. Use it on cleansed skin without a serum underneath, building gradually from two nights a week. On the nights you're not using it, your Vitamin C serum picks back up as usual.
For skin that runs oilier or more congestion-prone in this phase, a weekly clay mask can help draw out impurities and calm any irritation. Always apply it after exfoliating, and it can double as an overnight spot treatment if needed.
Duos for this phase
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The Clarity Active Duo: A daily serum paired with a targeted spot treatment, for skin prone to congestion before your period. Shop the duo →
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The Resurfacing Active Duo: Vitamin C Serum helps brighten and protect through the day, and Pro AHA Treatment helps refine texture overnight. Shop the duo →
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The Calm Resurfacing Active Duo: Vitamin C Serum paired with Rosehip Oil, for reactive skin that wants clarity without irritation. Shop the duo →
On exfoliation
Exfoliation doesn't need to live inside any one phase — it's more useful to think of it as a habit that supports everything else. Twice a week is a reasonable baseline for most people, and it's worth doing before any event where you'll be wearing makeup, and always before a mask. Whether that's a gentle enzyme-based formula or something with a touch more texture is really down to preference and how your skin responds.
Beyond the Routine [Everyday habits for healthy skin]
What you apply to your skin is only part of the picture. How you live between applications matters just as much, no matter what phase you are in.
Hydration is the simplest place to start: begin the day with a big glass of water, keep your intake up through the morning, then slowly ease off as evening approaches. Front-loading your water earlier in the day supports hydrated, clearer-looking skin without disrupting your sleep later. Some people like to add a squeeze of lemon, a small source of Vitamin C and antioxidants, and find their skin clearer for it.
A broad-spectrum SPF, worn daily, remains the single most effective step for protecting skin against UV damage. No serum can undo what sun exposure sets in motion.
Lastly, a consistent sleep pattern gives skin the overnight window it needs to rest and repair, which is exactly when your nightly serum or oil is doing its work. And a diet rich in antioxidants, colourful fruit and vegetables, including native Australian varieties like the Kakadu Plum found in our own formulations, supports skin health from the inside out. None of these replaces your routine; they help it work at its best.
Not ever really sure what phase you’re in? Answer some questions about your skin in general in our Know Your Skin Quiz to get your Targeted Treatment Duo recommendation [plus your daily skin schedule and professional treatment advice].
