It is said that up to 70 per cent of the UK population has sensitive skin, and in a world where our use of skincare actives such as retinol, vitamin C and AHAs continues to be on the rise, this is hardly surprising. For skin that’s prone to reactions, it’s important to introduce new ingredients with care—this is where the concept of ‘laddering’ can come in handy.
 
These days, with trending beauty buzzwords aplenty, it’s hard to know which to sit up and take notice of, and which will make the biggest difference to your skin’s appearance and health. Laddering is one worth considering for a number of reasons—here’s why.

What is skincare laddering?

To put it simply, ‘laddering’ is essentially the process of slowly introducing new active ingredients to your routine, gradually building up the frequency and concentration over time, almost like you are climbing up a ‘ladder’. “The aim is to allow the skin’s barrier to adapt gradually, reducing the risk of irritation and barrier disruption,” explains Aesthetic Expert Dr David Jack. “The idea is that slow, consistent exposure leads to better resilience over time without sudden disruption of the skin’s microbiome.”

EV Expert Dr Emmaline Ashley describes the method as a way of “training” the skin to allow it to tolerate potent actives without overwhelming it. “This staged approach minimises irritation while still allowing you to benefit from transformative ingredients,” she says. Instead of going all in with a certain ingredient or product, laddering lets you use things you otherwise may have discarded due to adverse reactions early on.

Who is it most beneficial for?

As mentioned, laddering your skincare actives can greatly benefit sensitive skin, or more widely, anyone who is experiencing symptoms of a damaged skin barrier (dryness, breakouts, redness etc). “Laddering gives the skin time to build up its tolerance, minimising inflammatory responses and supporting the repair and maintenance of the skin’s barrier function,” explains Dr Jack. “By easing into actives slowly, it reduces the risk of flare-ups, redness, or barrier disruption,” agrees Dr Ashley. “It also gives the skin time to build resilience, allowing individuals with sensitivity to benefit from ingredients they might otherwise avoid altogether. It’s a far more sustainable and skin-respecting method than diving straight into high-strength products.”

In addition to those who experience sensitivity or other skin barrier issues, this approach can be helpful for post-treatment skincare, too. “After treatments like injectables, laser or microneedling, the skin’s barrier is temporarily weakened and much more susceptible to irritation than normal,” explains Dr Jack, who warns that “jumping straight back into a full-strength routine can prolong recovery time or even trigger unwanted side effects.”

For this reason, reintroducing things slowly is beneficial. “Laddering allows you to reintroduce acids, retinols, and other strong products slowly and thoughtfully,” notes EV Expert Dr Raquel Amado. “For instance, post-laser, you might wait until the skin has completely re-epithelialized [the resurfacing of a wound], then start with a very mild retinol once a week, monitor, and only increase if no irritation occurs.”

Which ingredients is it most useful for? 

“Anything that prompts cellular turnover, exfoliation, or significant barrier disruption can benefit from a laddering approach,” says Dr Amado. Most notably, this includes retinoids such as retinol and prescription tretinoin, vitamin C—especially in its L-ascorbic acid form—exfoliating acids like AHAs and BHAs, and some peptides that are more on the potent side.

“These are highly effective actives but can provoke irritation, dryness, or flaking if the skin’s barrier isn’t given time to adjust,” says Dr Ashley.

How do you practise skincare laddering? 

It often depends on the ingredients you are introducing (or reintroducing) to your routine, but the concept is largely the same: start with low concentrations of your product just once or twice a week, and work your way up the ‘ladder’ by firstly increasing the regularity of use, and then trying higher concentrations if needed.

“You might start by using an active product such as a retinoid or acid, once or twice a week, then progressively increase to every other night and eventually daily if the skin tolerates it well,” says Dr Jack, for example. You can also “begin with a low-strength formulation and use it consistently for a set amount of time, before stepping up to the next potency,” adds Dr Ashley.

Dr Amado advises that you carefully observe your skin’s reaction at each stage, to ensure it’s ready to progress to the next.