Do you really need seven serums?

Every added step comes with a reasonable promise: one for brightness, one for lines, one for pores, one for hydration. Each of those promises may be fair on its own. The trouble starts when they are stacked and used together every day.

Each active ingredient is another chance for irritation, and the more you layer, the harder it is to know which product is responsible when something goes wrong. Formulas are also designed to be used as written; mixing several together can change how they sit on skin and how well they are tolerated.

There is also a simple limit on what skin can do. A routine that asks it to exfoliate, brighten, firm and clarify at once leaves little room for the barrier to recover, and a strained barrier tends to look dull and feel reactive, which is usually what the extra serums were meant to fix.

Start with three jobs: cleanse, support, protect. Add something new only when there is a specific reason, introduce it alone, and give it a few weeks before deciding whether it earned its place. If you want to try a new product, patch test it on a small area first.

If you want to start with one serum, The Balance is made for that role. It combines niacinamide, a ceramide complex and panthenol, and it is meant to be the only serum in the routine.

You don't need to throw anything away. Pick the one you would miss most, use it alone for a few weeks, and see how your skin responds. If it is going well, you've found something that works. If it isn't, you've learned something too, and your skin has had a rest.