How To Switch Your Skin Care Products Successfully

May 5, 2025

by Sarah Villafranco, MD

The key to switching skin care products successfully—especially with sensitive or picky skin—is to move more slowly than you think you need to, so your skin doesn’t have a sudden change in the ingredients it's being exposed to every day. It’s a bit like transitioning your pet from one food to another; you have to do it slowly, or you and your poor pooch will pay an unpleasant price.

How do I switch to a new face cleanser?

If you’re using liquid cleansers, you can follow the method above, taking 7-10 days to increase the new cleanser while decreasing the old one until you’re fully transitioned. It gets a little trickier when switching from a liquid to a bar soap, but it’s doable! Simply put a small amount of lather from the bar on your fingers, and a bit of your old cleanser, slowly decreasing the old cleanser and increasing the lather over the course of a week.

How do I switch to a new moisturizer?

The method demonstrated above works beautifully, and you might even be tempted to move more quickly—out with the old, in with the new, right? But we encourage you to tiptoe when changing your skincare routine. Try to take a full week (more like two weeks if you’re very sensitive) to change your skin’s environment. It’s worth the wait, and you'll be less likely to break out or have a reaction if you follow this protocol.

Will switching skincare products make me break out?

It might happen, but there's no reason to panic. Your skin is a dynamic, living organ just like your lungs and your liver. So it might respond to a change in routine, even if you’re going slowly. Our advice? Keep calm, apply a dab of Spotless Blemish Oil to any blemishes, and carry on! If you’re noticing more than an occasional zit, you may need to slow the transition even more, adjusting the new to old ratio only every 2-3 days. And if that’s not working, please email us—we’re here to help!

Hope this “dog-food” method helps you switch your skincare routine successfully, and, of course, we hope you’re switching to beautiful, natural skincare products like Osmia! Check out our entire collection here.

OUR WELLNESS + SKINCARE EXPERT

Sarah Villafranco, MD

Dr. Sarah Villafranco attended Georgetown University Medical School, and went on to complete her residency in emergency medicine at George Washington University. She moved to Colorado, where she practiced as a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Aspen Valley Hospital, Snowmass Clinic, and Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO. After losing her mother to pancreatic cancer, she took a local soap making class, and fell in love with the chemistry and artistry of making soap. Sarah went into research mode and was alarmed to learn how many potentially harmful ingredients were in most skincare products on the market. She knew she could make better, safer products that were as effective (if not more so) than conventional products. After a few years of research and development, Sarah stepped away from the emergency room to launch Osmia Skincare in April of 2012. She remains a licensed physician in Colorado, and now helps people find healthier, happier skin as CEO of the brand.