Skip to main content
Free · No login · 30 seconds

Your skin is unique.
Your routine should be too.

Answer three quick questions about your skin type, concerns, and goals — and we'll build a personalised AM/PM routine, flag ingredient conflicts, and tailor every recommendation on this site to you.

Free
No ads, no login, ever
140
Ingredients with research links
40+
Risky combos we check for
📜 The 6 golden rules of skincare click or tap to read ▾
🐢Introduce slowly. One new active every 2–3 weeks.
🧪Patch test first. 24 hours on your wrist before your face.
☀️SPF every morning. UV undoes everything else.
📅Trust the timeline. Most actives need 8–12 weeks.
💧Hydrate first. Actives work best on a healthy barrier.
🏥See a dermatologist for persistent concerns.

Routine Builder

Build Your Routine

Your routine — or stack — is the ordered set of products you apply each morning and evening. Toggle steps on or off, click any ingredient tag to learn what it does, and save when you're happy. We'll flag ingredient conflicts live as you build.

Life stage:
This is a sample routine — not yours yet. It takes 30 seconds to personalise: tell us your skin type and we'll tailor every step, product suggestion and ingredient pick.

Routine Time

💡
Quick tour: Click or tap any ingredient tag to learn what it does. Use the eye icon to hide a step you don't use. When you're ready, hit Personalise my routine → above to tailor this to your skin.
Your Routine in Order
0
Active Steps
Conflict check · updates live
🧩

Build your routine above and we'll instantly flag any ingredient conflicts, cautions or great pairings.

✅
Your stack looks great!

No known conflicts between the ingredients in your current routine.

📅 Save to unlock the 12-week progress tracker — milestone check-ins and a skin journal.
Live News Beat · The Wire

Inside the Industry This Week

Issue May 2026 · Filed by The Skin Stacker Desk

Science-checked coverage of ingredient regulation, peer-reviewed research, and industry releases — paraphrased in our own words and tied back to your routine.

  1. Ingredients

    Bee-Derived Skincare Is Trending Again — What the Evidence Says About Honey, Propolis and Manuka

    Propolis has gone from K-beauty cult favourite to mainstream 2026 active, with raw honey and manuka riding the same heritage wave. We read the bee shelf through the evidence — manuka's mechanism, propolis's momentum, honey's humectant tradition, and the allergy caveat that matters most.

    Filed from Skin Stacker Desk

  2. Ingredients

    Mushroom Skincare Is Having a 2026 Moment — Here's What the Evidence Actually Supports

    Tremella (the "snow mushroom"), reishi and shiitake are on every 2026 trend deck, pitched as natural hyaluronic-acid alternatives. We read the mushroom-skincare wave through the evidence: beta-glucan is the genuinely strong pick, ergothioneine the antioxidant sleeper, and tremella itself real chemistry running ahead of its finished-product data.

    Filed from Skin Stacker Desk

  3. Ingredients

    Spate and the NYSCC Ranked 2026's Trending Ingredients — We Ranked the Evidence

    Spate's 2026 Ingredient Trends Report, released with the NYSCC, puts PDRN (+322%), centella (+147%) and beta-glucan (+740%) at the top of consumer demand. We read the same ranking through the evidence — where demand and proof agree, and where they part ways.

    Filed from Skin Stacker Desk

  4. Ingredients

    The Six Ingredients Defining Skincare in 2026 — What the Evidence Actually Says

    Beta-glucan, PDRN, exosomes, ectoin, NAD+ and postbiotics are on every 2026 trend deck. Ranked by what the human evidence actually supports — from the safe add (beta-glucan) to the one to be most careful with (standalone exosomes), with an honest note on why topical NAD+ is really an ingestible question.

    Filed from Skin Stacker Desk

  5. Research

    AAD 2026: a new wave of eczema and psoriasis treatments — what skincare shoppers should know

    Late-breaking data from the American Academy of Dermatology meeting points to new prescription options for conditions often misdiagnosed as "sensitive skin". The OTC routine doesn't change — but the threshold for seeing a dermatologist does.

    Filed from Dermatology Times

  6. Industry

    BASF launches two precision collagen actives — here's what shipped

    A precision peptide that docks with damaged collagen, plus a bio-identical Collagen III fragment from yeast fermentation. The mechanism is genuinely new; the question is whether finished products will deliver it at meaningful concentrations.

    Filed from Cosmetics & Toiletries

The Most Comprehensive Skincare & Longevity Reference

Skin Stacker Glossary

A complete reference covering every ingredient, technique, skin condition, label term, longevity concept and wellness principle you need to know. Click any card to open the full definition.

140
Entries
15
Categories
140
Showing

Ingredient Spotlight

Key actives at a glance — click to explore

🔍

Ingredient Decoder

Decode any product

Search, scan or paste a skincare product to reveal what's actually in it — and get a plain-English breakdown of every active ingredient. Decode two or more and we'll flag any conflicts in your stack.

Get a Product In
🔍
Popular:
Or get a product in another way

🍄 New Tool

Fungal Acne Check

Paste any ingredient list to find out if it's safe for fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis). We check against a comprehensive list of known FA triggers — fatty acids, esters, and fermented ingredients that feed Malassezia yeast.

Paste the full INCI list from the product label or the brand's website. Commas or line breaks both work.

🔗 Interactive Tool

Ingredient Interaction Map

Select ingredients to see how they interact — as a colour-coded matrix. Click any cell for the full story: why they clash or pair well, the mechanism, and what to do about it.

From your decoded products
Decode a product above to auto-populate ingredients here
Or search any ingredient
🔗
Add 2+ ingredients to see the map
Select from decoded products above, or search for any ingredient.
ℹ️ The Ingredient Decoder uses AI to identify ingredients and analyse compatibility based on current scientific literature. Always introduce new products one at a time and patch test. Consult a qualified dermatologist for persistent skin concerns.

Reaction Triage

Why is my skin reacting?

Answer a few questions about what you're seeing and what you've been using. We'll cross-reference the active ingredients in your routine and rank the most likely causes — purging, irritation, allergy, fungal flare, true breakout, or something that needs a dermatologist's eyes.

1Describe what you're seeing
→
2Tell us your routine
→
3Get a ranked diagnosis
⚠️ This is an educational pattern-matching tool, not a medical diagnosis. If you have intense swelling, difficulty breathing, or a painful rash spreading quickly — stop all products and contact a doctor immediately.

1. What does the reaction look like?

Pick the closest match — it's fine if you're unsure.

2. Where is it showing up?

3. Any of these feelings? (pick all that apply)

4. How long has this been going on?

Answer all 4 questions to continue

5. Have you started anything new recently?

6. Which actives are in your current routine?

Tick any you're using right now. We use this to weight the likely cause — e.g. purging only happens with specific ingredients.

7. Are you in any of these situations? (optional)

Answer questions 5 and 6 to continue

Skin Stacker · Tools

Ingredient Efficacy Timeline

See exactly when each active in your routine starts working — week by week, from first use to full results.

Select from your active routine, or add any ingredient below.
⏱
Add ingredients above to see your timeline
Select from your current routine or search for any active ingredient.

Save Your Stack

Give your routine a name and we'll save it to this device so it's here next time you visit.

Saved locally in your browser. Use the Share button to copy a summary to send or screenshot.

✨
Routine saved!

Your stack is saved to this device. Your 12-week progress tracker is now active — scroll down below your routine to find it.

📅
Start your 12-week journey
Most actives take 8–12 weeks to show visible results. Set today as your start date and we'll guide you through what to expect at each milestone.

Want a copy in your inbox? Get your routine emailed →

Scan a Product

Take a photo of the front (for the product name) and the back (for ingredients). The AI reads both — no typing needed.

Photos are compressed in your browser and only sent to decode the product. They are not stored.

My Personalised Routine
👋 New to skincare?
Ask me anything — ingredients, conflicts, or what to try first.
✨
Skin Stacker AI
Powered by Claude
Online
Hi! I'm the Skin Stacker assistant 👋 I can explain how ingredients work, what the evidence actually shows, which ones pair well or clash, and how to order a routine. I don't diagnose or recommend brands. What would you like to know?
For education only · Not medical advice · Consult a dermatologist for skin concerns