written by Riley Tonks, co-founder of arpy, 15 October 2026
a 4 step skincare routine goes cleanse, treat, hydrate, nourish. the products go on from thinnest to thickest, so the watery ones come first and the cream goes on last, over the top.
that's the routine arpy is built on. Matt and I started working on arpy in Newcastle in January 2026 because we both wanted skincare that fit into a busy day. it became four products, numbered 01 to 04, so you know what goes on when. below is each step and how much to use, then a few common questions.
the four steps, in order
01 cleanse
the hydrating ceramide cleanser is a watery liquid. it foams lightly in your palm and on your face. 3 to 5 full pumps is enough. you work it into a light foam in your palm, massage it over a wet face and rinse. afterwards your skin feels fresh and hydrated, not stripped.
it's fragrance-free. the main ingredients are three ceramides, vitamin B5 and glycerin. ceramides are fats that are naturally part of your skin's outer layer. they're there so your face feels comfortable after washing, not squeaky. after rinsing, I pat my face dry before the next step.
02 treat
the copper peptide serum is blue and runny. 3 to 4 drops on your fingertips cover your whole face. it goes on after cleansing, once your face has been patted dry.
it contains copper tripeptide-1, niacinamide (vitamin B3) and Q10. after it, skin looks dewy and hydrated. there's more on it, including how to read a copper peptide percentage, in our guide to ghk-cu serum.
it has a light jasmine scent.
03 hydrate
the hyaluronic acid gel is a gel, and a very hydrating one. two pea-sized amounts go over your face and neck after the serum. skin looks dewy and feels hydrated afterwards.
hyaluronic acid holds water against your skin, which is what this step is for. the gel is fragrance-free and comes in 30 ml. it also works well as a primer if you wear makeup. there's more on it in our guide to hyaluronic acid gel.
04 nourish
the nourishing barrier cream is the last step. a pea-sized amount covers your face and neck, and you can use more if your skin wants it. it's fragrance-free, with shea butter and sunflower seed oil. skin feels smooth and moisturised afterwards.
it goes on last because it's the thickest of the four. it sits over the top and holds in the three steps before it.
what order should skincare go on?
the usual rule in skincare is thinnest to thickest. watery products first, cream last.
cleansing comes first so everything after it goes onto clean skin. the serum is the thinnest, and it's only a few drops, so it goes on next. the gel is a little thicker. the cream is the richest. a cream with oils and butters in it leaves a thin layer on the surface that slows down water loss from the skin underneath, so it makes sense for it to go over everything else.
layering order is a rule of thumb. as far as I know it hasn't been tested product by product in studies. it makes sense, though, and it's the order Matt and I use. the numbers on the products follow it.
morning and night skincare routine
the same four steps, in the same order, morning and night. the only thing that changes is sunscreen in the morning.
we also make two extras that aren't part of the four steps: a peptide eye cream and a vitamin C radiance serum. both start at two or three nights a week, and both product pages explain what to know before using them, including sun advice. on a night you use them, the copper peptide serum still goes on straight after cleansing, then the vitamin C serum, then the eye cream, then the gel and cream.
where sunscreen goes
none of the four products contain sunscreen, and they don't replace it. in the morning, sunscreen goes on after the barrier cream, as the last step before makeup.
Cancer Council Australia says to apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going outside, and to use it exactly as the label directs. so if your sunscreen's label says something different from our order, the label wins.
how long does a four-step routine take?
about three to five minutes for the whole routine, morning and night.
how much of each product should you use?
- 01 cleanser: 3 to 5 full pumps
- 02 copper peptide serum: 3 to 4 drops
- 03 hyaluronic acid gel: two pea-sized amounts
- 04 nourishing barrier cream: a pea-sized amount, more if your skin wants it
as for how long a bottle lasts, it depends on how much you use and how often, so we don't put a number on it.
how many steps do you really need?
fewer than four, for some people. a cleanser and a cream, morning and night, is a reasonable routine on its own.
the steps are designed to be followed, but they are not absolute. we built four because each step does a different job, and four is still short enough to do on a tired night. the numbers are there for people who would rather not think about skincare. you don't have to remember any names, just 01, 02, 03, 04.
if you're starting from nothing, adding one product at a time makes it easier to tell how each one feels on your skin. trying something new on a small patch first is worth doing too. if anything stings or doesn't feel right, it's best to stop using it.
the core four
the core four is all four in one box, numbered 01 to 04. it's $159, which is $37 less than buying the four separately. every batch is made on the Gold Coast, and Matt and I pack the orders ourselves.
sources
- Cancer Council Australia, "Advice on how to choose, apply and store sunscreen". https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/causes-and-prevention/sun-safety/sunscreen/advice
- DermNet, "Emollients and moisturisers". https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/emollients-and-moisturisers/
