Your First Three Medik8 Products: Where to Start
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Medik8 is one of the ranges we get asked about most, and the first question is almost always the same: there is so much of it, where do I actually start?
The good news is that Medik8 is built around a deliberately simple philosophy. Once you understand it, the sixty-odd products sort themselves into a sensible order.
The idea behind the range: vitamin C, sunscreen, vitamin A
Medik8 organises its core routine around three steps, sometimes shortened to CSA. Vitamin C and sunscreen in the morning, vitamin A at night. Everything else in the range is a supporting act around those three.
So if you buy nothing else, buy in that order.
1. Vitamin C, in the morning
Medik8 C-Tetra is the everyday starting point and the one we recommend most often for a first Medik8 purchase. If you want something more concentrated, Super C Ferulic pairs vitamin C with ferulic acid and vitamin E.
2. Sunscreen, every morning
The step people skip and then wonder why nothing changed. Advanced Day Total Protect is the daily option that sits comfortably under makeup.
3. Vitamin A, at night
This is where most of the confusion lives, because Crystal Retinal comes in several strengths. They are not better or worse than each other, they are a ladder. Start low and move up only when your skin is comfortable.
- Crystal Retinal 1 is the gentlest entry point, and the right choice for sensitive skin or a first retinoid.
- Crystal Retinal 3 is the most common starting strength for people who already use active skincare.
- Crystal Retinal 6 is the next step up once a lower strength feels easy.
If you want the science behind why Medik8 uses retinaldehyde rather than retinol, we wrote about that separately in Retinaldehyde vs Retinol.
The supporting cast
Once the three core steps are in place, the rest of the range makes sense as problem solving rather than shopping.
- Cleansing: Gentle Cleanse is the gentle everyday option.
- Hydration: Hydr8 B5 for skin that feels tight, Total Moisture if you want a richer daily cream.
- Redness-prone skin: Calmwise Serum.
- Congestion and blemishes: Clarity Peptides.
How to actually decide
Buy one step at a time and give each one a few weeks. Adding three new actives at once is the fastest way to irritate your skin and learn nothing about what worked.
If you are not sure which strength or which lane you belong in, come and ask us. That conversation is free and takes five minutes.
For stockist details, shipping and how to reach us, see our guide to where to buy Medik8 in New Zealand.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not medical advice. Product availability and formulations can change. Speak with a qualified professional before changing your routine. Verdo Cosmetics makes no therapeutic claims about the products mentioned.
