My Exponent routine
Every step had to earn its spot
I’ve tried more serums than I can count. These are the Exponent products that stayed, in the order I use them, morning and night.
by Julia Berolzheimer · November 2026 · 6 min read Disclosure: Thomas and I invested our own money in Exponent Beauty. Some links on this page are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you shop through them.
Julia here
Why Thomas and I invested in Exponent
Over the years, my bathroom mirror has become a revolving door. Some products are hits, some are misses, and very few become mainstays. Exponent is one of the few. It’s also the only skincare brand Thomas and I have invested in.
I met Liz, Exponent’s founder, on a women’s entrepreneur retreat in January and asked her one million questions. When I came home and told Thomas, he thought the idea was so smart: keeping the actives as a powder until you use them got his investor brain going. I wasn’t so sure. I was nervous to switch up my routine, so I didn’t try anything.
He wanted to invest. But we had one rule: I had to love the products and commit to them. So I finally let Liz coach me through a routine, starting with the product I was most scared of. Here’s where I’ve landed.
Thomas’s pick
He went first
So Thomas asked Liz what he should use. She picked Clear Comeback, their probiotic enzyme serum. His skin cleared up so much that he was hooked, and he started begging me to try it.
Clear Comeback Probiotic Enzyme Power Serum
$128 | Pores + blackheads
In the morning
Mornings: three minutes before concealer
Two steps between washing my face and doing my makeup.
01
Brightening Boost Vitamin C
For sunspots and uneven tone. Fresh dose, every morning.
02
Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream
Less creasing under concealer.
AM 01/02
Vitamin C goes on first, every single morning
Sunspots and uneven tone are what I notice most in photos, so Brightening Boost is the first thing on my skin after I wash my face.
Vitamin C loses its strength fast once it sits in water. Liz compares it to pouring a glass of champagne and letting it sit: eventually, it goes flat. Exponent keeps it as a powder until I use it, so every morning’s dose is fresh.
I use the Power Serum. The vitamin C powder has its own little dispenser and the hyaluronic acid serum sits in a pump beside it, so I mix a fresh dose in my palm. It’s small enough to come with me when I travel, too.
How I use it
On clean skin. Stamp the powder into my palm, add a pump of the hyaluronic acid serum, mix and apply.
Brightening Boost Vitamin C Power Serum
$128 | 0.75 oz / 22 mL
AM 02/02
The real test is concealer
I’ve always had very thin, crepey skin and small wrinkles under my eyes, which makeup only emphasizes. I’ve been testing the Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream since the end of August.
I put it on at night, but mornings are when I see it. My eyes look really refreshed and hydrated, and the area looks noticeably more plump, with way less creasing when I wear makeup.
How I use it
At night, before bed. In the morning I just look in the mirror before concealer.
Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream
$68 | 5 mL
“Noticeably more plump, with way less creasing when I wear makeup.”
Julia, on the eye cream
In the evening
At night: the one I was scared of
Three steps, and the first one took me the longest to try.
01
Time Rewind Retinol
Prescription-strength, without the peeling.
02
Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol
The calming second layer.
03
Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream
Last thing before bed.
PM 01/03
I started with the one I was most scared of
I’d been wanting a stronger retinol, because the one I was using wasn’t prescription-grade. But I’d seen and heard how irritated my skin could get (the peeling!), so I kept putting it off.
Time Rewind is as potent as prescription strength, but it doesn’t irritate my skin or compromise its barrier, which matters because my skin is sensitive. It’s been in my nightly routine ever since.
How I use it
Every night on clean, dry skin. Stamp the powder into my palm, add a pump of the hyaluronic acid serum, mix and apply.
Time Rewind Retinol Power Serum
$128 | 0.75 oz / 22 mL
PM 02/03
Then Calm Revival, my second layer
Because my skin is sensitive, the second layer at night is Calm Revival. It’s green tea, resveratrol and cica, kept as a powder and mixed fresh in my palm, just like the others.
Green tea is anti-inflammatory, so it helps with redness, while cica supports my skin barrier. Resveratrol works on fine lines, gently.
How I use it
Right after retinol, once it has sunk in. Stamp, pump, mix and pat it in.
Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol Power Serum
$128 | 0.75 oz / 22 mL
PM 03/03
Eye cream is the last thing before bed
It feels incredible once applied. Liz’s favorite line about it: the eye cream that goes deeper, no needles necessary.
Peptides are big molecules that usually just sit on top of the skin. Liz built this one to help them get deeper, and it covers nine eye-area concerns, including dark circles, puffiness, crow’s feet and crepiness.
How I use it
After Calm Revival. A small amount around the eye area, patted in.
Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream
$68 | 5 mL
What to expect
Give it six weeks.
Right away
Hydration and brightness show up first. For me, that meant waking up with eyes that looked refreshed and hydrated.
The first couple of weeks
Liz says the serums visibly work on fine lines, sunspots and texture in one to two weeks. Use them every day.
Around six weeks
Under-eye changes like crow’s feet, puffiness and dark circles take closer to six weeks. This is the part that takes patience.
100%
of subjects had a decrease in fine lines and wrinkles in 1 week with Brightening Boost Vitamin C.
Independent clinical study, 28 female subjects, measured with instrumentation
“Hydration and brightness show up right away. Structural changes like crow’s feet, puffiness, and dark circles take closer to six weeks. The under eye is stubborn, so be patient and consistent.”
Liz Whitman, founder, Exponent Beauty
Shop my routine
Everything I use, in one place
If you only try one thing, make it the vitamin C: it’s the first thing on my skin every morning. Or take the whole routine. JULIA20 works on all of it.
Brightening Boost Vitamin C Power Serum
Brightening Boost Vitamin C Power Serum
Treats sunspots, discoloration and dullness
- Regular price
- $128.00
- Sale price
- $128.00
- Regular price
Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream
Needle-Free Lifting Eye Cream
Treats dark circles, crow's feet, puffiness
- Regular price
- $68.00
- Sale price
- $68.00
- Regular price
Time Rewind Retinol Power Serum
Time Rewind Retinol Power Serum
Reduces fine lines and wrinkles, smooths texture
- Regular price
- $128.00
- Sale price
- $128.00
- Regular price
Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol Power Serum
Calm Revival Green Tea Resveratrol Power Serum
Reduces redness, fine lines and dryness
- Regular price
- $128.00
- Sale price
- $128.00
- Regular price
The full routine, four products
$452$361.60 with JULIA20
JULIA20
Shop my routine
Use it for 20% off at checkout.
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Of all the skincare brands I’ve tested, Exponent is the one Thomas and I chose to put our name, and our money, behind. If you feel like your current routine has plateaued, take my word for it and see for yourself. I have a feeling your skin will make the case better than I can!
xx Julia
Julia Berolzheimer · Julia and Thomas write Trade Offs on Substack
