Facialists build brands differently from doctors, because they work all day with their hands on other people's skin. Joanna Vargas became a licensed esthetician in 1998 and opened her salon in 2006, and she has said her big break came when she was working seven days a week and doing eight facials a day. The Daily Serum is a lightweight hyaluronic acid serum with antioxidants and vitamins. Shani Darden launched Retinol Reform in 2013 as a gentle retinol serum made to avoid the dryness and irritation people often get from other retinols.

Pietro Simone, who was born and raised in Italy, spent nearly a decade developing and testing a full nine-product line rather than starting with one cream. Rescue Recovery and Repair is a soothing gel-serum with bio-fermented reishi mushroom, curcumin and pine bark for stressed, red skin. Angela Caglia launched with the La Vie En Rose Quartz Roller and has said she was one of the first to pair a roller with a skincare line. Her Soufflé Moisturizer uses meadowfoam seed oil and goat's milk.

JOANNA CZECH The Facial Massager lets you copy her lifting and depuffing massage at home. Sofie Pavitt Face Mandelic Clearing Serum comes from a New York aesthetician who specializes in problem skin, Tammy Fender Spontaneous Recovery Creme is nicknamed The Aspen Cream because it protects skin even at high altitude, and Kate Somerville KateCeuticals Resurfacing Overnight Peel pairs retinol with glycolic acid.

What I would skip: starting Retinol Reform and the overnight peel in the same week. Introduce one, wait two weeks, then use the other on alternate nights.

Some brands are defined by where they come from, and Vintner's Daughter is the one I think about most. April Gargiulo grew up on her family's vineyard and trained in fine wine making, with no previous experience in skincare, when she decided to make the product she could not find. She spent two years sourcing oils and herbs, and she told W Magazine that it takes three weeks to make one batch. Her stated goal was "the one product you would never leave home without, and don't need anything else." The Active Botanical Serum is an infusion of 22 active organic botanicals with essential oils.

Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence is a rose-infused mist made on the brand's farm, light enough to spritz over makeup in the afternoon. Le Prunier Plum Beauty Oil has one ingredient, plum-seed oil, and works on face, hair and body. Furtuna Skin Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil is shaken to combine a water phase and an oil phase, and Emma Lewisham Illuminating Oil Cleanser turns from oil to milk with chia, rose hip and neroli oils.

The last three are richer. Susanne Kaufmann Rejuvenating Day Cream uses ectoin to help skin hold moisture, Ranavat Renewing Bakuchi Crème uses bakuchi seed as a retinol alternative, and Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 is an acid toner with lactic and salicylic acids.

A pairing tip: use the Emma Lewisham cleanser at night, then press in the Vintner's Daughter serum while skin is still damp.

What I would skip: Lotion P50 on the same night as a retinol. It is an exfoliating toner, so alternate them.

You do not need one brand for everything. A good routine can borrow a cleanser from one founder, a serum from another and a sunscreen from a dermatologist, as long as each product has a clear job. Start with the step you care about most, whether that is hydration, texture or redness, and choose a single hero for it. Add new products one at a time so you can tell what is working. Keep acids and retinols on alternating nights, finish every morning with SPF, and give each change a few weeks before you decide.