Abstract
Ageing skin is rarely failing in one place. Collagen is breaking down. Cell turnover is slowing. Pigment production is running unevenly. The barrier is weakening. UV exposure is compounding all of it, daily.
A single serum, however well formulated, only ever answers one of those. The Protocol is Aliangé's response: six steps, run every morning and every evening, each one addressing a different mechanism. It's the complete system Dr Alison Jamieson built for skin carrying more than one concern at a time, rather than a single hero product asked to do everything.
Why One Active Was Never Going to Be Enough
Cell turnover slows from roughly every 28 days in your 20s to 45–60 days by your 50s, which is why dulling and dryness accumulate even when nothing else has changed. Pigment-producing cells don't slow down at the same rate, so tone becomes patchier even as texture changes. Collagen synthesis declines independently of both. And UV exposure sits underneath all three: in the Nambour trial of 903 Queenslanders followed over 4.5 years, daily sunscreen use reduced visible photoageing by 24% (OR 0.76, p=0.033) compared with discretionary use.
Treat only one of these mechanisms and the others continue unopposed. That's the plateau most single-product routines hit: real short-term improvement in one area, no change anywhere else.
The Six Steps, and What Each One Corrects
1. Daily Devotion Cleanser (AM & PM) — the barrier-safe first step every other step depends on. A compromised barrier means actives irritate instead of absorb.
2. Biocinamide Serum (AM & PM) — niacinamide-led barrier support, shown to increase ceramide synthesis 4.1–5.5x. Runs both halves of the day because barrier support isn't a once-daily job.
3. Brightening Serum (PM) — Oligopeptide-68 targets the pigmentation pathway, with trial data showing it outperforms 4% hydroquinone on tone uniformity.
4. Jellyfish Peptide × Antioxidant Serum (AM) — DNA-repair peptide technology paired with Matrixyl synthe'6 for collagen signalling, plus antioxidant defence against the oxidative load UV creates during the day.
5. Day Cream SPF 15 (AM) — the step the other five depend on. Correction applied without daily SPF is undone by the next day's sun exposure.
6. Ultimate A Night Cream (PM) — micro-encapsulated retinol paired with bakuchiol at a 4:1 ratio, addressing collagen renewal through two separate pathways at once.
Why Morning and Evening Are Different Jobs
The Protocol splits cleanly into an AM half (Cleanser, Biocinamide, Jellyfish Peptide Serum, Day Cream SPF 15) and a PM half (Cleanser, Biocinamide, Brightening Serum, Ultimate A Night Cream) for a reason grounded in skin biology, not habit. Cell proliferation and DNA repair run at their highest overnight, while daytime skin is managing UV load and oxidative stress. Running a correction-focused product in the morning, or a defence-focused one at night, works against what the skin is already doing at that hour. See the full circadian rationale behind the AM/PM split.
What Happens When a Step Gets Skipped
None of the six steps is optional in the sense of being redundant with another. Skip the cleanser and actives sit on residue instead of skin. Skip Biocinamide and the barrier that lets everything else absorb starts thinning. Skip SPF and the prior night's correction work is reversed by UV exposure the same day. The two gaps that come up most often, in either direction, are missing barrier support and missing daily SPF. Neither produces a visible result on its own in a fortnight, which is exactly why they're the two most commonly dropped. More on why sequencing, not just product choice, is what most self-assembled routines get wrong.
Who The Protocol Is For
The Protocol is built for skin managing several concerns at once: visible lines, uneven tone, loss of firmness, and dullness together, not in isolation. If you're new to actives or building your first system, the Essential Protocol — cleanse, protect, repair — is the more deliberate starting point (read the full walkthrough); The Protocol is what you build toward, not necessarily where you start. If your primary concerns are firmness, lines and tone specifically, and you already have a cleanser and SPF in place, the Mature Skin Protocol is the more targeted three-active alternative (see why its sequencing matters).
Common Questions
What's the difference between The Protocol and the Mature Skin Protocol?
The Mature Skin Protocol is three active steps for firmness, lines and tone, assuming you already have a cleanser and SPF elsewhere. The Protocol is the complete six-step system, including that cleanser and SPF, for skin managing multiple concerns at once.
Do I need to use all six steps every day?
Cleanser and SPF are daily, non-negotiable steps. Biocinamide runs both AM and PM. The treatment serums and night cream follow the AM/PM split above. None are used interchangeably with each other.
Can I start The Protocol if I'm new to actives?
If you're new to Brightening Serum or Ultimate A Night Cream, alternate them every second night for around two weeks before building to nightly use. If you'd rather build up gradually, the Essential Protocol is a deliberate, smaller starting point.
Written by Dr Alison Jamieson — MBBS, FRACGP, Dip Derm, cosmetic physician, with over 40 years treating Australian skin.
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