Glow All Season: The Ultimate Guide to Fall/Winter Skincare
Restore hydration, protect moisture, and keep your skin glowing during the harsh winter months with these seasonal swaps
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: Cold weather months can wreak havoc on the skin barrier. In particular, the top layers of skin contain fatty acids and cholesterol (the good kind!), which are those first lines of defense that work to seal in moisture and protect against irritants. This is especially common in the fall and winter months due to plummeting temperatures and dry air. Add to that, pumping up the heat, which actually takes the humidity out of the environment and extracts moisture from the skin. In a nutshell, colder months result in dryer skin and dry skin is unhealthy skin.
But there’s good news: Something as simple as swapping out products can result in healthier and more hydrated skin. Just think of it like rotating your closet during the seasons. Say goodbye to lightweight lotions and hello to heavier creams, thicker serums, vitamin-packed oils, and even light exfoliation that goes from the tip of the head down to the toes.
Once cold weather creeps in, it’s time to swap your daily cleanser for something less drying.
Here, 11 of the best products to get your skin from gloomy to glowy during the cold weather months.
Drunk Elephant Therabu Buttered Reparative Hand Cream
The perfect hand cream is the goldilocks of products: not too greasy, but moisturizing; not too heavy, but lasting. The Therabu Buttered Reparative Hand Cream from Drunk Elephant fits the bill. Consider it the hand cream for your handbag, because this is one you’ll want to have at the ready. The patented cream is created with super rich marula and shea butters with a punch of calming oat to soothe the skin. Vanilla fruit extract delivers antioxidants with a naturally sweet scent. Bonus: The buttery soft texture lasts for a full 24 hours.
One Love Organics Botanical C Body Oil
Skip the lotion for the luxuriously rich Botanical C Body Oil: part silky moisturizer and part skin refiner. Rub the product— made with shea butter oil, vitamin C ester, and papaya enzymes—on damp skin immediately after the shower for a gorgeous glow that lasts. The signature pineapple citrus smell transports you from winter doldrums to vacation in a bottle.
Comfort Zone Remedy Toner
Comfort Zone is a Certified B Corporation that takes a balanced approach to beauty and strives for sustainability. The brand has created this oh-so-soothing spray that is formulated specifically for sensitive skin, which means that it’s suitable for all skin, especially during those cold weather months. After cleansing, apply directly to the face with a simple spray, and voila, a hydrated skin palette that is primed for layering products. Pro tip: Place it in the refrigerator for a refreshing spritz first thing in the morning.
Eminence Organic Skin Care Coconut Milk Cleanser
Once cold weather creeps in, it’s time to swap your daily cleanser for something less drying. This ultra-gentle formula from Eminence is made with rich coconut milk and coconut oil to comfort parched and irritated skin, and Biocomplex2, an antioxidant that restores the look of a strong and radiant dermis. The cleanser is powerful enough to fully cleanse the skin, but gentle enough that it won’t strip moisture, and instead packs a punch of hydration. Plus, it smells heavenly.
Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum
This one is a beauty-obsessed classic for a reason. Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical serum is a luxe face oil formulated with 22 of the world’s most nutrient-rich botanicals for nourishing and restorative moisture. Its all-encompassing results continue to compound after each use, day after day, and can be combined into your morning or night routine (or both, especially because that botanical smell is intoxicating). The result is seriously glowy, bouncy skin. What’s even better is that it’s ideal for all skin types— this means there’s finally an effective face oil for the blemish prone.
Kora Organics Milky Mushroom Ultra-Hydrating Mask
A good facial mask is the gold standard in beauty, but so many of them can irritate or inflame the skin. This certified-organic mask from Kora Organics offers up a milky moisture-locking formula that helps skin to bounce back from winter dryness. Silver ear mushroom and hyaluronic acid restore moisture while coconut milk and aloe nourish. The mask can be used as a quickie 15-minute fix or overnight for next-level restoration.
Colleen Rothschild Beauty Renew & Replenish Clarifying Shampoo and Conditioner
Skincare means all skin, including the scalp and strands. Colleen Rothschild, who’s been a pioneer in the beauty industry for more than 30 years, has created two new products specifically for a healthier scalp. The clarifying shampoo and conditioner duo is infused with scalp-balancing probiotics and strengthening peptides that do double duty, detoxing the buildup while replenishing the moisture leaving hair ultra-clean and hydrated. The heady aromatic blend of green tea, eucalyptus, and rosemary for invigorating wake-you-up suds delivers a cooling sensation.
Voesh Exfoliating Body Wash Black Tea & Rosé
This two-in-one body wash from Voesh cleanses and exfoliates the skin in one go—just mix with water for the ultimate scrubby foam. The product is jam-packed with plant-derived AHAs, botanical oils, and pure sugar crystals to gently scrub those dry wintry patches while hydrating the skin. The gentle, microbiome-friendly wash is the perfect product to prep your skin to absorb as much moisture as possible and the musky scent is subtle but sensual.
Tano Skincare Balbisiana Body Butter
If you can’t get to the beach, bring the tropics to your post-shower routine with Tano Skincare’s new body butter. Infused with banana sap from the Musa balbisiana tree, this ultra-rich butter delivers a natural boost in collagen production without the irritation from traditional retinoids. The product is ideal for cold-weather months because it contains baobab oil, squalane, and hyaluronic acid to not only deliver nourishment to the skin, but firm it over time. And the coconut emollients restore softness while giving the skin a tropical scent that whisks away the winter blahs.
Snow Fox Skin Care Japanese Cherry Blossom & White Tea Smoothing Mask
Dubbed the “glass skin” mask, this skin-smoothing sheet mask from Snow Fox is made from 100% unbleached, organic certified Italian cotton to plump and prime dull and dehydrated skin and leave it bouncy and dewy for hours. It’s created with cherry blossom and white tea extracts that work to relieve dryness and redness commonly found on the face during fall and winter. There’s a reason this mask is a favorite among celebrity makeup artists for prepping the skin for big events.
Natura Bisse Diamond Luminous Tinted SPF 40
It’s equally important to wear sunscreen during the cool-weather months and Natura Bisse’s hero version covers all the bases and can be worn from the shower to the slopes. The formula contains niacinamide, an ingredient that targets dark spots; along with Artemia salina extract, which works as an anti-aging tool; and vitamin E for antioxidant benefits. And its UV defender provides UVA/UVB protection and 100% mineral filters. The result is a natural, glowy tint that’s not too heavy and never too thin. In a nutshell: the perfect no-makeup makeup look we’re all trying to achieve.