Winter is the harshest season for skin. Cold temperatures, bracing winds and dry indoor heating can dehydrate the skin, weaken the skin barrier, and increase sensitivity. It’s exacerbated by bundling layers on and off and the frequent transitions between hot and cold environments. Add in festive stress, late nights and seasonal indulgences, and it is no surprise that many people find their usual skincare routine no longer delivers the results it once did. The way your products work hasn’t changed, but what your skin is facing has. Adapting your routine with targeted products can help keep skin healthy, resilient and comfortable throughout winter. Think of it as seasonal ‘skin-cycling’.
While you may want to scale back your use of exfoliants and actives, one thing that you shouldn’t skip is your SPF. Despite shorter days, UV rays remain a year‑round concern. Daily sunscreen use is still essential in winter to protect against environmental aggressors that cause skin damage.
Now, to what we should incorporate more of. The core ingredients ring true across face, body and hands. Effective lotions and creams combine humectants, emollients, and occlusives to hydrate and protect the skin. Green flags glycerin and hyaluronic acid draw water into the skin, while aloe vera and panthenol soothe irritation and support comfort. To strengthen and protect the skin barrier, look for ceramides, shea butter, and fatty acids, which replenish lost lipids and prevent moisture loss. Look out for ingredients like squalane and jojoba oil, which soften the skin without heaviness, while petrolatum or dimethicone seal in hydration and protect against harsh winter conditions.
Caring for dry hands in cold weather
Hands are often the first place to show signs of winter dryness, they’re the most exposed to the cold and washed repeatedly through the day, meaning they can quickly begin to feel rough or tight. You may already regularly use hand cream, but in this harsh season, you might need to swap out your silky scented favourite for something more hard-hitting. Opt for something like the pHformula’s HAND Perfection cream, with ingredients like niacinamide, olive oil and vitamin E; it helps nourish and protect dry skin from the cold by strengthening the skin’s barrier and supporting moisture retention. It’s wise to carry your cream of choice in your bag because the easier it is to use, the more you’ll use it. But if you want to minimise re-application, try the Meder Salva-Hand Restorative Cream, which forms a long-lasting glove-like film of protection with highly concentrated hyaluronic acid for hydration and panthenol for repair.
Hydrating winter bodycare
Our bodies don’t produce as much oil as our faces or scalps, and combined with daily showers, can become stripped of moisture at any time of year, leaving legs in particular dull and flaky. Exacerbated in winter, the body needs richer, more reparative products than those used in warmer months, so focus on those humectants, emollients, and occlusives, and apply right after showering to lock in moisture. For rich lipids and ceramides, opt for Sentè’s Dermal Repair Body Cream, which boasts glycerin, niacinamide and jojoba oil on the ingredient list. For dull skin, try ZO Skin Health’s Body Emulsion, which exfoliates those dead skin cells while also hydrating and strengthening the skin barrier. For intense hydration, you could layer your moisturiser over a body serum like iS Clinical’s Youth Serum, with extracts of watermelon, blue micro algae and liquorice root.
An added bonus is that the calming and caring rituals of a full-body routine are wonderful for well-being and self-care in grey times of the year.
How to treat dry chapped lips
Cracked or chapped lips are one of winter's calling cards, but we have so much more to treat them these days than the old tin of balm at the bottom of your bag. You can introduce a deeply hydrating overnight lip mask like Hydrapeptide’s LipLock hydrator with peptides, avocado and jojoba oils. And add a heavy hitter to your arsenal like the pHFormula SOS Lip Rescue. Its unique wax texture creates a bandage-like barrier for healing and protection, with rich emollient shea butter, retinyl palmitate for repair, and salicylic acid for gentle exfoliation of that dry surface skin. Targeting repair, protection and prevention is so much more effective than simply treating the resulting dryness.
Winter skincare for face, neck and decolletage
Cold weather strips moisture from the skin on your face, too. To achieve maximum hydration, you have to focus on both hydrating and retaining moisture. Key hydrating ingredients include hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which draw moisture into the skin, and aloe vera, which soothes irritation while adding gentle hydration. An alternative to a heavier moisturiser is adding a hyaluronic acid‑rich serum underneath, like pHformula HYDRA Concentrated Corrective Serum or SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Serum, which will deeply hydrate while supporting skin repair and protecting against environmental stressors.
For barrier repair, look for ceramides, which strengthen the skin’s natural defences; try Skinbetter Science Refresh Hydration Boosting Cream or Epionce Intensive Nourishing Cream. Incorporate niacinamide (Vitamin B3) with a product like pHformula’s Vita B3 cream to improve barrier resilience. Fatty acids like linoleic acid or omega-3s reduce dryness and irritation, while lightweight oils such as squalane can lock in hydration without feeling heavy.
It’s good practice to bring all face skincare down the neck and decolletage, but in harsh winter conditions, a targeted product like pHformula’s Neck Recovery can help improve moisture levels and elasticity for the exposed area.
For serious boosts of repair and recovery, masks can be a great option. Alumier MD’s HydraRescue BioCellulose sheet masks for example are designed with in-clinic treatment aftercare in mind, so you can count on their soothing, healing and hydrating properties.
Lifestyle and winter skin
But products are only part of the battle, consider lifestyle factors too. Sleep plays a vital role in skin repair. Poor sleep can raise stress hormones, leading to increased oil production and inflammation, which can contribute to breakouts. Prioritising restful sleep and stress management, like gentle breathing, walking or meditation, can improve skin clarity and resilience. During the festive season, alcohol and sugary treats can contribute to dehydration and inflammation. Moderation, increased water intake and supportive skincare help counter these seasonal impacts.
By making thoughtful seasonal adjustments and choosing targeted products, you can protect your skin barrier, maintain hydration and support healthy skin all winter long.
Elena Chabo
Elena Chabo is a beauty journalist and former beauty writer for Cosmopolitan UK. She has written on a wide range of beauty topics, from trending celebrity beauty news and product reviews to how-to guides and culture-focused features.
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