Winter Skin Care Products Skincare.com Editors Swear By

Let’s face it: Winter weather is not always kind to our skin. Dryness, ruddy cheeks, and loss of moisture are among the most common skin-related concerns of the season. And while frigid temps paired with artificial indoor heat is barely a recipe for flawless-looking skin, it’s not all doom and gloom until spring. With the right skin care arsenal—read: moisturizing tools—you can help combat winter’s assaults on your skin and restore it back to its hydrated glory. Here, we tapped our editors to find out what skin care products they swear by during winter. Patchy, scaly legs be damned! 

MOISTURIZER 

Moisturizing is a must year-round, but perhaps even more so during the brutally cold winter. One of the easiest ways to help combat  winter dryness is with liberal—and frequent!—applications of hydrating facial and body cream. Reach for formulas with uber-nourishing ingredients like shea butter and coconut oil, or hydration powerhouses like glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Depending on your skin type, it’s generally best to ditch lightweight formulas in favor of rich, creamy blends once the temperatures start to plummet. Our editors like to wear thick night creams before bed to help intensely hydrate skin overnight. Whatever product you choose, be sure to hydrate your skin while it’s slightly damp—think: after cleansing or showering—as it can help seal in all that much-need moisture.

FACE: Try Lancôme Nutrix Day Cream.
BODY: Try Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter.

SPF

Many people wrongly assume that applying SPF is an unnecessary addition to a winter skin care routine, but our editors know better than to fall for that myth. Broad-spectrum SPF 15 or higher is an arsenal must-have from January through December. We don’t care if it’s snowing, hailing, or raining cats and dogs, applying SPF—and reapplying at least every two hours—onto exposed areas is a non-negotiable step to help protect skin from harmful UV rays that can cause premature aging and even some cancers.

FACE: SkinCeuticals Physical Matte UV Defense SPF 50.
BODY: La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60. 

SERUM

If there’s ever a time to up the hydration ante, winter is that time. Which is why pairing a hydrating serum underneath moisturizer is a step our editors could all agree on to help combat winter dryness. Serums are often highly concentrated with nourishing ingredients, and—the right formula—can help to add an extra burst of hydration that dry winter skin is thirsty for.

We Recommend: Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Power Serum.

HAND CREAM

It’s easy to concentrate all your hydration efforts on your face and forget about one area of skin that’s almost always exposed to the season’s drying conditions—your hands. Treat your paws to a little extra TLC to help ensure that uncomfortable tightness and flaking are kept at bay. For deep conditioning, our editors like to apply an all-over balm or uber-hydrating hand cream followed by socks or gloves to help lock in moisture.

We Recommend: The Body Shop Coconut Hand Cream.

LIP BALM

Our lip balm game is strong year-round, but we find ourselves reaching for our favorite ones more often during the winter. Since lips have no oil glands they’re incredibly susceptible to drying out. As such, we apply hydrating pout conditioners to our heart’s content anywhere and everywhere. Doing so also helps curb the bad habit of licking lips when they feel dry, which can actually make matters even worse! 

We Recommend: Kiehl’s Lip Relief.