Seasonal skincare routine: what to change from summer to winter

Usually you just change textures. Most people only need to swap their moisturizer, maybe their cleanser, when the weather turns, and ease off strong actives in the coldest months. The core (a cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen when the UV is 3 or higher) stays the same all year.

This isn’t just a magazine idea. Skin measures differently through the year: a small year-long study of teenage boys found less oil and weaker barrier function in winter, and more moisture in the skin in summer and fall. A review of the climate research puts it plainly: low humidity and low temperatures lower the skin barrier’s function and make skin more reactive to irritants and allergens.

How to change your skincare routine for winter

Cold air outside and heated air inside both pull water from your skin. For seasonal dryness on otherwise normal skin, the AAD’s advice is that a lotion is enough for most younger people, and that drier skin should start with a cream or an ointment. Creams are thicker and carry more oil than lotions and gels, and ointments are thicker still. Put yours on while your skin’s still damp from washing, which helps hold the water in.

Winter is also when to go easier on actives. The AAD’s winter kit suggests using anti-aging ingredients like retinol less often, or at a lower strength. It also wants your cleanser putting moisture in rather than taking it out, so skip ones with alcohol. For the nights the heating’s on full blast, there’s a separate winter piece on that.

How to change your skincare routine for summer

Heat and humidity flip it around. If your winter cream starts to feel heavy by noon, a lotion or a gel (often water-based and lighter still) may be all you need. Sweat is the other summer change: the AAD suggests blotting it with a clean towel rather than rubbing, and picking non-comedogenic products for your face, neck, back and chest if you break out.

Summer can dry you out, too. The AAD names sun, pools and air conditioning as the big summer dryers, so a fragrance-free moisturizer soon after your shower still earns its spot. And sunscreen works harder: for long days outside, the AAD’s pick is broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher and water-resistant. If you use exfoliating acids or a retinoid, summer is when that sunscreen matters most.

Spring and fall: how to switch your routine without a reaction

Climate matters as much as the season. If you live somewhere humid and warm all year, your winter routine may never come out of the cabinet. If you spend winter in a heated apartment and summer in air conditioning, indoor air counts as weather too.

Nubia’s Seasonal care makes the big switch for you. It follows the seasons in your hemisphere (winter starts in December in Toronto and in June in Melbourne), moves your routine to richer steps when winter starts and back when it ends, and leaves it as it is in the tropics. A weekend away won’t flip it, and your skin still gets the last word on the weeks in between.

Seasonal skincare for oily, dry and eczema-prone skin

Whatever your type, an alcohol-free cleanser and a wash after heavy sweating work in every season. With eczema, keep everything fragrance-free and ask your doctor for a plan for flares before winter starts.

What stays the same in every season?

Your cleanser, your moisturizer (just a different texture), your strongest active at whatever pace your skin handles that month, and sunscreen. Sunscreen is the easy one to drop in winter. The WHO’s line for sun protection is a UV index of 3 or above, UV can be high even under cloud, and fresh snow reflects it back at you, so check the UV rather than the thermometer.

Safety note: Still dry, itchy or cracked after a couple of weeks on a richer moisturizer, or does eczema flare every winter? See a dermatologist.