The Ultimate Winter Skincare Routine: How to Keep Your Skin Happy in the Chill

Posted by Invity team on 18th May 2025

What is the Best Skincare Routine for Winter?

Winter: the season of cosy jumpers, steaming mugs of hot chocolate and icy winds that leave your skin begging for mercy.

If the cold weather has your face feeling tight, flaky and uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Winter’s dry, harsh conditions can strip your skin of its natural oils, leaving it dehydrated and stressed.

With the right skincare, you can adapt to the changes your skin goes through during winter and keep your skin glowing.

What is the best skincare routine for winter? Here’s what to know about skincare in winters:

How Winter Wreaks Havoc on Your Skin

Winter weather creates a perfect storm for unhappy skin. The cold air outside, combined with indoor heating, sucks the moisture out of your skin. Even oily skin isn’t safe — hydration and oil are two different things. Plus, the sun’s UV rays are still a factor (yes, even in winter!) and snow reflects sunlight, making sunburns surprisingly common.

During winter, two primary factors impact your skin:

Reduced Humidity: Cold air holds less moisture than warm air, leading to dryness.
Increased Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL): Central heating systems can reduce skin hydration by enhancing water evaporation from the skin's surface.

These factors disrupt the skin’s natural barrier, causing dryness, irritation and increased sensitivity.

Here’s what your skin might experience in winter:

Dryness: Your skin might feel rough or flaky.
Tightness: The air’s lack of humidity makes your skin feel uncomfortable.
Redness or discoloration: Fair skin can turn red, while medium-to-dark skin may appear darker or slightly ashy.
Sensitivity: Harsh weather can leave skin irritated or inflamed.

Your Winter Skincare Checklist

The good news is that you don’t need to overhaul your entire routine.

Just like there are some commonalities in skincare in summer, the best skincare in winter has a lot in common: hydration.

A few thoughtful tweaks can make a world of difference, so here are some winter skincare essentials for how to create a skincare routine for winter.

Gentle Cleansing Is Key

Swap your usual cleanser for one that’s creamy or hydrating. Avoid anything that leaves your skin feeling ‘squeaky clean’ because it likely strips your natural oils. Also, if you find that even after applying the thicker creams at night, your skin doesn’t feel grimy in the morning, you can skip the cleanse altogether and rinse with water instead.

Choose cleansers with glycerine or ceramides as they’re known for their moisture-retaining properties. A low-pH cleaner can also help maintain the skin’s protective acid mantle.

The Youth Activating Cream Cleanser hydrates and nourishes the skin with inulin and glycerine, while also replenishing your skin barrier.

Exfoliate, but Don’t Overdo It

Exfoliation is still important in winter, but harsh scrubs can do more harm than good. Make sure to choose chemical exfoliants like AHAs (great for dry skin) or BHAs (great for oily or acne-prone skin). These remove dead skin cells without causing micro-tears. Start with using these every other day and see how your skin responds.

Boost Hydration with Serums

Add a hydrating serum to your routine — think hyaluronic acid or glycerine. These humectants (substances that attract and hold water molecules, keeping things moist) act like tiny sponges, pulling water into your skin. Hyaluronic acid can even hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Apply them right after cleansing to lock in moisture.

The Youth Activating Retinoid Serum will also hydrate your skin deeply while strengthening your skin, helping minimise pores and reduce age spots.

Moisturise, Moisturise, Moisturise

In winter, your moisturiser should be richer than your summer one. Look for formulas with ingredients like shea butter, ceramides or squalane and if you have oily skin, choose lightweight moisturisers that hydrate without clogging pores.

Moisturisers containing occlusives (e.g., petrolatum, shea butter) form a barrier to lock in moisture, while those containing emollients (e.g., squalane, fatty acids) soften and smooth the skin by filling in cracks caused by dryness.

You can also look into using face oils like argan oil and rosehip oil as these contain essential fatty acids that repair the skin barrier. Research shows these oils enhance moisture retention while reducing inflammation.

Hydrate your skin with the Invity Youth Activating Cream Concentrate, which includes humectants and emollients, along with NAD for reduced wrinkles and fine lines.

Don’t Skip Sunscreen

In the winter, sunscreen is still a must — even when it’s cloudy or snowing, as up to 80 per cent of UV rays penetrate through clouds (which snow and water reflect). Make sure to choose a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher to protect your skin from UV rays, adding it to your winter morning skin care routine.

Treat Your Lips

Your lips are especially prone to dryness, so show them some extra love. Use a nourishing lip balm or try a DIY honey and sugar scrub to gently exfoliate and moisturise.

Make sure to also hydrate your body with the Youth Activating Body Cream, which combats dryness and roughness while also using NAD to strengthen your skin barrier.

Invest in a Humidifier

Indoor heating removes moisture from the air, which doesn’t help your skin. A humidifier can restore humidity to your home, giving your skin (and your sinuses) some relief. These are common in countries that have harsh winters and humid summers, such as South Korea and Japan, but they’re important for cold winters everywhere.

Winter-Proofing Tips by Skin Type

Not all skin is created equal, so let’s tailor these tips based on your needs:

Winter Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin: Focus on layering hydration. Use creamy cleansers, hydrating serums and rich moisturisers to restore your skin’s barrier.
Winter Skin Care Routine for Oily Skin or Combination Skin: Don’t skip hydration! When looking for a winter face wash for oily skin, choose lightweight, non-comedogenic (pore-clogging products that cause blackheads) products with humectants like hyaluronic acid are your best bet.
Winter Skin Care Routine for Sensitive Skin: Stick to fragrance-free, calming products and avoid harsh exfoliants. Look for ingredients like niacinamide and aloe vera.

Winter Skincare SOS: Quick Fixes for Common Problems

Flaky Skin? Use lactic acid-based products for gentle yet effective exfoliation.
Chapped Lips? Choose a balm with lanolin or beeswax; avoid menthol, which can irritate.
Dry Hands? Look for creams with urea or dimethicone for deep hydration.
Itchy Skin? Choose a fragrance-free moisturiser with colloidal oatmeal to soothe irritation.
Cracked Heels? Apply a thick ointment containing petroleum jelly or shea butter and wear socks overnight.
Red, Irritated Skin? Use products with niacinamide to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.
Tight, Dehydrated Skin? Incorporate a serum with hyaluronic acid and layer it under a rich moisturiser. Learn more about whether your skin is dehydrated or just dry.
Dull Complexion? Try a vitamin C serum to brighten and protect your skin from winter damage.
Sunburn in Winter? Don’t skip sunscreen — use a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily.

What to Avoid in Winter

Just as important as what you do is what you don’t do. Here’s what to skip during the colder months:

Hot Showers and Baths: Tempting as they are, hot water can strip your skin of essential oils. Stick to lukewarm water instead.
Harsh Cleansers and Scrubs: These can worsen dryness and irritation.
Drying Ingredients: Avoid alcohol, mint, menthol and essential oils, which can further irritate your skin.

Comparing Summer vs. Winter Skincare

Step	Summer Routine	Winter Routine
Cleanser	Gel-based or foam cleansers to manage excess oil.	Cream-based or oil cleansers for hydration.
Serum	Lightweight, antioxidant-rich serums (Vitamin C).	Hydrating serums with Hyaluronic Acid.
Moisturiser	Oil-free, gel-based formulas.	Rich, occlusive moisturisers (e.g., ceramide creams).
Exfoliation	Weekly exfoliation (chemical or physical).	Reduce frequency; choose gentle chemical exfoliants (lactic acid).
SPF	SPF 30–50 for daily use.	SPF 30+ even on cloudy days.
Face Oil	Optional for nighttime hydration.	Needed for sealing moisture in dry environments.
Additional Steps	Mattifying products to control shine.	Humidifiers and overnight hydrating masks (think of them like winter skin treatments).

A Quick Winter Night Skincare Routine

Want to keep things simple? Here’s a quick and effective evening routine:

Cleanse with a hydrating cleanser.
Apply a leave-on exfoliant every other night.
Pat on a hydrating serum.
Lock it all in with a rich moisturiser or facial oil.
Consider an overnight mask, such as the Youth Activating Overnight Mask, a deeply hydrating mask that boosts skin repair from daytime UV damage.

Sleep is also important for skin health, so make sure you get enough sleep each night. Read all about the link between sleep and skin health.

Glowing Skin Even in Winter

The secret to happy winter skin is all about moisture, protection and adapting to the environment. With these tips, you’ll be able to create a winter skin routine that keeps your skin glowing through the coldest months.

You can also read about common skincare mistakes to avoid for better skin.