As the days get shorter, and temperatures drop, most of us in North America are busy enjoying the holiday season indoors with family and friends.   Warm sweaters, falling snow, fireplaces, deliciously rich food and fun social gatherings ring in the season.  

The cooler weather leads to a double whammy for our skin: the cold temperatures outside are accompanied by low humidity levels, and heating systems indoors further strip water molecules from indoor air. This is the perfect time to think about winter skin care. Under normal circumstances, our skin’s ongoing evaporation is limited by the barrier function of our skin. When humidity levels are low, our skin has a hard time keeping up with evaporation, and the result is dry, chapped skin. Our bodies respond to the dry conditions by thickening the stratum corneum (top layer of the epidermis) in an attempt to limit evaporation. A thickened epithelium is not pretty- it looks patchy and dull.

When the sun comes out during the winter, we relish the radiant warmth.  The sun feels so good on our faces: indoors, outdoors, in our cars, and on the slopes. While the Sun’s power to produce Vitamin D in our skin is a good thing, we tend to underestimate the damaging effect of wintertime solar UV exposure. We need to understand what’s best for skin care in winter.   Summertime radiant heat keeps us aware of sun exposure, but winter’s cool temperatures bely the ongoing UV exposure.  This is a recipe for wintertime melanin dysregulation as well as sunburns and DNA damage. Not good! To prevent sun damage, using a moisturizer containing broad spectrum SPF protection is key. 

The Best Winter Skincare Routine 

The right skincare products can keep our skin soft, smooth and radiant all winter long. Starting off your routine with a hydrating cleanser is a great idea. You want to find a product that removes impurities while also locking in moisture. Try our Daily Essentials Soothing Milk Cleanser to keep skin clean and balanced.

Hydrating agents such as hyaluronic acid and Snow Mushroom infuse the skin with natural plumpers to guard against drying while enhancing skin tone.  Hyaluronic acid (HA) has long been hailed as the gold standard of skin hydration/ dermal plumping.  Snow Mushroom is a natural botanical source of lower-molecular weight molecules very similar to HA, and may have a better ability to penetrate deep into the skin to achieve an even hydrating effect.  Our AVYA Hydroveda Moisturizer features both HA and Snow Mushroom, and was designed to be particularly moisturizing for all skin types and tones in winter conditions without making skin oily.  

Wintertime does not have to be hard on our skin.  With thoughtfully-designed winter skin care, we can protect our skin against dryness and sun damage, so we can enjoy our best skin, and fully immerse ourselves in the beauty of the season.