Winter Dry Skin Rescue: The Best Skincare Products for the Season

Just as you’d update your wardrobe for the winter (oversized sweaters in, miniskirts out), your skincare routine needs a seasonal switch-up, too. Thanks to the frigid temperatures and gusting wind outside, not to mention the dehydrating effects of your cranked-up furnace inside, winter dry skin is practically a universal condition—even if you don’t naturally have dry skin. Showing your skin some TLC in harsh weather calls for more than just a great moisturizer rich in emollients (although you need that, too!). The best dry skin remedy involves using the right combination of products. Here are a few favourites that will hydrate, smooth and brighten your skin, giving you the glowiest look even in the frostiest weather.

Polish and nourish your skin at the same time.

Winter tends to make skin rough and flaky, so you’ll want to exfoliate in order to slough off those dead skin cells and get back to your usual radiance. But choose a gentle scrub that’s designed especially for dry skin, like L’Oréal Paris Pure-Sugar Cocoa Scrub for Dry Skin . It’s made with three types of fine sugar, plus crushed cocoa, and nourishing emollients like coconut oil and cocoa butter. What are emollients, you ask? They’re ingredients that work to keep skin soft and supple, which makes them major players in any kind of moisturizing product.

Add a super serum for winter dry skin.

Think of serums as the beauty equivalent of your daily green juice: They’re a concentrated dose of goodness that your dry skin can drink up quickly. If you’re already using moisturizer and treating your dry skin with a hydrating face mask but the combo is not quite enough, it’s time to give your routine a boost by layering on a serum pre-moisturizer, day and night.

Look for formulas made with hyaluronic acid, which can famously hold 1,000 times its weight in water. It’s one of the hero ingredients in L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power LZR 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum. If you find that the dry skin on your face makes your fine lines more noticeable, go for a serum souped up with anti-aging ingredients, like wrinkle-smoothing adenosine and skin-firming Fibrelastyl, both found in L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Hydrating Smoothing Serum. Lastly, if dull and dreary weather makes your skin feel the same, try a serum powered by vitamin C, one of the best brightening ingredients around. You can find it in L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power LZR Vitamin C Serum with 10% Pure Vitamin C Concentrate.

Upgrade to a moisturizer with multi-benefits.

These days, the best moisturizers do much more than just hydrate dry skin: They’re as multi-talented as you are. Remember that even in the winter months, it’s smart to use a day moisturizer with sunscreen since—surprise!—you’re exposed to damaging UV rays year-round. You can even get a sunburn while skiing, due to rays reflecting off the snow and the higher altitude. L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Brightening Daily Lotion SPF 30 not only has a built-in broad-spectrum sunscreen but also features several star ingredients that dermatologists recommend for skin brightening and anti-aging benefits: glycolic acid, vitamin C and Pro-Retinol. If winter makes the dry skin on your face look sallow, too, L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Rosy Tone Cream is your fast fix. The day moisturizer is made with exfoliating LHA and imperial peony to boost your skin’s radiance, and it also has rosy pigments to instantly give your cheeks a gorgeous-looking kiss of blush. What better way to warm up?