Skincare Routine Tips for Every Season

6 Skincare Basics for All Seasons

While it’s true that seasonal climate changes can influence your skin, there are certain skincare essentials that never change. So, before we dive into seasonal tips, here are a few best practices to maintain year-round.  

 

1. Use sunscreen all year long

Daily sun protection is an essential part of caring for your skin year-round. This includes cloudy days and throughout the entire winter. To learn more about sun protection, head to our sunscreen guide featuring board-certified dermatologist Dr. Sejal Shah.

 

2. Pay attention to your skin’s unique needs

Everyone’s skin is unique and requires personalized care. Always pay close attention to your skin and seek to find what works best for you. For help identifying your skin type, check out these skin type facts.

 

3. Look for products with ceramides

The skin barrier functions as your skin’s primary gatekeeper, keeping essential moisture in and harmful irritants out. To help support your skin’s protective barrier all year long, look for skincare products that contain ceramides. Ceramides make up approximately 50% of the skin’s lipids that form the natural skin barrier. This makes ceramides a key part of maintaining healthy-looking skin. All CeraVe products contain a blend of three essential ceramides that are identical to those found naturally in your skin.

 

4. Read product labels carefully 

We recommend choosing expertly-formulated products, whether it’s winter, spring, summer, or fall. That’s why all Cerave products are fragrance-free, allergy-tested, and developed with board-certified dermatologists. 

 

5. Don’t skip moisturizer

All skin types, including oily and combination skin, require adequate moisture year-round. For this reason, we recommend applying moisturizer twice daily onto slightly damp skin after bathing. This will help to effectively trap moisture in your skin. To learn more about this essential skincare step, check out our guide to choosing the right facial moisturizer for your skin type.

 

6. Consult with a dermatologist when needed

Always seek the help of a board-certified dermatologist if further guidance is needed. They will be able to provide you with a personal assessment and recommend the best options for your skin concerns, no matter the season.

 

Skincare Routine Tips for Each Season

Knowing which types of formulas to utilize during each season can help support skin that appears hydrated, smooth, and radiant. Here are CeraVe’s top routine tips to consider for healthy-looking skin in winter, spring, summer, and fall.

 

Summer Skincare

Summer usually means plenty of fun in the sun, with more time spent outdoors around chlorine, saltwater, and the sun’s harmful rays. Temperatures and humidity are also generally higher, which can bring about an increase in potentially pore-clogging dirt, debris, and sweat. What does this all mean for your summer skincare routine? In simple terms, it means you should pay extra attention to your cleansing and sun protection habits. The summer is also an ideal season to keep your regimen more minimalistic, with an added focus on your core products (cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen).

 

Try a gentle foaming face wash

A facial cleanser is an important first step in any skincare routine—especially in the summer when increased dirt, sweat, and other pore-clogging debris can build up on your skin. To help keep your skin feeling fresh and looking healthy, we recommend washing your face twice daily with a gentle, yet effective formula that deeply cleanses, removes excess oil, and refreshes your skin (without disrupting the skin barrier)—like CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. This non-drying facial cleanser features a foaming gel texture that focuses on oil control, making it an ideal option for helping to minimize unwanted shine during the summer months. For convenient cleansing on-the-go, you can also add hydrating wipes to your summer routine, such as CeraVe Plant-Based Makeup Removing Cleanser Cloths. 

 

Double down on sun protection

There’s no better time to reassess your sunscreen routine than during the summertime, when people tend to spend more time outside—potentially leaving them at higher risk of sun damage without proper protective measures. We suggest using a non-comedogenic, oil-free moisturizing lotion with broad-spectrum SPF 30 for your face each morning, such as CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion With Sunscreen. 

Another great sunscreen option that can be used on your face and body is CeraVe Hydrating Sheer Sunscreen SPF 30, our first-ever mineral/chemical hybrid sunscreen. This multi-benefit formula is suitable for sensitive skin, non-comedogenic, and water-resistant for up to 80 minutes.

Summer is also a great time to refresh your knowledge of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s latest sun protection recommendations, which include reapplying sunscreen at least every two hours, wearing protective clothing (like hats and sunglasses), and avoiding direct sunlight during peak hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).¹

 

Fall Skincare Tips

As the summer comes to a close, cooler weather starts to set in and there may be less moisture in the air. This means you might notice your skin starting to feel drier and more dehydrated. To help with this, you can try focusing more on adding hydrating ingredients and nourishing products that will support your skin’s transition into winter. 

 

Swap your face lotion for a nourishing face cream

Although the severity of autumn weather can differ quite a bit depending on your location, it’s generally the right time to swap your summer moisturizer for a richer, more intensely-hydrating cream. One excellent option is CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, our non-greasy barrier-restoring cream for your face and body. Formulated with three essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and patented MVE Technology, this face cream releases a steady stream of moisturizing ingredients throughout the day and night.

 

See an allergist to help deal with allergy-related skin concerns

Seasonal allergies (formally known as allergic rhinitis) affect approximately 40 to 60 million people, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAU).³ And, contrary to popular belief, seasonal allergy symptoms don’t only appear in the spring. Ragweed pollen, for example, is still considered a prominent allergen in the early fall. 

Therefore, if your skin feels uncharacteristically itchy and uncomfortable during the fall or other peak allergy seasons (spring and summer), it’s important to visit your physician or an allergist for an accurate assessment of your symptoms. They can help to ensure that you don’t confuse allergy-related skin concerns with normal seasonal effects on your skin. 

 

Winter Skincare Tips

Winter can be a magical and festive time of year. However, it can also disrupt your skin’s protective barrier and take a toll on your complexion. A mixture of environmental factors—from chilly winds to freezing temperatures and low humidity in the air—can strip moisture from your skin. This can potentially result in dryness, sensitivity, itchiness, and flaking. Harsh weather conditions in the winter may also cause skin conditions like eczema to flare, per the National Eczema Association.⁴

 

Look for hydrating ingredients

There are a number of ingredients that dermatologists may recommend for helping to combat the effects of cooler, drier air on your complexion. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), for example, recommends looking for ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and petrolatum.² You can find hyaluronic acid in many CeraVe products, such as our Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which is suitable for sensitive skin and makes a great addition to any winter skincare routine. 

 

Give some extra TLC to your hands and feet

Winter is the optimal time to double down on your moisturizing routine. It may help to apply moisturizer more often during this season, especially if your skin is feeling extra dry. If you’re experiencing dry, uncomfortable skin on your hands and feet, try a rich cream or ointment. We recommend options such as CeraVe Healing Ointment and CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream.

 

Spring Skincare Tips

After the dry, cold weather of winter, spring can often be a welcome relief for many people’s skin. However, although mild spring weather can be favorable for your complexion, springtime has its own considerations for your healthy skin routine. Here are a few skincare tips to keep in mind once spring rolls around.

 

Declutter your routine with a “spring cleaning”

The term “spring cleaning” doesn’t just apply to your home—it’s also a great approach for minimizing and refreshing your spring skincare regimen. You can use this time to eliminate clutter on your bathroom shelf, including any potentially expired products. Depending on where you live, it may also be a good time to switch to a lighter moisturizer and upgrade your sunscreen products before the summer.

 

Add some gentle exfoliation to your routine

Although winter may be over, you may notice some leftover effects on your skin during this time. Dead skin buildup during the winter, for example, can lead to rough texture and a dull-looking complexion. Fortunately, adding the right exfoliating product to your spring routine can help promote the natural shedding of dead skin cells and support smoother, healthier-looking skin. According to the AAD, spring is a great time to reintroduce exfoliants that some people may find overly drying in winter.²

 

There are two primary methods of exfoliation used in CeraVe products: chemical exfoliation (such as salicylic acid and glycolic acid) and physical exfoliation (such as jojoba beads). Chemical exfoliation works by utilizing exfoliating acids to help dissolve dead skin cells, whereas physical exfoliation uses physical materials (like scrubs or brushes).

 

As board-certified dermatologist Dr. Tiffany Clay explains in this guide to exfoliating without disrupting your skin barrier, it’s important to choose the right exfoliants for your skin type and concerns. For example, to help improve skin texture in rough and bumpy skin, we recommend CeraVe’s SA range—including our Renewing SA Cleanser, SA Lotion, SA Cream, and SA Cleanser Bar.

 

If you’re looking to target visible signs of aging, consider adding a gentle exfoliating treatment, like CeraVe Skin Renewing Nightly Exfoliating Treatment, to your nighttime spring routine. This serum features a 5% blend of glycolic acid and lactic acid and provides gentle exfoliation to help smooth the appearance of fine lines, accelerate skin's surface cell renewal, and clear away dead skin cells—without causing flaking or visible redness.

 

For help choosing the right products for your specific skin type and skin concerns, use our Find My Skincare Solution tool.