The stinging cold and drying heat of winter months can break down the skin barrier: the outermost layer of skin, made of lipids and proteins, that acts as our first line of defense against the elements. A healthy skin barrier works to keep out harmful irritants, like bacteria and free radicals, while balancing the skin’s moisture levels and even helping to regulate body temperature. When the barrier is compromised, skin can become irritated, dry, sensitive, and more susceptible to breakouts, aging, and infection.1

A healthy skin barrier = a *chef’s kiss* complexion.

Want to ditch your winter skin woes and help keep your skin barrier strong all season?

Read on to discover the best winter skincare routine for your unique skin type.

There are five skin types with unique characteristics, and taking a tailored approach to caring for your skin can help keep it healthy, glowing, and hydrated all winter long. To determine your skin type, pay attention to how your skin looks and feels at the end of a typical day. Here’s what to look for, according to a board-certified dermatologist:   

1. Normal - Seeing minimal flakiness, oil, or redness? You’ve won the normal skin type lottery!
2.  Oily - Feeling greasy and looking shiny? Your skin type is most likely oily.
3. Dry - If your skin is dry and flaky, you likely have a dry skin type.
4. Combination - Combination skin will have both dry and oily areas, and often shows up as a shiny t-zone while the rest of your face remains matte.
5. Sensitive - While all skin types can experience sensitivity, if your skin type is sensitive, it may feel itchy and appear red or inflamed.2

We've included a custom winter skincare routine for each of these skin types below, plus an added bonus routine for acne-prone skin. 

With indoor heat and outdoor cold pulling moisture from the skin, prioritizing hydration and nutrition and using ingredients that support the skin barrier is key to keep skin healthy through the winter months.

Look for humectant ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E that draw moisture into the skin, and emollient ingredients like squalane that help prevent water loss. You may even consider switching to a richer moisturizer than you use in the summer.

Probiotics balance the skin microbiome to help support the skin barrier, optimize pH levels, regulate moisture, soothe irritated skin, and minimize issues like acne.3

Be sure to choose a cleanser that’s gentle enough not to disrupt the skin barrier or strip moisture from the skin, and avoid abrasive exfoliants. Instead, opt for gentle natural exfoliants, like shikimic acid from star anise, to smooth and brighten skin, and niacinamide to even tone and diminish the look of large pores.

One of the most vital steps in any winter skincare routine? Supporting skin health from within! Skin health begins below the surface of the skin, and is impacted by everything from our nutrient intake and hydration levels to our gut microbiome. In addition to drinking plenty of water, promote healthy, glowing skin from the inside out by incorporating daily skin-support supplements into your regimen.

Ready to find your routine and stay dewy, clear, and hydrated through even the coldest of days?  Let’s go!

Since normal skin types generally have few complexion complaints, a gentle, balancing skincare routine that helps to maintain a well-functioning skin barrier is ideal. 

Step 1. Cleanse

Avoid harsh exfoliants or chemicals that may strip skin, and opt for a gentle, pH balancing cleanser. Cleanse AM & PM. 

Step 2. Moisturize 

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, a lightweight face lotion should be sufficient for most people with normal skin. “With age, however,” they say, “the skin holds less moisture and needs more assistance,” recommending a cream-based moisturizer for people aged 50+. Cleanse AM & PM.4

Step 3. Unlock Radiant Skin 

Try adding a conveniently pre-packed AM & PM supplement like Anti-Aging Formula to your regimen to help support healthy hair, skin, and nails, diminish signs of aging, protect against free radicals, and even promote better skin-restoring beauty sleep. 

Bonus Tip: Remove your makeup with a natural oil-based product instead of an alcohol-based wipe, which can dry out skin and impair skin barrier function.  

For oily skin, choose lightweight, water-based products that won’t prompt extra oil production. Avoid oil-based products, which can leave skin feeling even more slick and greasy. 

Step 1. Cleanse

Wash AM & PM with a gentle, water-based cleanser to help remove dirt, oil, and buildup, without overdrying. Irritating, drying products can trigger the skin to produce excess oil. And, because oily skin and enlarged pores often come hand in hand, select a cleanser with niacinamide to help refine pores and even tone.   

Step 2. Moisturize

Moisturize AM & PM with a water-based cleanser that is non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores. 

Step 3. Balance Your Microbiome

A quality daily probiotic, like Daily Balance Probiotic-8, can help to balance the complexion by balancing the gut microbiome and supporting skin health and immunity. 

Bonus Tip: Studies show that dietary patterns can contribute to the sebum (oil) levels on our skin. Try changing up your diet: eating low glycemic foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, can help keep sebum in check.5,6

If your skin is dry, chances are the winter months have left it thirstier than ever. Because dry skin can be hit especially hard in the winter, a routine that helps to repair the skin barrier, replenish moisture, and pamper skin with moisture-locking ingredients is ideal. 

Step 1. Cleanse

Cleanse skin daily with a gentle, soothing face wash with humectant properties. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid to help pull moisture into the skin and keep it there. According to Harvard, hyaluronic acid is capable of binding over 1,000 times its weight in water, making it an incredibly effective hydrator that won’t weigh your skin down. 

Step 2. Moisturize

Hydrate parched skin daily with a nourishing moisturizer, formulated with skin-quenching, barrier-strengthening ingredients like squalane, vitamin E, and hyaluronic acid. A richer, more intensive moisturizer may be your best bet for the season. You may even consider adding a hydrating post-cleanser serum to damp skin. 

Step 3. Hydrate from Within 

Studies have shown that taking a quality hydrolyzed collagen supplement daily, like our Collagen Peptides Powder, can improve skin’s hydration levels and elasticity, and even reduce wrinkles.7

Bonus Tip: Honey is a natural humectant. Try applying a honey mask once per week, and let skin drink in the much-needed moisture. 

Caring for combination skin requires a fine balance of hydrating dry areas and keeping oily areas in check. Look for non-irritating products with natural ingredients that deliver targeted moisture where you need it, without creating excess oil where you don’t.  

Step 1. Cleanse

Opt for a gel cleanser with a gentle exfoliant like shikimic acid and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to benefit both dry and oily patches, sloughing away dry, dead skin cells while lifting excess dirt and oil from pores. Cleanse AM and PM. 

Step 2. Hydrate  

Apply a lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer AM and PM to soothe and quench drier areas like the cheeks while helping to balance oily areas like the forehead, nose, and chin.   

Step 3. Get Skin Back in Balance

Hyaluronic acid is a substance naturally produced within the body that helps to hydrate skin, joints, and connective tissues. As we age, the natural levels produced by our bodies declines. Add a daily skin health supplement with hyaluronic acid, like Clear Skin Formula +HA, to your routine to help promote healthy, dewy, hydrated skin from the inside out, while regulating oil production to keep oily areas in check.8

Bonus Tip: Break out the humidifier and run it daily to help keep drying indoor heat from stripping your skin of its natural moisture.

Sensitive skin often results from a weakened skin barrier. Focus on skin-barrier repairing products with calming, soothing ingredients, and avoid alcohol, sulfates, and synthetic dyes and fragrances. Limit the number of products you use, and patch test any new products before incorporating them into your routine.9

Step 1. Cleanse 

Use a mild cleanser free of irritants, and look for terms like "hypoallergenic." You may consider opting for cleansing balm or oil instead of a traditional cleanser. Cleanse once daily to prevent irritation.  

Step 2. Replenish  

To protect sensitive skin from the winter elements, hydrate twice daily with an emollient moisturizer that contains skin-barrier restoring ingredients like ceramides and probiotics. 

Step 3. Nourish

Support skin with essential skin-health nutrients like zinc, biotin, and free radical-fighting antioxidants. Try a blend rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients like immunity-boosting Day & Night Multi. 

Bonus Tip: To soothe sensitive skin and calm irritation, apply an oatmeal mask once per week. Combine ½ cup ground oats with 2 tbsp. warm water to form a paste, apply the paste to a clean face for 3 to 5 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry.10

While it might seem like breakouts belong to sweatier seasons, winter acne is quite common for any acne-prone skin type. Excess dryness can stimulate extra oil production as skin works to compensate for water loss, which along with dead skin cells, can clog pores and trigger breakouts.11 Want to beat & prevent winter acne, without overdrying? Try pairing gentle probiotic skincare topicals with skin-supporting nutrition, for clear, healthy skin from the inside out. This routine is suitable for all skin types.  

Step 1. Clarify

Clear skin begins within. Skip the harsh, drying medications and opt for a kinder, gentler clear by incorporating a once-daily, clinically-proven skin clearing supplement into your routine. Doctor-recommended Clear Skin Formula is clinically proven to improve acne in 2-12 weeks.* 

Step 2. Cleanse 

Cleanse AM and PM with Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser: a water-based, balancing probiotic cleanser, formulated with hydrating hyaluronic acid; brightening, pore-refining niacinamide; and soothing, blemish calming aloe. 

Step 3. Hydrate 

Moisturize AM and PM with Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer, a lightweight, water-based moisturizer that deeply hydrates while helping to clear acne and prevent future breakouts. 

Step 4. Spot Treat

If breakouts should rear their annoying heads, spot-treat with gentle, non-drying Clear Skin Spot Dots acne patches. Formulated with a blemish-fighting, fast-acting superduo of hydrocolloid and salicylic acid. 

Now that you’re cleansed, moisturized, and glowing, remember: derms recommend applying an SPF of at least 30 as the final step to every daytime skincare routine, even in the winter months.12

And, of course, for all over barrier care, don’t forget to protect your lips, hydrate the delicate skin around your eye area with a nourishing eye cream, and moisturize your body daily. 

Now go forth, and put your best skin forward. 

*Results based on a 2024 clinical study. Individual results may vary.