The Products I Use to Keep My Skin Soft and Glowy Even in Cold Weather

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It's been far too long since we discussed winter skincare — as the weather gets colder, let's talk about it. What are your favorite cold weather skincare products to keep your face soft and glowy (or at least, not itchy, tight, and chafed?)? Here are some of mine… what are yours?

My General Skincare Routine

Here's my year-round skincare routine as of 2025: I use a peptide serum, then Vitamin C, then my moisturizer, then sunscreen. (I save my prescription tretinoin for before bed.) I also occasionally use this BHA, this overnight mask, this 20-minute mask, and this 1-5 minute mask. (Never all at once!) When my skin is feeling especially dry I do like this snail essence paired with this crazy rich cream.

My Favorite Cold Weather Skincare Products

The Most Luxurious Moisturizer I've Found: BioElements (And Elemis)

I've loved this Bioelements moisturizer for years (and, just a little bit goes a long way!). It's a really thick, luxurious cream with a pleasant, slight fragrance (lemony maybe?). This is my go-to in winter.

As I mentioned the other day, I recently was gifted a jar of Elemis's new anti-aging face cream and it's really lovely and luxurious also — it truly will be giving Bioelements a run for its money this coming year.

I will sometimes use this in combination with COS's Snail Mucin, but honestly this particular cream is rich enough that I don't feel like I need it.

Another favorite that feels really luxurious: this neck cream from InnBeauty, which I only just got but am liking a lot.

MY FAVORITE WINTER SUNSCREEN: CeraVe

If I've showered at night, I'll use the Bioelements moisturizer above and luxuriate in it all night long. I often have to talk myself into putting sunscreen on in the morning when it's gray and dreary (and a lot of times actually pitch black outside when I'm getting up). This one from CeraVe is my favorite for a morning face lotion/sunscreen combo. It's super affordable, and this one actually has zinc oxide in it, so I feel like it does go a long way.

(If I'm showering in the morning and using the Bioelements mositurizer, I try to use my regular summer sunscreen, which is invariably a Japanese sunscreen. Lately I'm liking this one to wear on top of moisturizer because it has a slightly mattifying effect.)

(Here's our last discussion on everyone's favorite sunscreens…)

My Favorite Face Exfoliator: Drunk Elephant & The Ordinary

I've mentioned these few products before a bunch of times, and I still love them — just to be totally clear, though, do NOT use them together! (And do not use them with any other actives!)

If you have 20 minutes to spare, the Drunk Elephant BabyFacial is amazing — I just feel like my skin looks so much less ashy and dull once I'm done.

(BabyFacial is often sold with a facial oil… I am not a fan of that one at all, but maybe that's me.)

The other product I use the most is this dark purple one from The Ordinary, which is so strong that you're only supposed to use it for 5-10 minutes — in my life this works out to “slather it on the minute before I hop in the shower and tidy up a bit.”

I also really like Paula's Choice BHA Exfoliant, although in my mind I'm using it more for occasional blackheads and less for general skin “zhushing” if that makes sense. You're not supposed to use it with any actives, and your skin should be dry when applying it — so it's best to apply right before bedtime on nights when you aren't using any other products like retinols. This means that I mostly forget about it, but I'm trying to be better this winter.

My Favorite for Scalp Care: Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner

I've had this glycolic toner for a few years and really liked it for dandruff and itchy scalp — I'll put a little bit on before my shower and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then shampoo and condition as normal. It doesn't tingle or feel like it's doing anything while it's sitting on your head — but I always feel like my skin is refreshed afterwards.

We recently had a post where Elizabeth mentioned that she uses this to take care of dry feet in winter — she blew my mind! I'll definitely be trying that this winter.

My Favorite Nighttime Hand Cream: Gold Bond or Caudalie

For my hands, elbows, forearms, etc., I try to use this overnight cream from Gold Bond. Again, it's really affordable for a retinol product, and I feel like it makes a difference.

Another favorite is this luxurious one from Caudalie — it smells fantastic and feels lux going on. It isn't too dear at $16, but the tube is about 1/3 the size of the Gold Bond cream.

If I'm being extra good, I'll also use a cuticle cream like Burt's Bees or Deborah Lippman.