Winter really tightens your skin. From holiday make-up and shoddy skin care to the never-ending cycle of heat, cold, and dry air indoors and out, our skin tends to take a beating over the months leading up to spring.
The good news is that the post-holiday hibernation season is the perfect time to get your skin back in shape, and the latest skin care trends are perfectly aligned with that.
Similar to last year’s biggest skincare trends, we’re going back to basics in 2026 and focusing on quality, not quantity, with a simple and efficient skincare regimen. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to establish a consistent routine that actually works for your skin (rather than layering dozens of TikTok-famous products and hoping for the best), you’ll be happy to know that it’s officially approved to make your face look like a shiny donut. outside.
Instead, it contains more gentle support to repair the skin barrier. break Barriers to high-tech skin care for home use. Check out the skincare essentials you’ll be seeing everywhere, not just this winter, but all year round.
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“Soft” active
Applying too many harsh active ingredients can wreak havoc on your skin’s barrier, even if you don’t have sensitive skin. Powerful ingredients like AHA and BHA chemical exfoliants and high-strength retinoids can work wonders when used carefully and sparingly, but with the growing influence of social media, this is rarely considered. This leads many people to overdo their skin care (or just over-cleanse), which breaks down the skin’s natural barrier and causes inflammation, breakouts, and hyperpigmentation. This is exactly what we are trying to avoid in the first place.
Fortunately, your skin’s microbiome can instead be balanced with a simplified routine that incorporates “soft” active ingredients like peptides, ceramides, antioxidants, and soothing botanicals. These targeted, gentle active ingredients enable deep skin rejuvenation over time, ultimately helping the skin barrier return to its baseline and support naturally.
Common soft actives include:
- mandelic acid. This high-molecular AHA (as opposed to lower-molecular AHAs like glycolic acid, which penetrate deeper and are harsher) stays on the skin’s surface, gently dissolving dead skin cells without a traumatic snake-like peeling effect.
- Niacinamide. Also known as vitamin B3, this gentle retinol alternative helps minimize pores, regulate sebum, smooth fine lines, and fade dark spots, making it perfect for everything from acne to anti-aging. Its antioxidant properties also protect the skin from free radicals and environmental stressors.
- peptide. Popular as “rejuvenators” (aka proactive anti-aging), these topicals help increase skin elasticity and enhance hydration through collagen and elastin production.
- Ectoine. This natural amino acid forms a shield around skin cells, helping the skin lock in moisture. Perfect for the dry winter season. It also reduces inflammation, protects the skin from environmental stressors, and increases skin elasticity as the barrier repairs.
- Ceramide. These are naturally occurring lipids (also known as fats) in your skin that help form a protective barrier that keeps moisture and irritants out. These are essential for soft, supple, and hydrated skin and go well with all skin types.
Best of all, finding products containing these soft actives doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Check out our affordable favorites from top brands below.
INKEY List Ectoine Hydro Barrier Serum
price: $15 at Alta
Earn 6% cash back at Ulta
Paula’s Choice Mandelic Acid + Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliator
price: $15 on Amazon
Regular multi-peptide + copper peptide 1% serum
price: $32 at Alta
Earn 6% cash back at Ulta
Iliyun Ceramide Attention Lotion
price: $13.99 on Amazon
Good Molecules 5% Niacinamide Serum with Ectoine
price: $8 at Alta
Earn 6% cash back at Ulta
SPF specialized for winter
We all know by now that we need to protect our skin from the sun all year round…right?
Even in the winter, the sun is a threat if you don’t apply SPF, leading to hyperpigmentation and premature aging at best, and skin cancer at worst. Don’t ignore it and think you’re exempt just because there’s snow on the ground. In fact, snow is one of the strongest reflectors of the sun’s harmful UV rays, effectively doubling your exposure to sunlight even when it’s cloudy.
However, the SPF you need in the winter tends to be different than when the weather is warmer. Dry air calls for more moisturizing formulas like creams and oils, which often do double duty by adding “soft” active ingredients like, you guessed it, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, and botanical extracts.
Here are some recommended items to protect your skin from the winter sun.
Super goop! Superscreen Hydrating Daily Cream Moisturizer SPF 40
price: $48 at Alta
Earn 6% cash back at Ulta
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Moisturizer SPF 45
price: $27.50 (originally $55) at Sephora
La Roche Posay Anthelios 50 UV Hydra Sunscreen
price: $39.99 at CVS
Earn 10% cashback at CVS
Kiehl’s Better Screen UV Serum Sunscreen SPF 50+
price: $22 at Alta
Earn 6% cash back at Ulta
Skin care techniques you can do at home
Cutting-edge, science-based skin care technology is currently gaining explosive popularity. What better time to try it out than while you’re spending cold days indoors? Not only can these devices take your cozy at-home spa days to the next level, they can also save you money on office procedures in the long run.
Advanced technology includes LED treatment masks and microcurrent stimulators, so let’s take a look at the basics.
- red light therapy. These LEDs penetrate deeper layers of the skin to promote collagen production and reduce inflammation. Perfect for anyone interested in anti-aging skin care.
- blue light therapy. These LEDs stay close to the skin’s surface, controlling oil and killing bacteria. Perfect for people who are concerned about acne.
- Microcurrent device. These utilize low-level electrical current to stimulate facial muscles, with the goal of toning, lifting, and contouring the skin for a more youthful appearance. (Note: These devices can be quite expensive and complicated, but we like medicube’s entry-level massager for beginners below.)
For those new to this area of skin care, here are some of the most popular skin care devices to try this winter.
Medicube Age-R Booster Pro
price: $189 on Amazon
Shark CryoGlow Red & Blue LED Face Mask with Under Eye Cooling Function
price: $349.99 on Amazon
Solawave 4-in-1 Radiant Renewal Skin Care Wand
price: $118.30 (originally $169) at Ulta
Earn 6% cash back at Ulta
The post 3 Skin Care Trends That Will Help You Save Your Face This Winter appeared first on The Real Deal on RetailMeNot.
Source: The Real Deal by RetailMeNot – www.retailmenot.com
