Hitting the slopes this year? Don’t let the cold, wind – or even the sun – hit back at your skin while you’re having fun in the mountains. This is our guide to the best skincare for skiing.
Whether you’re a seasoned skier or are heading to the slopes for the first time, don’t forget about the importance of protecting your skin in an alpine environment. Cold temperatures and harsh winds can quickly dry out and irritate your skin, while being at a higher altitude means the sun’s UV rays can more easily reach you, leading to both sunburn and premature ageing, such as wrinkles and pigmentation.
Alongside your ski jacket and snow boots, this is our what to pack guide for your next skiing holiday, including a broad-spectrum sunscreen and deeply moisturising face creams and ointments. Plus, in good news, the best skincare for skiing will also come to your complexion’s rescue when the cold weather really bites back at home too.
The most common effect from a day spent skiing is a dry and chapped complexion. It's caused by the cold wind wipping across your face and taking much-needed moisture from your skin as you soar (or snowplough) down the mountain. Drunk Elephant's clever cream is like a protective plaster to stop that happening or to reverse the damage if it does. It's rich in texture but doesn't leave your face feeling overly oily, because its nourishing formula contains buttery lipids and hydrating hyaluronic acid, alongside salt minerals for anti-redness and barrier support.
Yes, it can be cold in the mountains, but you also tend to be up above the clouds, meaning you are at much higher risk from the sun's UV rays. Therefore, if you want to avoid burning (and premature ageing) – and who doesn't? – a broad-spectrum high-factor SPF is non-negotiable. Ultra Violette's formula is our top pick for active days; it's very water and sweat resistant, but with a lightweight spray-applied finish that doesn't leave a heavy cast.
This is the serum our beauty director trusts to get her sensitive skin through the harsher winter months and it's the redness-reducing refresh your skin needs before you hit the slopes. It's powered by teprenone, a powerful skin-soothing ingredient that protects against irritation and supports your skin barrier, as well as the antioxidant organic sage extract to help relieve sensitivities. Best of all, it is super lightweight while still leaving your complexion nourished and comforted.
After a day of exercise, you need to make sure your skin is thoroughly cleaned of sweat and dirt, but there's nothing worse than stripping your skin barrier with a harsh cleanser as it just leaves your face feeling sore. Kiehl's nourishing cleanser hits the right balance, with a hydrating cream-to-foam texture that removes even stubborn sunscreen without leaving your skin tight or irritated.
Finally a deodorant that not only leaves you feeling fresh – even when doing something as strenuous as skiing – but is also kind to your skin. As well as directly tackling odour-causing bacteria, the formula is aluminium-free to avoid irritation and contains skin perfecting ingredients, including mandelic, lactic acid, niacinamide and PHAs to exfoliate, prevent ingrown hairs and tackle any discolouration. The result: long-lasting freshness, smoother under-arms and a rather lovely coconut, almond blossom and vanilla scent too.
L'Occitane's Shea Butter hand balm is a cult classic for dry skin and, considering dry, chapped hands can quickly take the fun out of skiing, this is your must-pack hand cream. Packed with a high concentration of 25% shea butter, it protects even very dry skin and can be layered underneath your gloves to soothe any existing irritation. Plus, it is also suitable for children aged three years and up, so you can keep it on hand for the whole family.
Tend to struggle with a flushed face on the slopes? With SPF protection and a hydrating formula to boot, this colour-changing tint is the skincare-makeup hybrid for you if you prefer a little bit of coverage when you ski. We particularly like it because as well as immediately reducing the appearance of redness, it contains ingredients to soothe your skin over time, including provitamin B5.
If you tend to wake up in the morning after a day of skiing and feel like the tin man in need of oil, you need this nourishing balm from ESPA. It not only deeply hydrates your skin – because your body needs some pampering after exercise too – but, most importantly helps ease away exercise-related muscle aches and pains with its refreshing blend of peppermint, clove and eucalyptus, bringing the spa straight into your chalet.
The sun's UV rays really do cause havoc for our skin, but did you know that there are important ways to protect your complexion alongside SPF? Specifically, when the sun's rays hit your skin, they create 'free radicals', which are responsible for cell damage and thus ultimately premature ageing. That's where a good antioxidant-rich serum, such as this multi-award winner from Skinceuticals comes in; not just when you are skiing, but daily, to keep your skin smooth and radiant.
Touching up your SPF is a necessary evil when you are doing something as active as skiing, but Garnier's portable little stick makes the whole process easy. Providing SPF 50+ protection without feeling heavy on your skin, you can take it out of any small pocket, swipe it across your face (especially areas prone to burning such as your ears) in mere seconds and be back focused on the slopes in no time.
It's always wise to keep a lip balm on hand during the winter season, but what we love most about this stylish one from Tatcha is that it not only deeply moisturises for protection against dryness and flakiness through its creamy texture, but also contains SPF25 (to avoid painful lip burn) and has a really flattering sheer wash of colour to take you into apres-ski looking a little more chic.
This fragrance-free balm from sensitive skin-saviour La Roche‑Posay is a seriously smart addition to your ski kit because it helps reinforce your skin's defences against the cold and wind, meaning no more red, irritated faces after your holiday. Powered by 5% vitamin B5 and madecassoside to help soothe and repair chapped or wind-burnt skin, its multi-use nature means you can apply it to your lips, elbows and even rough patches behind your ears or around your helmet strap too.
At the end of a long day of skiing, there's arguably nothing better than settling down somewhere warm and cosy, for a little act of face mask-based self-care. Your skin will love you for choosing this deeply hydrating mask in particular, because it’s so moisturising and glow-boosting with squalane, ceramides and hyaluronic acid all on hand to plump and smooth. In fact, happy customers report looking like they had at least four extra hours sleep post-use – perfect if you enjoy skiing's social side as much as the slopes themselves.
Your feet definitely go through the wars a bit when skiing, not least when being shoved in and out of ski boots. Luckily, this is the hero to give them the TLC they need. What we love most is that it works fast – and overnight – so you can wake up with refreshed, hydrated and soothed feet that are ready to hit the slopes again. The formula is also antibacterial and antifungal making it great for sporty people who want to keep their feet just as fit and healthy.
Lead photo credit: Perfect Moment
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