Steps to Freshen Up Your Spring Skincare Routine

Reading: 5 minutes

Warm, chilly, sunny, rainy—this time of year, it seems like the weather can’t make up its mind. And when things get unpredictable, it’s best to have a routine you can still rely on. For your skin, that means a spring skincare routine that can weather all types of weather. Let’s get started.

How can spring weather impact your skin?

The first thing you might notice is that your skin could use a reset. Months of cold, dry air can leave your complexion dull and dehydrated.

Fortunately, as temperatures rise and humidity returns, your skin tends to balance out its moisture levels naturally. Sebum (oil) production also increases.

But your complexion might need a helping hand to keep things in check. An uptick in oil production plus the pollutants, dirt, and pollen in the spring breeze can also make your skin feel a bit congested.

Sound like a balancing act? Add in the fact that sudden weather shifts can test your skin barrier’s strength, and you’ve got a lot to juggle. Not to worry—swapping out a few products in your spring skincare routine can help.

First things first: Spring Cleaning

Now’s the perfect opportunity to refresh your beauty cabinet. Before diving into a new skincare routine—or continuing on with your favorites—it’s important to make sure they’re up for the task.

Here are a few expert tips for a spring cosmetic clean-out:

1. Decide what’s worth keeping: Now’s the time to separate all your creams, serums, and gels into two piles: Yes and No. That serum you thought you’d love but instead never used? It’s more than OK to put it in the latter.
2. Check smell, texture, and expiration: The next step is making sure that all the keepers are still good to go. First, look for an expiration date or PAO symbol (Period After Opening) on the back or bottom of your skincare container. The PAO icon indicates how many months you can use the product after opening. If it’s still in the valid timeframe, apply a small amount of the formula to your hand. Make sure it smells, feels, and looks the same as when you first opened it.
3. Time to toss, give away, and store: Take time to check the expiration on any unopened products in your No pile to donate or share. Then, toss the expired ones and then gather up all of the keepers. Finally, settle your skincare favorites into a cool, dry place that’s out of direct sunlight to help keep things fresh.

How to transition your skincare routine for spring

Spring marks the time to focus on two things: resetting your skin after winter and prepping for the summer days to come. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Step 1: Use a balancing cleanser

Starting with a fresh palette makes sure the products applied afterward work the way they’re intended to. Switch to a cleanser formula that removes impurities and makeup without altering the skin’s natural barrier.

AM: Ease into the day. Begin with a balancing foam cleanser that respects your skin’s natural balance, leaving your complexion refreshed and radiant. Our recommendation: Essential Purifier

PM: Reach for an oil formula for a gentle yet powerful cleanse. Cleansing oil binds to unwanted oils to help eliminate them while adding some much-needed hydration and antioxidant support. Our recommendation: Essential Cleansing

Expert tip: Feel like your skin needs a little extra reset after a day out and about? Try double cleansing at night—oil cleanse first and then follow up with a foam or scrub.

Step 2: Apply a targeted eye contour cream

The skin around your eyes is some of the thinnest on your face. It can use a little extra love during this transitional season. Seek out hydrating, refreshing eye contour creams to blossom into your best look.

AM: Hyaluronic acid helps restore eye-area elasticity and moisture levels thanks to its high binding capacity to water. This hero ingredient can help combat the effects of constant temperature shifts. Our recommendation: Choose what fits your needs—Hyaluronic Eyes to energize your gaze or K-Ox Eyes to combat dark circles, bags, and puffiness

PM: Help the skin around your eyes start anew each day. An eye contour cream with melatonin can help combat oxidative stress caused by daily skin aggressors. Our recommendation: Vital Eyes

Expert tip: Look for an eye cream featuring a cooling ceramic applicator for an extra feeling of freshness.

Step 3: Add in an antioxidant serum

Antioxidants work overtime to help restore and refresh your complexion. They can help protect against damaging free radicals caused by the sun’s UVA & UVB rays. Plus, many antioxidants help your skin recapture its brightness and elasticity, leaving it looking and feeling revitalized.

AM: Start with a vitamin C serum. Look for formulas featuring ascorbic acid: the natural form of vitamin C and a potent antioxidant. Our recommendation: Flavo-C Serum

PM: Opt for a rejuvenating retinal serum that’s still gentle enough to carry you into sunnier days. Look for dual formulas that boast retinal plus supportive melatonin and bakuchiol. Our recommendation: Retinal Advanced

Expert tip: Something to remember as the days get warmer—many vitamin C formulas can be especially vulnerable to direct light and excessive heat. Do your best to store them properly, even while traveling.

Step 4: Reach for a revitalizing moisturizer

Remember what we mentioned about your skin barrier? Just because winter’s (finally) over doesn’t mean it’s time to bench your moisturizers. Hydrating creams help boost your skin’s barrier function right when you need it most.

AM: Better weather means more fun times spent out and about. Swap out your daytime moisturizer for a formula that both hydrates and helps protect against the damaging effects of pollution.

PM: When it comes to texture, now’s the time to listen to your skin. Spring can be both drying and cause more oil production than usual, depending on the weather and your skin type. Don’t be afraid to alternate between a lightweight moisturizer and a richer formula per your changing needs. Our recommendation: Find out which moisturizer is best for your skin.

Expert tip: Turtleneck season is finally over, so don’t forget about your neck and decolleté. Moisturizing these areas supports hydration and elasticity.

Step 5: Don’t forget the sunscreen

Whatever the season, whatever the weather, sunscreen is essential. Especially as cloudy, temperate days can be deceptive in the amount of UV radiation that’s actually reaching your skin.

AM: As the last step in your skincare routine or first step of your makeup routine, apply a broad spectrum sunscreen (meaning the formula protects against both UVA and UVB rays). And look for a texture that you’ll be happy to apply every single day. Our recommendation: Fusion Water MAGIC

Expert tip: Sunny, spring days call for spontaneity! Keep a travel-friendly sunscreen in your bag to reapply throughout the day (at least every two hours).

A few final spring skincare tips

AM: Get your vitamins. A diet rich in seasonal fruits and vegetables gives you a boost of antioxidants that help prep your skin for the summer. You can also help keep your skin healthy in spring by adding an antioxidant supplement to your diet. Our recommendation: SUNISDIN

PM: Add in exfoliation. Chemical exfoliants can penetrate the skin for deeper action than physical exfoliants like scrubs. Look for a gentle chemical exfoliant formula with glycolic acid. Try swapping out your nighttime serum step for exfoliation every so often to hit reset on skin’s texture and tone. Our recommendation: Glicoisdin