First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Line Is Built to Withstand the Winter Tundra
Don't sleep on the new Ultra Repair Hydrating Pillow Pads.
Right now, the internet is convinced that 2026 is the new 2016. Everyone’s posting side-by-side photos—who they were then vs. who they are now—rehashing King Kylie lips, champagne highlighter, and charcoal masks in all their glory. The trend is equal parts cringe and nostalgic, but it taps into something else: back then, glam was extreme, sure, but everything else felt simpler. For better or for worse, our skincare routines were a little more basic.
In the 10 years between then and now, we’ve dabbled in more buzzy ingredients than I can even wrap my mind around. Today, we inject salmon sperm and slather on ingredients that mimic our cells' DNA-repair process—we’ve zapped, poked, peeled, and prodded our faces in the name of beauty. So when this trend popped up, it unlocked something far more specific than my bad ombré hair job. It reminded me of the brand that quite literally held my skin together back then: First Aid Beauty. And frankly, reminded me that exactly what my skin actually needs is to calm the heck down. That’s where First Aid Beauty has always lived: in the lane of sensitive skin, barrier repair, and soothing relief.
First Aid Beauty's new Ultra Repair baby-blue packaging.
In college, I wasn’t just a fan, I was an actual brand ambassador for First Aid Beauty. Long before I had any idea I’d become a beauty editor, I was handing out samples and waxing poetic about Ultra Repair Cream to anyone who would listen to me. Then, unexpectedly this week, I had the opportunity to use First Aid Beauty again to celebrate a new brand design (!!). The new baby-blue packaging for the Ultra Repair line is soft and genuinely chic. It's still familiar like the original, but in a more elevated sense.
So, alas, this is my love letter to First Aid Beauty. Because—just like in 2016—the brand gives my skin barrier a soothing, cushioning hug. Without further ado, let's get into the new Ultra Repair Hydrating Pillow Pads and my all-time favorite products from the brand.
The Best First Aid Beauty Products
This is the newest launch for the brand, and the Hydrating Toner Pads capture everything the brand has always done best: cushiony, milky, comfort-first formulas that exist to soothe.
Unlike most toner pads, these are thicker and almost pillow-like. The first time I pulled one from the jar, I actually tried to separate it, convinced I grabbed a stack by accident. I quickly realized I hadn't, and it was just one generously saturated pad. The formula is anchored in First Aid Beauty's signature colloidal oatmeal, paired with ceramides to support the skin's moisture barrier. Use them morning or night, and on extra-dry or irritated areas, press a pad onto the spot for a few minutes as a leave-on treatment.
Siena Gagliano using the First Aid Beauty Pillow Pad.
I’m about to hit you with a bold claim: this barrier balm is everything I’ve always wanted Aquaphor to be. It delivers the deep, cocooning moisture of a true occlusive, but somehow sinks in without leaving that sticky, greasy residue. Alongside soothing colloidal oatmeal, it contains one percent dimethicone—i.e., a skin-smoothing silicone that seals in hydration and softens rough patches instantly. I reach for it almost every night in winter, especially after retinol, in the usual moments I used to default to Aquaphor. It's never heavy, instantly calming, and any redness dissipates.
The same iconic formula that put First Aid Beauty on the map is back with reimagined packaging. If you've dabbled in the brand at all, you likely started with this. If you haven't, or it's been a while, let me give a little refresher. It comes in a super-luxe whipped texture and contains a slew of soothing ingredients (colloidal oatmeal and allatonin, I'm talking about you) alongside rich butters for instant moisture. With that rich a formulation, you'd think it would be heavy, but the fast-drying, instantly absorbing texture says otherwise. The best part most people forget? It's meant to be used on your entire body, not just your face. It's truly a wonder cream.
Listen, I'm the biggest proponent of a double-cleanse. I do one nearly every night when life allows. But there are days when I'm traveling or collapsing into bed, and in those moments, I need a cleanser that can genuinely pull its weight. This is one of the few I can say actually removes all my makeup on the first go-around. Now, if I skip the double wash, I'll swipe on a bit of micellar water or reach for the new Milky Toner Pads to catch anything lingering. But the fact that I can even consider stopping after one wash says everything.
The Takeaway
With one solid week of reintroducing First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair line into my skincare arsenal, I can confidently say this: I'm not letting another 10 years go by without it.
Every formula is fragrance-free, and the Ultra Repair Cream in particular carries serious credentials. It's accepted by the National Eczema Association and the Rosacea Society, and recognized by the Psoriasis Foundation. I mean, if there was ever a universal seal for "this is actually safe for sensitive skin," that's it. And while these aren't bargain bin prices, they're refreshingly reasonable in a market now dominated by luxury price tags.
In a beauty world obsessed with extremes, First Aid Beauty’s return to the spotlight with gentle, skin-first products feels radical. Maybe 2026 really is the new 2016. And honestly? My face is thrilled about it.
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