If there’s one thing I’ve learned from ski season—and more importantly, après-ski—it’s that the elements don’t care about my skin barrier. One run down the mountain, and my face feels tight, my lips desperate for balm, and, despite the freezing temps, I’m sunburned. Skiing is the best, but without preparation, it’s a fast track to dull, dehydrated skin. The solution? A solid winter skincare routine, because it’s just as essential as the gear that protects the rest of your body.
For so long, fashion and skiing have gone hand in hand—think the timeless slope style of Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy, the Skims x North Face partnership now in its second year, and the avalanche of après-ski looks already flooding Instagram. Now, beauty is officially joining the ride. Last year's Ilia x Halfdays collab—a coordinating ski suit and barrier balm—not to mention Ole Henriksen's Après Skin Rescue Crème, signaled a clear shift: slope-ready skincare is key to protection against harsh winter weather. And if these early launches are any indication, I can't wait to see what beauty has in store for 2026.
With the après-ski aesthetic taking over and the unofficial start of ski season here, now’s the best time to upgrade your cold-weather skin routine with a lineup that can handle high altitudes, intense winds, and strong UV exposure. Think buttery moisturizers to prevent dryness, SPF sticks that fit in your jacket pocket for mid-chairlift reapplication, and skin-repairing masks to reset before après cocktails.
Whether you’re a pro on the slopes or just there for the hot toddies, these skincare picks for winter weather will keep your skin glowing from first run to last call.
Barrier Creams
Put simply, the skin barrier acts as our skin’s first line of defense, locking in moisture and keeping environmental aggressors out. But cold weather, especially at high altitudes, can put stress on this protective barrier, leading to moisture loss. To keep the skin in check, apply a barrier-supporting cream in the morning, at night, and as needed throughout the day. Ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and fatty acids will draw and keep in moisture.
Slather this baby on before bed after a long day on the slopes (or by the fireplace, if you're me), and your skin will drink up the ceramide-rich formula.
Combine soothing colloidal oatmeal with barrier-strengthening ceramides, and you get this ultra-rich moisturizer that happens to be one half of last year's Ilia x Halfdays collab.
Face getting chapped from windburn at high altitudes? This easy-to-use barrier balm stick fits in your jacket pocket and will instantly soothe and protect your skin during another run down the mountain.
It wouldn't be a 'best skincare' roundup if I didn't include the holy grail, Avène Cicalfate+. This is the do-it-all rich moisturizer that can be applied anywhere your skin feels chapped or irritated, for an instant soothing and calming experience.
Sunscreen
Facts: For every 3,000 feet in elevation, UV levels increase by about 10 percent. And snow? It can reflect as much as 80 percent of the sun’s rays. This means that when skiing at these high altitudes, we’re exposed from both above and below. To combat this, reapply a water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every two hours.
Another stick formula that can be thrown in your jacket pocket is the Shiseido Clear SPF stick. It gives you no excuse not to apply every two hours.
My lips absolutely lose it in winter. Throw in a little alpine sunburn, and they're done for—except this water-resistant SPF balm swoops in with instant rescue and protection.
This is the ultimate winter sports SPF barrier cream (don't let the surfing reference fool you). The water-resistant zinc formula is designed for intense activity, staying in place while also nourishing the skin with cocoa butter and coconut oil.
Fact: Most tinted SPFs don't do the job, but among the ones that do it right is Colorescience. When I want a little extra coverage, I opt for this lightweight, color-correcting formula.
Skin Repair
Want to be extra prepared? Stock up on a few other reparative products, starting with a vitamin C serum, as you can use it under sunscreen to boost UV protection. Just be sure your skin tolerates it, as it can irritate sensitive skin types. Other antioxidants will help protect against environmental aggressors.
Beauty Director Hannah Baxter got me on this vitamin C serum, which is jam-packed with super-potent actives for better, quicker results, like fewer dark spots and a more radiant complexion.
This daily moisturizer restores the skin's firmness and radiance with a formulation of peptides, niacinamide, and emollients.
Recovery
Another must-have? An oil-based cleanser to remove heavy moisturizers and sunscreen without stripping skin. The best formulas leave skin feeling soft and calm post-cleansing and prepped for the rest of your lineup.
Team Beauty at MC loves all the products in esthetician Danuta Mieloch's skincare line, Danucera. The Cerabalm is one of her standout products, and it melts away makeup effortlessly while also serving as a face mask.
Oil cleansers for the body have quickly become my latest obsession. This French pharmacy pick soothes my dry, winter skin and makes it feel oh-so soft when I climb into bed.
Treatments
While a solid at-home routine is essential for protecting the skin through winter, Eunice Louis-Jacques, RN, the Aesthetic Lead at SEV Laser, tells me that in-office treatments can take your results to the next level, with many helping to boost collagen production and calm sensitized skin that took a hit on those high altitudes.
Louis-Jacques explains that "skin renewing treatments, like SkinPen Microneedling, can bolster the skin by stimulating collagen production," the structural protein responsible for keeping skin supported and resilient. These treatments can cause slight sensitivity for the first few days, she notes, but within two to four weeks, the effects begin to take place. This may make your skin better equipped to handle windburn, dry air, and rapid temperature changes. Think of it as creating a sturdier foundation before ski season even begins.
After days in cold air and strong winds, a HydraFacial is one of the quickest ways to calm and rehydrate the skin. The treatment gently cleanses and exfoliates dead cells before infusing the skin with a cocktail of hydrating, soothing serums—think hyaluronic acid and antioxidants—that instantly replenish what the harsh winter weather stripped away. It leaves your complexion looking plump, dewy, and visibly less irritated, making it the ideal reset before heading into another day on the mountain (or straight to après).
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
