There’s something about warmer temperatures that make us want to simplify every aspect of our lives. When it comes to summer skin care, layering serums and moisturizers suddenly feels superfluous. Days spent poolside or weeks living out of a travel toiletry bag certainly do not lend themselves to a lengthy regimen. Whether your reasoning is lightweight wear or just a carefree approach to caring for your skin, less is always more these days.
Thankfully, New York City–based esthetician and skin care expert Sean Garrette says you can condense your skin care regimen while maintaining a healthy glow. This means pivoting away from the nourishing, rich products that stock his fall and winter vanities. “My summer skin care philosophy is all about light hydrating layers and prioritizing sunscreen!” he says.
What’s more, this guidance extends to all skin types. “You should look at your skin type as a starting point and then look at your specific skin care concerns,” Garrette instructs. “Someone who has oily skin can also be suffering with dehydration—which is the lack of water in the skin, which could in turn cause the skin to produce more sebum, and appear to be more oily on the surface.”
For example, sensitive skin types might opt for calming ingredients like arnica, colloidal oatmeal, centella asiatica, and allantoin, while someone with dry skin might prioritize light layers of serums and gel creams to hydrate without clogging pores. If controlling blemishes is of concern, pair your pared-down regimen with your favorite acne treatment (like a solution featuring BHA or sulfur, per Garrette) and smooth fine lines with a wrinkle cream at night.
In any case, below, he details five steps to complete anyone’s summer skin care routine from start to finish.
1. Hydrating Cleanser
Unsurprisingly, your first step this summer will be a cleanser—Garrette recommends something hydrating that will not strip the skin of its natural oils.
Dior La Mousse Off/On Foaming Face Cleanser
A lightweight, cream-to-foam cleanser enriched with water lily from the Dior gardens that removes makeup, dirt, and oil while soothing the skin.
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser
A pH-balanced, gel-cream cleanser infused with rose water, vitamin B4, xylitol, allantoin, and comfrey root extract to slough away impurities to reveal fresh, baby-soft skin.
A coveted gentle face wash that uses soy proteins, cucumber extract, and aloe vera to condition, calm, and rejuvenate skin after each use.
A hydrating, restorative cleanser featuring thermal spring water, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E to gently erase traces of dirt, oil, and makeup without water.
2. Hydrating Toner
A hydrating toner or essence is the next step. Essentially, this provides a layer of weightless moisture into the skin. Think the latest launch from Hailey Bieber—the Rhode Glazing Milk—or a classic Japanese option like SK-II’s essence.
SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
A cult-favorite essence containing more than 90% Pitera alongside hyaluronic acid and other moisturizing agents to target dark spots, fine lines, and dullness.
True Botanicals Microbiome Enzyme Essence
A silky essence featuring pineapple and papaya enzymes, AHA-rich finger lime, and buckwheat ferment to balance skin’s microbiome, gently exfoliate, and improve moisture retention.
A newly-launched hydrating toner-meets-essence containing ceramides, beta-glucan, magnesium, zinc, and copper to soothe skin and impart that enviable Hailey Bieber glow.
Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Calming Toner
A calming, milky blend of hyaluronic acid, vitamins (C, E, and B3), alongside evening primrose and borage seed oil that helps nourish, soothe, and protect dry skin.
3. Hydrating Serum
The third step is your serum. According to Garrette, this “adds a layer of hydration without suffocating the skin.” We’d recommend opting for formulas featuring hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, squalane, and aloe vera to quench thirsty skin. Those with dry skin will especially benefit from this step, as it’s an opportunity to layer as many serums as you’d like.
SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel
A coveted serum leading with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 to replenish moisture levels without clogging pores, making it ideal for acne-prone skin.
PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum
An acclaimed hyaluronic acid serum that pairs the hydrating ingredient with ceramides and niacinamide repair the skin barrier and plump fine lines.
Epi.Logic Master Plan Bioactive Face Serum
An intelligent hydrator where human-derived growth factors, peptides, hyaluronic acid, sea kelp, and beta-glucan come together to improve skin’s firmness, elasticity, and hydration.
Naturium Niacinamide Serum 12% Plus Zinc 2%
An elite drugstore serum enriched with 12% niacinamide and 2% zinc PCA to address uneven skin tone, enlarged pores, fine lines, and wrinkles.
4. Water-Cream Moisturizer
Now it’s time to lock in moisture with a lightweight moisturizer. Garrette endorses water-cream textures that “provide skin with moisture without feeling heavy.” Keep the same hydrating agents mentioned above in mind during your moisturizer selection too.
A lightweight, pore-refining water cream featuring a host of Japanese superfoods (like wild rose, leopard lily, green tea, rice, and algae) to smooth skin texture and balance oily skin.
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer
A concentrated gel-textured moisturizer powered by 30% hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and elderberry.
Tata Harper Water Lock Moisturizer
A silky-textured moisturizer that doubles as a smoothing face primer thanks to a blend of orange peptides, pomegranate spheres, and macro hyaluronic acid.
Osea Seabiotic Water Cream
A weightless water-cream moisturizer formulated to provide up to 72 hours of hydration through a blend of seaweed, squalane, hyaluronic acid, and pre-and probiotics.
5. Sunscreen
Finally, the last and arguably the most important step is sunscreen. “This is the season we’re exposed to the sun for longer periods of time and more often, so sun protection is a must during the summer months,” he explains. On the best facial sunscreens, experts typically recommend a broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or higher. Pro tip: pick up a sweat- and water-resistant formula to withstand the elements.
A lightweight, cooling chemical sunscreen (SPF 50) featuring cress sprout and wild butterfly ginger root extract to strengthen and protect the skin barrier.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
More Stories
There Are 6 Ways to Enhance Collagen in Your Pores and skin at House
Celebs Prepped for Cannes With $9 French Eye Patches
The 60 Best Skincare Products of 2024, According to Bazaar Editors and Experts