7 Beauty Experts Share Their Favorite Moisturizers for Winter Skincare
With winter weather that feels like the arctic comes a number of seasonal skin woes. The top one to watch out for is dehydration, as the cold weather and subsequent dryness from blasting radiators and indoor heaters will zap skin of its moisture. To combat this, amp up your skincare routine with ingredients targeted for dry skin and swap your daily face cream for something a bit more nourishing.
Beauty pros, who travel the world and work in all types of climates, have a number of go-to products for keeping skin hydrated and healthy, so we consulted seven top industry figures to find out which formulas to stalk up on this season. Avoid that tight, dry feeling and try out these expert-approved winter favorites for all skin types.
Nikki Wolff
Dior Makeup Celebrity Makeup Artist Nikki Wolff works with stars like Dua Lipa and Yara Shahidi and supermodels including Shanina Shaik and Joan Smalls. When traveling around the world for work, the artist keeps La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Mat Moisturizer on hand. "This lightweight non-comedogenic moisturizer helps to keep the skin barrier healthy, unclog pores, and treat persistent dark marks," Wolff says. She uses the mattifying formula on regular, combination, and oily skin types as a daytime base. The drug store product is suitable for any season but can be especially helpful in winter as the dry, cold weather can actually trigger more oil production in the skin.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat Moisturizer, $20, Ulta
Joanna Czech
Celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech recommends the U Beauty Super Smart Hydrator for tired winter skin. If the name suggests, it's optimized to deliver relief. "This is an incredibly hydrating moisturizer with a patented hydra-serum capsule, which transports more water by weight to the deep layers of skin," Czech says.
U Beauty Super Smart Hydrator, $168, Joanna Czech
For another moisturizing step, Czech reaches for the Oio 7 Wonders Botanical Smoothing Oil. Using a face oil after a cream can help lock in all of the nourishing ingredients and actives, ensuring that they are absorbed into the skin. This particular oil is rich in squalane, organic prickly pear, and safflower oils, which Czech says "support the skin regeneration processes and enhances skin tone." She adds, "The oil-serum treatment helps to tighten the skin and visibly smoothes out wrinkles," so it's a great fit for aging skin.
Oio 7 Wonders Botanical Smoothing Oil, $90, Joanna Czech
Michael Anthony
"It’s important for me to have high quality, high functioning products," makeup artist Michael Anthony says. With clients including Ariana Grande and Katy Perry, we would expect nothing less. His current favorite is Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, a holy grail product that many other beauty pros swear by. But as Anthony says, "It's not called 'The Rich Cream' for no reason, so use it sparingly!"
Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, $265, Augustinus Bader
Joanna Vargas
Celebrity facialist, founder of Joanna Vargas Salons and Skin Care, and author of Glow From Within, Joanna Vargas knows her way around effective, quality skincare. She has a reputation for getting A-listers' skin red carpet ready, and a key step to looking glowy is a good moisturizer. Vargas' own Daily Hydrating Cream is a go-to hydrator. "[It] contains cocoa butter which melts at body temperature to hydrate the skin, shea butter for deep hydration, galactoarabinan for sun spots, and zinc for environmental protection," the beauty expert shares. "It really helps keep the skin persistently dewy and is awesome for sensitive skin."
Joanna Vargas Daily Hydrating Cream, $75, Joanna Vargas
Tasha Reiko-Brown
With stars like Alicia Keys, Tracee Ellis Ross, Gabrielle Union, Jaden Smith, and more in her chair, Chanel Makeup Artist and Groomer Tasha Reiko Brown looks for universal products that can suit all skin types and sensitivities. The Pholk Beauty Werkacita Beauty Balm is one of her favorite multi-use moisturizers with a super nourishing formula. She loves its "velvety texture" and that "the ingredients are tried and true healing and herbalist mixes from the African diaspora." From Black-owned Pholk Beauty, the product is also recommended for use wherever you need some TLC, not just for the face.
Pholk Beauty Werkacita Beauty Balm, $18, Pholk Beauty
Reiko Brown also keeps Chanel's La Solution 10 de Chanel in her kit since it's suitable for sensitive skin. "It’s fragrance and oil-free and very lightweight," she shares. "I use this on myself on weekends or vacation when I’m giving my skin a break from makeup and letting it breath."
Chanel La Solution 10 de Chanel, $110, Chanel
Jessica Richards
Jessica Richards, the founder of Brooklyn beauty outpost Shen Beauty, has an eye for the next big thing and has launched favorites like Kosas, Ilia, and Vintner's Daughter into the U.S. market, which is why we trust her when she says Bynacht's Heavy Jet Lag Balm is a must-have. One of the most important aspects of keeping skin fresh is making sure you get enough sleep and this soothing balm—which contains basil, hop, and sweet marjoram essential oils to relieve tension—will help you get in that beauty rest. "Although originally it was created for jet lag from too much travel, I find myself addicted to this while opening a new store in the middle of a global pandemic," Richards says. "It not only soothes my nerves and calms me down but smells amazing and leaves my skin looking glorious.
Bynacht Heavy Jet Lag Balm, $90, Shen Beauty
Pati Dubroff
Chanel Makeup Artist Pati Dubroff doesn't want us to forget about our hands. She loves the Le Lift La Crème Main for its chic packaging and silky formula. "This is the ultimate hand cream, and we all need to take extra care of your constantly washed hands," Dubroff says. Our hands often fall victim to winter's dryness and they are also an area that shows signs of aging early on, so it's wise to make a habit of keeping a quality hand cream in your beauty arsenal.
Chanel Le Lift La Crème Main, $65, Chanel