(Beauty Report Card)

The Winter Skin Care Products I Swear By To Combat My Rosacea & Dryness

Moisturization is key.

Dec. 3, 2022

Rebecca Iloulian

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When winter rolls around, I start to dread the annual skin changes that come with it. I’ve dealt with ultra-dry, sensitive skin and rosacea since I was a kid, but the colder months amplify those conditions causing discomfort throughout the season. My skin tightens up, my cheeks are constantly flushed, and my eyelids often become inflamed, causing dermatitis: rashes, bumps, and redness that can be hard to soothe.

The cool, dry air of winter sets my skin off, then being indoors with dry heat blasting further aggravates the redness. The dryness and rosacea feed off of one another, and it becomes an exhausting cycle trying to calm the inflammation that gradually builds. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found my skin’s sensitivities to be more intense.

Though I’ve never considered myself to have bad skin, it’s taken me a long time to feel comfortable with having rosacea. It has a variety of triggers — everything from stress levels and emotions to what I eat and drink. Yet the worst trigger has always been the climate. I’ve tried topical prescriptions to treat it but none have ever made a visible improvement.

A few years back, after a particularly bad case of winter dermatitis, my dermatologist recommended stripping my entire skin care routine and starting over with a clean slate. For a few weeks, I solely used Albolene for everything from makeup remover to moisturizer, until my skin was completely calmed. Once my skin was reset and the inflammation was down, I slowly began adding my skin care (and makeup) products back in one by one to determine which were improving my skin and which were irritating it. After years of trying so many different skin care products, often without much consideration of ingredients, this was a crucial step in my skin care journey toward a happy, revived complexion. I threw out a handful of items that turned out to not be so great, and honed in on the ones that worked best for me.

Though it’s taken me many years of trial and error to find products that truly nourish my winter skin, I’ve finally found a routine that tackles the inflammation and heals my complexion. Below, you’ll find my everyday, winter skin care routine that I follow both morning and night for glowing, hydrated, and most importantly, calm skin.

Kate Somerville

Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser

$44

I’ve been a big fan of Kate Somerville products for years, and this goat milk cleanser is an absolute must for me. It’s incredibly gentle, so comfortable to use twice daily, and infused with manuka honey, jojoba, and avocado oils that keep my skin feeling nourished all day. It’s non-foaming, instead a creamy, milky texture that feels so lovely when massaged into my skin, and keeps the moisture locked in while still cleaning my face of dirt and impurities. While it works for all skin types, this cleanser really helps those of us with irritation-prone skin.

Sulwhasoo

Essential Comfort Balancing Water

$68

Toner is a newer addition to my skin care routine, but I’m now quite loyal to it. Though some dermatologists recommend against toner when dealing with rosacea, I’ve found Sulwhasoo’s Essential Comfort Balancing Water to be quite calming, and a refreshing way to prep my skin before getting into heavier moisturizers. It’s actually helped balance out my tone and gives my complexion added radiance.

bareMinerals

SKINLONGEVITY Long Life Herb Serum

$62

BareMinerals Skinlongevity Serum is packed with anti-inflammatory minerals and niacinamide, a must-have ingredient when dealing with rosacea. It’s a lightweight formula that applies silky-smooth, which I love. After using this serum I found my skin texture to be much smoother and softer. I’ll use one to two pumps both morning and night, depending on how dry my skin is feeling any given day, and it always makes it feel both calm and refreshed.

SolaWave

SolaWave Wand

$149

The Solawave Wand is one of the first skin care tools I’ve tried that I can truly say I love. It combines four powerful technologies, all of which help soothe my skin and revive my complexion: microcurrent, therapeutic warmth, red light therapy, and facial massage. Red light therapy is particularly helpful in reducing redness, and since my rosacea is usually accompanied by little bumps, the light therapy also helps even out texture. Overall, the appearance of my skin looks glowy and even-toned after using my Solawave. It’s also a great way for me to unwind at the end of the day, as it feels like a nice, warm massage. I’ll use it immediately after applying my Bare Minerals Skinlongevity Serum, to really help that serum absorb into the skin.

Clé de Peau

Beauté Enhancing Eye Contour Cream Supreme

$280

My eyes tend to be my biggest problem area in the winter because I’m constantly fighting dermatitis, inflammation, and redness. This find from Clé de Peau is definitely a splurge, but is absolutely worth it. The formula is a rich, thick cream that’s incredibly hydrating and soothing around my eye area. The product contains iris extract, which is known to help improve the skin barrier and lock in lasting moisture.