The Ultimate Guide to After-Summer Skincare

Between the long beach days, hard-earned vacations, and inevitable series of heatwaves, summer can be hard on skin. As a result, skin can look a little worse for the wear by the time cooler weather rolls around. “Most commonly, I see an increase in hyperpigmentation, dryness, and barrier disruption,” says NakedPoppy skin specialist Tara Parenti. 

And the sun isn’t the only thing to blame — although yes, that and traveling “can leave our skin vulnerable to heat, inflammation, and dehydration,” she says. On top of that, with summertime comes more socializing, with al fresco hang-outs and weekend trips with friends. “With that can come a shift in many of the lifestyle choices we make, which can impact skin health as well,” Parenti says. “An increase in alcohol consumption, indulging in rich, inflammatory inducing foods, and lack of quality sleep can leave the skin looking and feeling stressed and dull.”

Okay, okay — so we’ve been living a little large the past few months. And while we’d never tell you to swear off the rosé, there are still steps you can take to help reset your skin in time for fall. Here, the biggest after-summer skincare concerns, and what you can do about them.

Reset your routine

It helps to first get into the annual “back to school” mindset — for your skin, at least — with a more structured skincare routine. “Identifying a primary goal of correction that you want to see with your skin will help when incorporating new products, steps, or ingredients,” says Parenti. “Did you accumulate more or new dark spots? Make sure your skincare routine is targeted for that by incorporating a robust brightening protocol. Is your skin feeling drier, tight, and parched? Incorporate more humectants into your routine and an occlusive moisturizer.”

Once you narrow down your top goals, those will help point you in the right direction of which ingredients to incorporate into your routine. Need help refining those? No sweat: Take our easy, 3-minute beauty assessment to get your personalized lineup for the new season.

Get some clarity

If you’re dealing with bumps — be they blackheads, whiteheads, or your average breakout — you’re not alone, since production of sebum (skin’s natural moisturizer) rises in the summer. [1] As a result, your pores might need to be deep-cleaned. To do that, “face masks of products containing natural clays, such as kaolin, bentonite, and montmorillonite, are a perfect addition to your skincare routine,” says NakedPoppy research scientist Marisa Plescia. “Clays act as absorbents and can detoxify and purify the skin, removing impurities, oil, and dead skin.” Try 54 Thrones Kahina Lava Cleansing Mask, which uses a blend of rhassoul clay and coconut-derived charcoal to cleanse skin.

Also, acne tends to flare more often in hot, humid weather. [2]If you’re stuck with stragglers from your last breakout, clay can help with those, too. “Clay masks may be able to reduce acne breakouts and can also help reduce the appearance of large pores by acting as an astringent, a.k.a. tightening the skin,” Plescia says. However, they can be drying, so wash off as directed — in this case, more is not more. 

Begin your brightening

If you’re dealing with dark spots or patchy discoloration, take comfort in that you’re definitely not alone. And if you’re not already using a vitamin C serum, now is a good time to start. “Studies have found that excessive exposure to UV light or pollutants may lower vitamin C concentration in the skin, so it is a great idea to help replenish the vitamin C in your skin after the summer,” says Plescia. “Studies have found that vitamin C helps inhibit tyrosinase—the main enzyme responsible for the production of melanin—thereby helping decrease pigment formation.” [3] It can even help with melasma, which tends to appear in the summer after extended sun exposure. [4] Try it in Saint Jane Beauty The C-Drops, which also contains full flower hemp extract to actively comfort skin.

Another good option is niacinamide, which is the star of Prima Enlightenment Niacinamide Serum and “has been studied to help to prevent melanin, skin’s natural pigment, from reaching the skin cells in the epidermis,” says Plescia. [5] “With less pigment reaching the skin’s surface, this can help with hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and overall promote a more even skin tone.”

Take retinol for a spin

Retinol is a perennial winner for a reason. “Retinol helps with cell turnover in the skin — and expedited cell turnover can help with hyperpigmentation and also prevent dead skin cells from clogging pores, thus reducing acne outbreaks,” says Plescia. Plus, it can also stimulate collagen, which can offset signs of aging caused by sun exposure, such as fine lines and wrinkles.

Fall is a great time to try it, since you’re presumably getting less sun — and “retinoids can easily break down under UV radiation,” says Plescia. (For that reason, it should only be applied at night — whenever you do choose to start using it.) You can find an encapsulated (read: gentler) version in Maya Chia The Straight A Serum.

Step up exfoliation

Finally, it’s a good idea to exfoliate more as we head into cooler months — for a few reasons. For one, “exfoliating your skin helps remove the things that clog up pores, such as oil, dirt, and debris and help to remove dead skin skills,” says Plescia. “Chemical exfoliation uses ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids, beta-hydroxy acids, polyhydroxy acids, or enzymes to remove dead skin cells by reacting with the skin and disrupting the bonds holding skin cells together, essentially removing the dead skin cells.”

On top of that, the timing is right, since “using AHAs with increased sun exposure can make inflammation, irritation, and redness worse,” says Plescia. Since you may not be parked at the beach all weekend, “adding AHAs into your skincare routine during the fall and winter may be the perfect time to test them out,” she says. If you’re a newbie, start with lactic acid, which tends to be gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types; you can find it paired with hydrating hyaluronic acid in Ere Perez Quadong Green Booster Serum.

Don’t forget to protect

Finally, crisp fall weather is no excuse to skip SPF. “You need to protect your skin from the sun no matter the season and the weather,” Plescia says. “Even though it could be cloudy out, UV rays still penetrate the earth’s atmosphere and can cause skin and DNA damage. Wearing sunscreen is still a must.” Sun damage never stops, and neither should your sunscreen routine.

Bottom line: It’s worth investing in your after-summer skincare routine. “While a ‘less is more’ approach is generally our summer skin motto, consider fall and winter as your time to really elevate your skincare habits,” Parenti says. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to incorporate more steps, but rather get the most out of what your steps have to offer.” And with these potent ingredients, you can do just that.

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Shop the Story:

• 54 Thrones Kahina Lava Cleansing Mask 🛀
• Saint Jane Beauty The C-Drops 🍊
• Prima Enlightenment Niacinamide Serum ✨
• Maya Chia The Straight A Serum 🌙
• Ere Perez Quadong Green Booster Serum 🧖‍♀️