Sunscreen in winter might seem a little over-the-top, even for those among us who take their skin care very seriously. But it’s not just that sunscreen itself is important—which it very much is, no matter the season. After all, sunlight is still sunlight, whatever the season.
And on top of that, she adds, snow can act like a giant reflector, bouncing up to 80% of UVA and UVB rays back onto your skin. But it’s more that your sunscreen formula itself might merit an upgrade when the cooler weather sets in. After all, “winter is prime time to lose skin hydration: The air becomes more arid and dry, and thus pulls more moisture out of our skin,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY.
She recommends people reach for a sunscreen that actively hydrates skin, minimizes transepidermal water loss from skin, and fortifies the skin barrier. To that end, it’s essential to find one that includes “hydrating ingredients—such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and squalane—but it’s also just as important to improve the skin barrier with lipids and fatty acids to minimize how much water is lost into the surrounding environment,” she says. Vogue’s Favorite Winter Sunscreens: Best Overall: EltaMD UV Daily Hydration+ SPF 50, $45 Best Tinted: Carte Blanche Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Mineral SPF 35, $68 Best for Dry Skin: CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen, $15 Best for Oily Skin: Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb SPF 45, $27 Best Lightweight: Isdin FusionWater Magic SPF 40, $38 Best Dewy Finish: Clé de Peau Beauté UV Protective Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, $155 Best Korean: Laneige Hydro UV Defense Ex Sunscreen SPF 50+, $30 And, even if you’re spending more time indoors, you don’t get a free pass.
In fact, skipping the sunscreen can still cause issues, since “visible light and blue light from laptops, phones, and LED bulbs continue to hit the skin,” says Dr. All told, your sunscreen habits shouldn’t change with the seasons. What you might need to rethink, though, is the sunscreen itself—in particular, swapping a lightweight or mattifying formula for something more nourishing.
For a sunscreen that can keep skin soft, supple, and (most importantly) safe during the winter months, experts recommend these picks. Best Overall: EltaMD UV Daily Hydration+ SPF 50 Why We Love It: This EltaMD sunscreen was made with extremely dry skin in mind, which is why it’s Dr. Nazarian’s pick for winter.
Not only does it hydrate skin, but it can actually boost your skin’s own production of the hyaluronic acid. How it pulls this off: The formula “uses specific forms of hyaluronic acid that are super super-small and can penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin,” she explains. Plus, the brand’s formulas neither feel nor smell like sunscreen, she says, making it a go-to among her patients.
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