Your Seasonal Skin Survival Guide: Hydration Tips for a Year-Round Glow

As the seasons change, so does your skin. Shifting temperatures and humidity levels can impact everything from moisture retention to sensitivity, making it essential to adapt your skincare routine accordingly.

Whether you’re reaching for rich moisturizers in the winter or lightweight SPF in the summer, your skin deserves care that meets the moment. Backed by the hydration expertise of Prima, here’s how to tailor your routine for every season—plus a few year-round essentials to keep your skin balanced and resilient.

No matter the weather, Prima’s science-driven hydration heroes are here to help your skin thrive.

Understanding How Each Season Affects Skin Hydration

Freezing winter winds, harsh summer sun, and everything in between directly impact skin hydration. Just like your wardrobe changes with the seasons, so should your skin care routine, to ensure your skin stays happy, protected, and healthy.

Winter: Cold, Dry Air

Cold winter air naturally holds less moisture. In this low-humidity seasonal dip, the outdoor environment can actually draw moisture out of your skin through a process called transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This leads to visible dryness, flakiness, and a tight, uncomfortable feeling.

Even if you spend most of the colder months bundled up inside, indoor heating also lowers the natural humidity in the air. A study conducted under the harsh winter conditions in South Korea showed that even short-term exposure (as little as six hours) to low-humidity indoor air can significantly decrease skin hydration and increase TEWL.

Indoors or out, your skin faces a consistently dry environment this time of year, accelerating skin dehydration.

Your Winter Skin Care Protocol

To counteract the dry wintertime environment, you need to adopt a highly moisturizing skin care routine that supplements and supercharges the skin's natural moisture barrier. This is where phytosterols come in: plant-based compounds that mimic the function of cholesterol in the skin. 

They help reinforce the skin barrier, reduce moisture loss, and calm irritation, making them ideal for dry, stressed-out skin. Think of them as a cushion of protection that helps your skin retain water and stay resilient against environmental aggressors.

Try our ultra-nourishing Skin Therapy, formulated to replenish moisture in even the driest skin. Featuring a calming blend of phytosterols from five organic plant oils to help lock in moisture, plus CBD to support the endocannabinoid system, this velvety body butter will keep your skin supple year-round.

Spring: Allergy Season & a Fluctuating Environment

As blossoms awaken in spring, they also awaken airborne allergens like pollen.

People with allergies will be all too familiar with the aggressive immune system response. Pollen triggers a release of histamines, which are our natural means of protection, but also cause inflammation, redness, and irritation. 

Springtime temperatures and rainy weather also impact environmental humidity levels. The highly variable weather conditions, temperatures, and humidity disrupt the skin's moisture balance, making it even more prone to irritation and dehydration.

All of this means that during the spring, when flowers are fully blooming and the bees are happily buzzing, the skin's protective barrier can become compromised. The result? Dryness, flakiness, and heightened sensitivity.

Your Spring Skin Care Protocol

You'll want to take it easy on your skin during the springtime transitional period. Look for calming, soothing ingredients formulated in a lightweight moisturizer. 

Our Beyond Body Oil is designed to calm and hydrate, infused with anti-inflammatory CBD, magnesium, and protective plant extracts. Its lightweight formula effectively rehydrates the skin without ever feeling greasy.

Summer: Heat, Sweat, & UV Exposure

The transition into the hot summer months can be harsh on our skin. Between increased sweating from physical activity, long days in direct sun, and more time spent outdoors, summer takes a toll. 

First, hot weather means more sweating. While sweating initially feels too moist, it actually leads to skin dehydration. This is because sweat quickly evaporates under the same TEWL conditions. The more you sweat, the more your skin will dry out.

At the same time, increased sun exposure further damages the skin's moisture barrier and accelerates signs of aging. The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays once again increase water loss, but also cause inflammation, hyperpigmentation, and other long-term damage. 

Your Summer Skin Care Protocol

First and foremost, no matter what else you include in your summer skin care routine, broad-spectrum SPF is a must. But protection from harsh UV rays is just the beginning.

For added defense, choose lightweight moisturizers with antioxidants to shield your skin from seasonal stressors. Prima's Skin Therapy is a super-hydrating example. It delivers organic hemp CBD and antioxidant-rich vitamins E and B complex to help protect, soothe, and hydrate your skin all summer.

Fall: Transitions & Increased Sensitivity

A final transition into fall leads to another shoulder season of environmental fluctuations. Days get cooler, humidity levels are all over the map, and in many places, winter winds start to pick up.

Sudden drops in temperature and humidity reduce the skin's ability to retain moisture, often resulting in flakiness, tightness, and increased sensitivity, especially for those with pre-existing conditions like eczema or atopic dermatitis. These are only exaggerated with cold, dry winds blasting us as we step outside the house.

Once again, our skin care routine needs a new approach, one that helps protect against increased wind exposure and helps our skin recover from a summer spent outside.

Your Autumnal Skin Care Protocol

When the leaves change color around you, this is a sign to change the ingredients in your skin care routine, too.  Pivot from lightweight hydration to products with deeply moisturizing potential.

Repair and nourish your skin overnight with Night Magic, Prima's nutrient-dense, biomimetic oil for supple, radiant skin. Formulated with organic CBD and a host of plant-derived oils, Night Magic is clinically proven to increase hydration, improve texture, and reduce the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles.

Year-Round Hydration Tips

If it wasn't clear from this seasonal breakdown, our skin needs hydration support year-round, no matter what's in the forecast.

Here are a few simple tips for helping keep your skin soft, nourished, and supple all year long.

Hydration from Within

It's no surprise that staying hydrated is essential for healthy skin. Drinking enough water supports skin elasticity and improves suppleness by helping maintain moisture in the deeper layers of the skin. Aim for at least 72 ounces of water daily to keep your skin looking and feeling its best from the inside out.

Creative Indoor Hydration

While much of the focus here has been on outdoor stressors, our indoor environment also plays a significant role in skin health. Both indoor heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer can lower humidity levels, increasing dryness and irritation. Investing in a humidifier can help counteract TEWL and keep your skin hydrated and balanced.

Go-to Ingredients

No matter the season, some skincare ingredients are non-negotiable. A few of the year-round go-tos include hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, ceramides to strengthen the skin's barrier, and adaptogens to support skin resilience.

But our favorite 365-day-a-year skin support system is CBD oil for its potent antioxidant qualities, powerful influence over the endocannabinoid system, and its lightweight, moisturizing qualities, enriched with essential fatty acids.

Build Your Seasonal Skin Care Routine with Prima

Every Prima product is rooted in plant science and designed to support your skin's evolving needs, no matter the season. Here is how to build out your routine, starting with the fundamentals: cleanse, treat, and hydrate.

1. Cleanse

Start off every routine with a gentle cleanser to remove dirt, sweat, and environmental buildup. Stick with a gentle cleanser for daily use to ensure you are cleaning without stripping skin of its protective lipid barrier.

2. Treat

Choose targeted treatments like serums or oils with active ingredients (think CBD, antioxidants, or adaptogens) to address your skin's seasonal needs. 

3. Hydrate

Apply a nourishing cream or oil to lock in the ingredients and keep your skin's barrier strong.

Prima makes your three-step routine even easier by blending steps two and three into one simple solution. 

When you deeply nourish your skin with Night Magic, Skin Therapy, or Beyond Body, these formulations combine beneficial ingredients with powerful moisturizing oils for effective seasonal support.

Seasonal Skin Care Starts with Prima

The seasons change, and your skin care should too. By tuning into the rhythm of the seasons and supporting your skin's changing needs with gentle, plant-based formulas, you can keep it balanced, hydrated, and resilient all year long.

At Prima, we're here to help you meet each season with clean, science-backed products.  Explore Prima's full collection for skin that thrives in every season.