Does wind-chapped skin and frigid temperature-triggered flakiness have you frantically searching for the best moisturizer for winter? Well, truly protecting your skin from the season’s harshest elements isn’t about simply slathering on a heavy-duty moisturizer and calling it a day.
Of course, having a rich, occlusive cream on deck is essential. However, to safeguard your skin barrier from icy air and the equally dehydrating dryness of indoor heating, you need a comprehensive, multi-layered winter skincare routine designed to minimize moisture loss and maximize resilience.
Think of your winter routine not as a simple swap of products, but as building an invisible, protective shield around your face. The base of this shield is gentle, hydrating cleansers, followed by a milky, hydrating essence and a nourishing retinol serum. Then, you can use as much moisturizer as your skin desires, and we have just the recommendation for you.
Keep scrolling to find a detailed, step-by-step guide to building a protective winter skincare routine, complete with products that will equip your face (and hands) for whatever winter throws your way.
1. Oil-Based Cleanser
Kick off your nighttime winter face wash routine with an oil-based cleanser, like Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil. This product goes above and beyond, effectively removing makeup and sunscreen while adding moisture, softening skin, and balancing sebum production with its nourishing blend of oils.
Clinical studies back its efficacy, showing that the Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil can completely cleanse pores and reduce impurities, such as blackheads, by 66.489% with just one use. It has also proven safe for those with sensitive and acne-prone skin types.
To maximize the benefits of the Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil, start by massaging a pump of it onto dry skin for 30 seconds to one minute. Next, add a bit of water to your hands and continue massaging your face until the cleansing oil turns a milky white color. This indicates that the oil is fully emulsified, and your skin has been thoroughly cleansed. Then, rinse off your face with lukewarm water.
2. Water-Based Cleanser
Before drying off your face, reach for a water-based cleanser to remove any remaining makeup, debris, and buildup on your skin. (In the morning, you can skip the oil cleanser and go straight to this step.) Apply a small amount to your skin and work it in until you achieve a nice lather. We highly recommend the Haruharu Wonder Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel for this step. It’s the best face wash for winter because it gently exfoliates away any flakiness, rough patches, or dryness that you may be dealing with. Its mild combination of acids smooths skin, boosts firmness, and evens out tone, leaving your complexion brighter and fresher after rinsing. Best of all, the Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel leaves your face feeling hydrated and supple, never tight or stripped of moisture.
3. Barrier-Strengthening Essence
During the winter, your skin barrier, which keeps moisture in and irritants out, requires extra support to function properly. It can become seriously compromised by freezing temperatures, low humidity, and, again, the dry heat of warm indoor air — all of which contribute to increased moisture loss and dehydrated skin.
Allow Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence to assist your skin barrier in operating at its highest, healthiest level throughout the winter months. After cleansing, this ultra-milky fluid offers the lightweight feel of a lotion, while giving skin a crucial extra layer of hydration. Its powerful formula is infused with probiotics, including galactomyces ferment filtrate, which moisturizes, soothes, and improves skin elasticity. It also includes bifida ferment filtrate to help gently break down dead skin cells, resulting in smoother, more even-toned skin.
The Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence also replenishes the vital nutrients that winter air strips away from your skin, such as ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. These ingredients help maintain moisture balance, making your complexion bouncier and more hydrated.
4. Retinol
For one to two nights a week, consider applying a retinol serum to boost cell turnover and reduce dullness, breakouts, and dry patches. The Haruharu wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum is an excellent option because it pairs potent active ingredients — retinol and bakuchiol — with deeply soothing and moisturizing support in the form of ceramides. This ingredient also helps maintain a healthy skin barrier.
5. Moisturizer
Now you’re finally ready for your moisturizer step. In our book, the best moisturizer for winter is none other than our Black Rice 5 Ceramide Barrier Moisturizing Cream. This super-rich, luxuriously buttery formula keeps skin hydrated all day long with deeply moisturizing ceramide capsules that burst as you massage the cream into your skin. Not to get too technical, but this moisturizer contains a unique one-percent concentration of ceramides, which is higher than what’s typically found in other creams on the market.
It also features soothing allantoin, healing vitamin E, and brightening upcycled rice jigemi extract, providing a well-rounded lineup of benefits for a fortified skin barrier. The Black Rice 5 Ceramide Barrier Moisturizing Cream has even been proven to improve skin barrier function by 23.597% after two weeks of use and moisture by 37.129%. In other words, it’s truly the best face moisturizer for winter.
6. Hand Cream
Your face isn’t the only skin exposed to winter’s wrath. Your hands are also at risk of becoming dry, chapped, irritated, and even painfully cracked. They deserve just as much attention and intensive care as your face. Treat them to Haruharu wonder’s Black Bamboo Nourishing Calming Hand & Nail Cream, and get ready to have everyone complimenting you on how incredibly soft your hands are.
You can thank the silky, creamy combination of murumuru butter, black bamboo leaf extract, bamboo water, and fermented bamboo shoot extract for that. They work together to intensely moisturize your hands, instantly relieve dryness, and create a protective barrier for long-lasting hydration, without adding a sticky, greasy, or oily film to them. You can immediately get back to your tasks without the uncomfortable sensation of slick hands.
By following these steps consistently, you can ensure that your face and hands remain protected and moisturized throughout the harsh winter months. Consider them winterproofed.
The Ultimate Protective Winter Skincare Routine
Does wind-chapped skin and frigid temperature-triggered flakiness have you frantically searching for the best moisturizer for winter? Well, truly protecting your skin from the season’s harshest elements isn’t about simply slathering on a heavy-duty moisturizer and calling it a day.
Of course, having a rich, occlusive cream on deck is essential. However, to safeguard your skin barrier from icy air and the equally dehydrating dryness of indoor heating, you need a comprehensive, multi-layered winter skincare routine designed to minimize moisture loss and maximize resilience.
Think of your winter routine not as a simple swap of products, but as building an invisible, protective shield around your face. The base of this shield is gentle, hydrating cleansers, followed by a milky, hydrating essence and a nourishing retinol serum. Then, you can use as much moisturizer as your skin desires, and we have just the recommendation for you.
Keep scrolling to find a detailed, step-by-step guide to building a protective winter skincare routine, complete with products that will equip your face (and hands) for whatever winter throws your way.
1. Oil-Based Cleanser
Kick off your nighttime winter face wash routine with an oil-based cleanser, like Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil. This product goes above and beyond, effectively removing makeup and sunscreen while adding moisture, softening skin, and balancing sebum production with its nourishing blend of oils.
Clinical studies back its efficacy, showing that the Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil can completely cleanse pores and reduce impurities, such as blackheads, by 66.489% with just one use. It has also proven safe for those with sensitive and acne-prone skin types.
To maximize the benefits of the Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil, start by massaging a pump of it onto dry skin for 30 seconds to one minute. Next, add a bit of water to your hands and continue massaging your face until the cleansing oil turns a milky white color. This indicates that the oil is fully emulsified, and your skin has been thoroughly cleansed. Then, rinse off your face with lukewarm water.
2. Water-Based Cleanser
Before drying off your face, reach for a water-based cleanser to remove any remaining makeup, debris, and buildup on your skin. (In the morning, you can skip the oil cleanser and go straight to this step.) Apply a small amount to your skin and work it in until you achieve a nice lather. We highly recommend the Haruharu Wonder Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel for this step. It’s the best face wash for winter because it gently exfoliates away any flakiness, rough patches, or dryness that you may be dealing with. Its mild combination of acids smooths skin, boosts firmness, and evens out tone, leaving your complexion brighter and fresher after rinsing. Best of all, the Triple AHA Gentle Cleansing Gel leaves your face feeling hydrated and supple, never tight or stripped of moisture.
3. Barrier-Strengthening Essence
During the winter, your skin barrier, which keeps moisture in and irritants out, requires extra support to function properly. It can become seriously compromised by freezing temperatures, low humidity, and, again, the dry heat of warm indoor air — all of which contribute to increased moisture loss and dehydrated skin.
Allow Haruharu wonder’s Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence to assist your skin barrier in operating at its highest, healthiest level throughout the winter months. After cleansing, this ultra-milky fluid offers the lightweight feel of a lotion, while giving skin a crucial extra layer of hydration. Its powerful formula is infused with probiotics, including galactomyces ferment filtrate, which moisturizes, soothes, and improves skin elasticity. It also includes bifida ferment filtrate to help gently break down dead skin cells, resulting in smoother, more even-toned skin.
The Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence also replenishes the vital nutrients that winter air strips away from your skin, such as ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. These ingredients help maintain moisture balance, making your complexion bouncier and more hydrated.
4. Retinol
For one to two nights a week, consider applying a retinol serum to boost cell turnover and reduce dullness, breakouts, and dry patches. The Haruharu wonder Black Rice Night Knight Retinol Serum is an excellent option because it pairs potent active ingredients — retinol and bakuchiol — with deeply soothing and moisturizing support in the form of ceramides. This ingredient also helps maintain a healthy skin barrier.
5. Moisturizer
Now you’re finally ready for your moisturizer step. In our book, the best moisturizer for winter is none other than our Black Rice 5 Ceramide Barrier Moisturizing Cream. This super-rich, luxuriously buttery formula keeps skin hydrated all day long with deeply moisturizing ceramide capsules that burst as you massage the cream into your skin. Not to get too technical, but this moisturizer contains a unique one-percent concentration of ceramides, which is higher than what’s typically found in other creams on the market.
It also features soothing allantoin, healing vitamin E, and brightening upcycled rice jigemi extract, providing a well-rounded lineup of benefits for a fortified skin barrier. The Black Rice 5 Ceramide Barrier Moisturizing Cream has even been proven to improve skin barrier function by 23.597% after two weeks of use and moisture by 37.129%. In other words, it’s truly the best face moisturizer for winter.
6. Hand Cream
Your face isn’t the only skin exposed to winter’s wrath. Your hands are also at risk of becoming dry, chapped, irritated, and even painfully cracked. They deserve just as much attention and intensive care as your face. Treat them to Haruharu wonder’s Black Bamboo Nourishing Calming Hand & Nail Cream, and get ready to have everyone complimenting you on how incredibly soft your hands are.
You can thank the silky, creamy combination of murumuru butter, black bamboo leaf extract, bamboo water, and fermented bamboo shoot extract for that. They work together to intensely moisturize your hands, instantly relieve dryness, and create a protective barrier for long-lasting hydration, without adding a sticky, greasy, or oily film to them. You can immediately get back to your tasks without the uncomfortable sensation of slick hands.
By following these steps consistently, you can ensure that your face and hands remain protected and moisturized throughout the harsh winter months. Consider them winterproofed.