Summer Skin Care Tips For Your Best Skin

Longer days and summer weather mean your skin care routine needs a seasonal refresh. With UV rays, sweat and salty air in the mix, your skin is under more stress, and your usual products might not keep up. 

Think of this as your summer skin survival guide. Hydration, sun protection and post-sun recovery are the essentials. After all, no one wants to look sun-scorched by mid-July. 

A solid summer routine isn’t just about layering on more sunscreen. This guide walks you through the simple swaps and smart habits that will keep your skin healthy, fresh and glowing all season. 

Your Summer Skin Care Gameplan: 5 Tips 

1. Chill Out With Cooling Skin Care 

Hot weather can leave your skin feeling dehydrated or looking dry and red. By choosing the right textures and applying them at lower temperatures, you can support your skin and help it feel cooler and more comfortable.

How to cool things down: 

• Refrigerate Key Products: Chilling certain skin care items can enhance application as well as their depuffing properties.
• Use Water-Light Textures: Gels, mists and essences absorb quickly and won’t trap warmth against the skin. 
• Choose Botanicals That Soothe the Skin's Appearance: Look for ingredients like birch water, hibiscus, lime and sweet clover. 

Eminence Organics Picks 

• Lime Refresh Tonique: Hydrates and balances the skin’s surface, especially refreshing when applied cold 
• Yellow Sweet Clover Anti-Redness Masque: Targets red, dry skin and and helps the complexion look calm.
• Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream: Lifts and refreshes the eye area, with added benefits when kept chilled before use. 
• Birch Water Purifying Essence: Provides clean hydration and supports skin clarity without heaviness.

Pro tip: Storing your mist, mask or eye cream in the fridge gives it an instant cooling edge and helps relieve warm skin more effectively. 

Our Eminence Organics Product Support Representatives advise: For best product longevity and freshness, store your skin care in controlled temperatures between 4–20 °C (39–68 °F) in a dry, dark place. Always keep containers tightly sealed to help prevent products from drying out over time. 

While refrigeration is optional, it can enhance the cooling experience on application. Just note that since many of our products contain oils, storing certain items like moisturizers or facial oils in the fridge may cause temporary changes in texture. This is completely normal — just something to be mindful of. 

2. Switch To Lightweight Hydration 

In hot weather, thick moisturizers can feel heavy and block pores. We recommend choosing a lightweight hydration that lets your skin breathe while still delivering the moisture it needs. 

Focus on ingredients that support hydration without oiliness: 

• Hyaluronic acid to draw water into the skin 
• Aloe vera to calm and cool irritation 
• Cucumber extract to refresh and reduce puffiness 

These summer-friendly ingredients keep your skin feeling light, soft and balanced, even on the hottest days. 

Try this: 

• Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Hydrator uses botanical hyaluronic acid to deeply moisturize without heaviness. Store it in the fridge for a cooling, plumping effect. 
• Stone Crop Gel Wash is a gentle gel cleanser that hydrates and balances with stone crop and chamomile. It’s great for morning or post-sun cleansing and is especially refreshing when chilled. 
• Stone Crop Hydrating Mist provides you with a refreshing mist that tones and hydrates — perfect for keeping in your fridge or bag for an all-day cooling spritz. 

3. Prepare Your Skin Before A Beach Trip 

A day at the beach sounds relaxing, but for your skin, it can be a full-on assault. That’s why your summer skin care routine should begin before you even hit the sand. Without the right prep, you might end up dealing with uneven tanning, post-sun tightness, or a breakout triggered by sunscreen and sweat buildup. 

Here’s how to prepare your skin for a beach trip: 

Moisturize Generously 

A lightweight, water-binding moisturizer or hydrating mask will help your skin retain moisture when exposed to sun and salt. Hydrated skin also tans more evenly and is less prone to peeling. 

Avoid Sensitizing Products 

Hold off on retinol, strong acids or harsh treatments at least 24 hours before sun exposure. These ingredients can increase your risk of sunburn or irritation. Eminence Organics products only contain natural retinol alternatives rather than conventional retinol, which allows you to use them every day without the need to let the skin rest, recover or heal. For example, the Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Serum is great for hydrating on recovery days as it contains a deeply replenishing Botanical Hyaluronic Acid Complex. 

Don’t Skip Your Lips & Eyes 

These are often-forgotten zones. Use an SPF lip balm and wear polarized sunglasses to prevent squint lines and sun damage. 

Pack Your Skin Care Beach Bag 

Include reef-friendly sunscreen, a mineral SPF for the face, a hydrating mist and a wide-brimmed hat. Also, toss your mist in a cooler bag for on-the-go cooling skin care.

Eminence Organics Picks 

• Pineapple Refining Tonique: This enzyme-based formula smooths the look of your skin texture by gently exfoliating the skin, making it ideal the night before beach exposure. For a cooling effect, chill the bottle before use to help reduce heat and surface buildup. 
• Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream: You’ll love this fast-absorbing eye cream that visibly lifts and firms the eye area while reducing puffiness and fine lines. Storing it in the fridge makes it even more effective at de-puffing tired eyes in the morning. 
• Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Body Lotion: This hydrating body lotion softens and smooths the skin without feeling greasy, perfect for pre-beach moisture. For a refreshing twist, apply it straight from the fridge to help calm the look of the skin across your body.

4. Refresh & Recover After The Beach 

Even with the best prep and SPF, a day at the beach can leave your skin feeling parched, flushed or unbalanced. Sun exposure, saltwater, chlorine, wind and sand all strip moisture and compromise the skin barrier. You might notice tightness, redness or a dull dehydrated look by the time you get home. On top of that, sunscreen buildup combined with sweat can lead to breakouts, especially in oil-prone areas like the forehead. 

According to Dr. Hooman Khorasani, a quadruple board-certified, fellowship-trained cosmetic and skin cancer surgeon, during intense summer months, a combination of increased sweating and the occlusive nature of continuous sunscreen use may cause breakouts. 

“What has helped me, and what I advise for my patients, is to incorporate gentle physical exfoliation into their skin care routine,” says Dr. Khorasani. 

“One example would be using an electric facial cleansing brush, which effectively removes this buildup of debris and dead skin cells that can otherwise lead to inflammatory acne. Just remember to follow with appropriate sun protection, as newly exfoliated skin requires vigilant UV defense.” 

It seems that after long sun exposure, especially when layered with sweat and SPF, gentle exfoliation can help prevent clogged pores and post-beach breakouts. Just be sure to follow with hydration and sun protection. 

That’s where a post-beach routine comes in. Prioritizing recovery helps calm inflammation, replenish hydration and prevent long-term damage like sunspots or flaking.

Here’s how to reset your skin after the beach: 

• Rinse Everything Off: Use a gentle cleanser to remove sweat, sunscreen, salt and sand without stripping natural oils. 
• Soothe: Apply a calming mask with ingredients like arnica, aloe or chamomile to improve the look of red, dry skin. 
• Rehydrate: Follow up with a hydrating serum or mist to restore moisture and balance. 
• Look for Antioxidants: Use products rich in vitamin C or leafy green extracts to help repair UV-induced stress and support recovery. 
• Moisturize Your Body: After rinsing off salt or chlorine, apply a body lotion to restore hydration and comfort without leaving a heavy finish. 

Eminence Organics Picks 

• Citrus & Kale Potent C+E Masque: Rich in antioxidants, this mask improves the look of fine lines and wrinkles caused by sun exposure. Store it in the fridge for a refreshing boost.
• Stone Crop Masque: A hydrating, cooling mask that helps reduce the look of redness and calm the appearance of irritation especially when it’s been stored in the fridge. 
• Citrus & Kale Potent C+E Serum: Brightens and supports the look of the skin with potent vitamin C and leafy greens. 

5. Don’t Forget Your Sun Protection Routine 

No summer skin care plan is complete without daily SPF. UV exposure doesn’t just happen on sunny days. It reaches your skin through clouds, windows and reflected light. Without sun protection, you’re more vulnerable to sunburn, dark spots and long-term damage. 

To stay protected: 

• Use a Broad-Spectrum SPF 30 or Higher: Apply every morning to face, neck and any exposed areas. 
• Reapply Regularly: Every two hours, or more often if swimming or sweating. 
• Layer Under Makeup or Choose Tinted SPF: Find a formula that fits seamlessly into your routine. 
• Cover Easy-To-Miss spots: Don’t forget your ears, hairline, lips and hands. 

Eminence Organics Picks

• Lilikoi Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 40: Offers lightweight hydration and full-spectrum protection in one step. 
• Sun Defense Minerals SPF 30: A sheer mineral powder that makes reapplication simple throughout the day. 

Pro tip: Keep a travel-size powder SPF and a lip balm with sun protection in your bag or car so you're always covered, even on the go. 

Do you have a go-to Eminence Organics summer skin care routine? Choose your favorite products from our summer skin care selections and tell us all about it in the comments below.