Winter Skincare Swaps
- nüseoul
- Dec 2, 2025
- 4 min read
When winter hits London, it’s not just the temperature that drops – your skin’s moisture does too. Central heating, cold wind, long commutes and endless handwashing can turn even “normal” skin dry, tight and flaky. If you’re eczema-prone, it can feel brutal.
At nüseoul, we’re all about Korean skincare with a barrier-first approach. So here’s a practical winter skin guide, inspired by dermatologist best practice and our own clinic experience – with a couple of carefully chosen Korean skincare product suggestions along the way.
1. Fix the environment first: add humidity
You may have noticed humidifiers quietly humming in the background of Korean dramas — in offices, bedrooms, living rooms and hospitals. That’s because the air in Korea can get extremely dry, and the very first step to preventing winter skin issues is simply avoiding dry air. When the air lacks humidity, it literally pulls moisture out of your skin, worsening dryness and eczema. It’s the same reason your skin always feels happier when you’re somewhere warm and humid.
At home you can mimic this by:
Using a humidifier in your bedroom, especially at night.
Keeping windows slightly closed on very cold, windy nights to stop all the moisture escaping.
2. Be gentler with cleansing
Cleansing is essential, but it’s also one of the fastest ways to damage your skin barrier if you overdo it. Every cleanse removes not just sunscreen and make-up, but also some of your natural oils and moisture factors.
In winter, try:
Scaling back unnecessary washes
If you normally cleanse twice a day and don’t wear much product overnight, try:
Evening: proper cleanse.
Morning: a quick lukewarm water rinse or gentle wipe rather than a full foaming cleanse.
Keeping showers warm, not hot
Very hot water strips the skin’s lipids and worsens dryness.
3. Choose creamier, barrier-friendly cleansers
Foaming cleansers with strong detergents are fantastic for oily summer skin, but in winter they’re often too stripping – especially for dry and sensitive skin.
Look for cleansers that are:
Creamy, gel-cream or low-foam
Fragrance-free
Labeled as suitable for sensitive or dry skin
Our pick: Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Cleanser
It gently cleanses without stripping the skin as it's a soft, low-pH foaming cleanser made with deep sea water from Ulleungdo Island and 17 types of minerals to purify and hydrate at once. Its dense, creamy foam removes dirt, sweat, and excess oil while soothing the skin barrier with panthenol, allantoin, and betaine.
4. Always moisturise on damp skin
Moisturisers don’t magically “add” water – they mainly trap the water that’s already in your skin and help reduce transepidermal water loss.
To get the most from your moisturiser:
Cleanse or shower.
Gently pat (don’t rub) your skin so it’s still slightly damp.
Apply your moisturiser within 30 seconds.
You’ll usually find your skin feels softer and more hydrated for longer compared to applying on completely dry skin.
5. Upgrade to richer creams for winter
In winter, switch from:
Lotions / gel-creams ➜ thicker creams / balms
Look for:
Ceramides – help replenish your skin’s lipid barrier
Occlusives (e.g. petrolatum, shea butter) – lock in moisture
Humectants (e.g. glycerin, hyaluronic acid) – attract water into the upper layers
Our pick: Purito SEOUL - Luminous Ceramide Moisturizer
Ceramide-rich, designed for dry, sensitive skin
Rich and nourishing, but not greasy
Use a cream like this morning and night on damp skin, and increase how much you use on days your barrier feels particularly tight or reactive.
6. Add ointments and balms where skin is really struggling
Sometimes a moisturiser alone isn’t enough – especially over cracked areas or very dry cheeks/hands. That’s where occlusive balms and ointments come in handy.
Use 100% petrolatum (like plain petroleum jelly) or a thick balm:
Over your moisturiser
On specific areas (cheeks, corners of the mouth, around the nose, hands, ankles)
At night as a “slugging” step to help reduce water loss
If you’re acne-prone, avoid putting thick occlusives over areas that tend to break out. Instead:
Spot-treat the driest patches only
Or use a lighter “repair balm” formula on compromised areas of your barrier
7. Hydrate smartly: skin flooding & skin cycling
Skin flooding (for hydration)
This trend actually makes a lot of sense in winter. The idea is to layer hydrating products, then seal them in.
A simple version:
Cleanse, leave skin damp.
Apply a hydrating serum with humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin or panthenol.
Before it fully dries, apply your cream moisturiser over the top.
Our pick: Byoma Hydrating Serum
Ultra-lightweight, moisture-boosting serum
Tri-Ceramide Complex combined with squalane and glycerin
Trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), redness, dryness, and flakiness is minimized
Skin cycling (for actives like retinoids & acids)
Winter is not the time to attack your barrier with daily acids + strong retinoids. Skin cycling lets you still use actives, but in a more controlled, barrier-friendly way.
Example weekly pattern:
Night 1 – Retinoid night
Night 2 – Exfoliant night (e.g. a gentle AHA/BHA toner)
Night 3 – Barrier night (just hydrating serum + rich moisturiser)
Night 4 – Barrier night again, if needed
Repeat
You can adjust frequency depending on how sensitive your skin is, but the rule is: don’t layer strong actives together on the same night, especially in winter.
8. Don’t forget your lips
Your lips have no oil glands, so they dry out fast in cold, windy weather.
Good habits:
Use a simple, fragrance-free balm or ointment.
Petrolatum-based products work brilliantly to trap moisture.
Reapply throughout the day – don’t wait until your lips feel sore and cracked.
Avoid:
Flavoured or strongly fragranced lip products that make you lick your lips more.
Constantly picking at dry skin – it delays healing and can cause wounds.
If you’d like personalised advice, you’re always welcome to book a consultation at nüseoul – we can review your current products and build a winter routine that keeps your skin calm, comfortable and glowy through the cold months.
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