Summer Skincare Tips & Hacks 2024

Part of keeping a good skincare routine is adapting it to the season, all year round - so in summer, skin care is still a priority! However, the hotter weather and more sunshine hours mean that we need to adapt our routine and skincare products the right way for skin that glows all year long. 

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These tips for summer skin care go for all skin types, by the way! Summer skincare essentials don’t discriminate by skin type - they each work hard to make sure your skin stays healthy and glowing, no matter the season. 

Why Do I Need to Change My Routine for Summer?

 Summer skincare tips at the beach

When you think of summer, you think of the sun, right? Being outdoors and being at the beach can take its toll on your skin, especially if you’re not taking the right steps to protect your skin. In summer, skin care routines should emphasise shielding your skin and managing how hotter weather impacts skin.

5 Best Summer Skin Care Tips

We’ve rounded up our five favourite tips for making your skin care routine summer ready. In summer, skin care that’s right for your skin while not making your skin feel clogged up with moisture and protecting your skin from the sun is crucial. Here are our best summer skin care tips for summer 2022!

1) Wear Sunscreen Daily

It’s no surprise that wearing sunscreen every single day is at the top of this list - but this simple skincare tip is so important, especially during the season when we’re most likely to be outside spending time in the sun. 

Because the UV index is also much higher during the summer than the rest of the year, it’s crucial to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, especially if you’re addressing skincare concerns such as hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone. 

A lightweight facial sunscreen is one of the best summer skin care products that you can reach for - sometimes, they double up as your moisturiser, primer, and sunscreen all in one for a protective, hydrating product that preps your skin for makeup. 

Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense SPF 30

This lightweight face sunscreen is perfect for shielding your skin all summer long. 

2) Opt for Light Gel Textures

In summer, skin care products like cream moisturisers and facial oils can easily feel way too heavy for skin - especially for oily and combination skin types. That’s where gel moisturisers and lightweight hydrators come in! Summer skin care essentials like face mists and gel formula moisturisers help deliver essential hydration to the skin without overwhelming skin with heavy textures.

And the truth is, this is one of those summer skincare hacks that isn’t just for combination and oily skin. Think about it - sunscreen, sweat, and humidity can make anyone’s skin feel like they’ve got too many layers on. Gel moisturisers can still hydrate even the thirstiest and driest of skin for a healthy, moisturised glow.

Perfect for oily and combination skin, this gel moisturiser hydrates skin without leaving it feeling heavy or greasy.

3) Boost Antioxidants

With all this extra sunlight in summer, skin care must-haves include an antioxidant serum. This is one of the more underrated summer skin care essentials, but goes a long way to making sure that your skin is healthy and luminous, all year round. An antioxidant serum is one of the best summer skincare products that you can use because they work hard to protect your skin from a molecule called a free radical.


Free radicals are pesky molecules that occur due to UV exposure. They can cause something called oxidative stress in skin cells, a process that results in the loss of collagen. By making sure that you’ve got enough antioxidants in your summer skincare routine, your skin is protected all year round and you get a boost when it comes to anti-ageing!

Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum 30ml

Shield your skin with the power of antioxidants in this serum from grown Alchemist.

4) Regularly Clay Mask

One huge difference during summer compared to winter is the fact that well, we’re a lot more sweaty. Obviously, hotter weather makes us sweat more, but can also make our oil glands produce more oil - an effect that doesn’t go unnoticed by those of us with combination, acne-prone, and oily skin.

The best summer skincare for acne-prone skin does include a clay mask - these handy mask treatments absorb excess oil, making skin look and feel less shiny. A clay mask is up there with  the best summer skin care for all skin types for this reason, plus it helps to make sure pores aren’t clogged for clear skin all summer long. 

Medik8 Natural Clay Mask

Perfect for all skin types, this clay mask from REN purifies and detoxes pores for clear, radiant skin.

5) Deep Cleanse Your Skin

Hand in hand with using a clay mask as part of your summer skin care essentials is being sure to deeply cleanse your skin. If you haven’t started double cleansing, one of the best summer skincare tips I can give you is to start now! Double cleansing works as a two-in-one makeup removal and deep (yet gentle) face washing method that sweeps away excess sebum and minimises the appearance of pores.


Making sure you get every single speck of grime off of your skin, especially in the summertime, is important for preventing blocked pores that could lead to acne. Another method of making sure that your skin is left perfectly clean at the end of every day is by using an ultrasonic cleansing brush.

SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil
Deeply cleanse skin and sweep away the day’s sebum buildup with this Pitera-rich oil cleanser from SK-II.

Best Summer Skincare Tips: Key Things to Remember

When it comes to adapting your skincare routine in summer, skin care swaps can make your skin feel much more comfortable in hot and humid weather. Picking the right lightweight textures can go a long way to making your skin feel more hydrated without clogging pores with heavy textures. 

An ultrasonic cleanser and using clay masks rank up there with some of the best summer skin care products to use to keep skin feeling fresh and clean, sweeping away excess sebum for skin that glows all summer long. Above all, among summer skin care essentials is the number one product you should be using this season: sunscreen! 

Protect your skin from premature ageing by wearing the right amount of sunscreen every day for skin that’s shielded from UV rays and free radicals. By the way, don’t forget an antioxidant serum, too - both of these have a combined boosting effect on skin for a healthy, protected glow!

Now that you know our best summer skincare tips, are you ready to get your beauty affairs in order for a great summer?

Or, if you’re still trying to create your best summer skincare routine, try our skin analysis!

Beauty Affairs Skin Analysis

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Alexis Adrienne

Alexis Adrienne

Alexis Adrienne is a passionate beauty writer with over 10 years of experience. She’s incredibly keen on all things skincare, makeup and cosmetics, with a fingertip on the pulse of the latest global beauty trends at all times.

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