3 Essential ingredients to include in your summer skincare routine

Contrary to general beliefs, sunscreens (SPF) is not the only thing you need to protect and maintain healthy skin during hot and sunny days.
SPF contributes a lot in protecting our skin from direct contact with the harsh UV rays but, there are other essential ingredients needed in our routine to keep your skin very healthy in the summer. I will introduce the 3 summer skincare necessities, while also highlighting their roles in protecting our skin, so you can better understand why those ingredients are essential in your summer routine!

Essential 1: Vitamin C..your skin’s number one fan
I can’t stress this enough but vitamin C was made for balancing our skin tone (amongst other great properties). Being the antioxidant that it is, vitamin C obstructs melanin production (i.e tyrosinase enzymes) which helps protect the skin against hyperpigmentation. In addition to that is its slow-aging component that supports the skin in producing collagen and further reduces the pace at which our skin ages. This works perfectly in the summer since the UV rays cause hyperpigmentation and increase the rate at which our skin ages.
A few Vitamin C products I highly recommend in your summer routine are Tiam’s ‘Vita Refre-C Toner‘ & Purito’s ‘Pure Vitamin C serum‘. Tiam’s product contains ascorbic acid, which is a form of vitamin C that gets the job done when it comes to balancing the skin tone and tightening pores to boost the creation of collagen, this toner also contains Vitamin E, which is another nutrient that will serve your skin right. On the other hand, Purito’s Pure Vitamin C Serum contains 5% ascorbic acid and can be used for your daily vitamin nourishment.

Essential 2: Hyaluronic acid is there to keep you moist!
Hyaluronic acid is another ingredient I will highly recommend for your summer skincare routine. The best thing about this ingredient is the fact that it is water-based and not oil-based, making it suitable for all skin types. Hyaluronic acid helps hydrate and retain moisture in the skin during summer, thereby preventing dryness while maintaining an elastic skin texture. I am assuming the next concern would be not wanting to sweat on the face due to too much moisture, but that is something that should not be of concern since Hyaluronic acid is water-based, therefore those with oily skin type can use this ingredient without worrying about a sweaty face. A few products that best fit this category during the summer are COSRX’s ‘Hydrium Watery Toner and Benton’s ‘Cacao Moist and Mild Toner‘. One of the above toners should be sufficient enough to serve as a daily source of moisture & hydration for your face since they both contain enough quantity of hyaluronic acid.

Essential 3: Say hello to Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
Niacinamide is another powerhouse ingredient that will work in your favor during the summer period. Amongst other great qualities, it brightens up the dark spots caused by hyperpigmentation and then forms a protective barrier for the skin which helps retaining moisture. This ingredient is also anti-inflammatory, which helps in soothing the skin from harsh external pollutants. A few products I’ll like to recommend are the ‘Yuja Niacin 30 Days Miracle Brightening Sleeping Mask’ from Some By Mi. This is a product that can be used at night to replenish the nutrients and barrier protection lost during the day. Another good product is the ‘Glow Serum: Propolis + Niacinamide’ by Beauty of Joseon and can be applied both morning or night, this serum does a good job at providing the skin with the necessary amount of niacinamide.

To quickly recap, the essential ingredients which are vitamin C, Hyaluronic acid, and Niacinamide, are nutrients that will not only protect your skin in the summer but also hydrate, retain nutrients and enhance the skin. These ingredients should always be used together with suncream because above all other essentials, suncream comes first in the summer.