Outgun the Sun: 7 Ageless Essentials for Summer Skincare

From cleansers to masks, here are seven essentials for keeping your youthful glow as bright as sunshine.

This powerhouse of antioxidant formula is tailor made for summer skincare. Green tea is packed photoprotective polyphenols shown to reduce cellular damage when applied before UV exposure. It also helps to inhibit melanin synthesis triggered by UV. Blended with nourishing kiwi fruit extract, grape extract, and honey, this refreshing gel dissolves dirt, oil, and makeup without stripping skin’s natural acid mantle. Bonus: you can use it for face, body, hair, and as a shaving gel.

Summer is the season to slough, especially if you have oily skin. Heat, humidity, outdoor activity can lead to more sweat, oil production, and surface buildup. To keep skin looking light, bright, and youthful, bump up the exfoliation factor in your summer skincare routine. These textured, mini-peel pads soaked in a glow-boosting cocktail of exfoliating acids open up blocked pores, remove surface debris, and enhance the absorption of your corrective serums. They’re also soothing and refreshing on stressed-out summer skin.

Summer sun is a catalyst for pigment production. Mandelic acid is a natural pigment-inhibitor so it can interrupt the process before it the damage shows as age spots. The gentle alpha-hydroxy acid is also a micro-exfoliator to aid in removing excess surface pigment and diminishing the appearance of fine lines. If you have adult acne, mandelic acid’s antibacterial properties will help prevent breakouts. If your skin is not already acclimated to mandelic acid, start with the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-In-1 Serum and work up to the 15%.

Vitamin C is a year-round essential, but even more so important in the summer months. Vitamin C helps prevent the accumulation of pigment that appears as age spots and fights other signs of photodamage including fine lines and wrinkles. It’s also essential to the production of collagen. The vitamin C and E combination in this firming and brightening serum has a synergistic relationship that gives an exponential boost to photoaging protection. Apply this on skin prepped with Daily Repair Pads for optimum performance.

Sunscreen is a must to ward off the damaging effects of the sun. This one is perfect for your daily activities. It’s feather light, non-comedogenic, and goes on clean without any greasy residue, so it won’t smudge your makeup. You can even mix it with a little mineral powder to make your own sheer foundation. Layer on top of Pure C+E Serum for a photoprotective boost.

This is our favorite summer moisturizer—weightless, oil-free, soothing, and ultra-hydrating. Plus, aloe has some amazing benefits beyond just being a super hero healer. Natural compounds in aloe block excess pigment production and encourage cell regeneration to help reduce dark spots on the surface. Loaded with antioxidant and skin-nourishing ingredients—whole leaf aloe, niacinamide, sea algae extract, and green tea extract, the fast-absorbing gel formula has a lightly firming effect, making it a great primer for summer skincare. And it can be refrigerated to make it extra cooling and refreshing.

When the weight of summer heat makes skin feel congested and heavy, there’s nothing like a clarifying and renewing mask to pull everything to the surface. This intensely nourishing, hydrating, and reparative mask is rich in antioxidant vitamins, marine minerals, fatty acids, and sea proteins. It detoxifies and oxygenates skin, enhances elasticity and tone, improves barrier function, and leaves skin radiantly smooth and supple.