The Ultimate Summer Skincare Routine for Glowing Skin
A lighter, smarter regimen for warmer months — built around sun protection, hydration and the kind of glow that doesn't wash off in the sea.
By Camille Aubert · May 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Summer reorders a skincare routine. The thick winter creams that felt like a small luxury in January suddenly sit heavy under SPF, and the actives that behaved themselves in February begin to sting. The fix is not a new shelf of products — it is a quieter, lighter version of the one you already trust.
What follows is the summer routine our editors keep returning to: minimal layers, maximum protection, and an unfussy approach to glow.
The morning
Begin with a gentle gel or milk cleanser — anything foamy and astringent will fight you all day. Follow with an antioxidant serum (vitamin C remains the benchmark) to neutralise the oxidative stress that comes with longer, brighter days.
Replace your richer day cream with a lightweight, humectant-led moisturiser, and finish with a broad-spectrum SPF 50. This is non-negotiable.
- Cleanser: gel or milk, never stripping
- Antioxidant serum: vitamin C, 10–15%
- Lightweight moisturiser with hyaluronic acid or glycerin
- Broad-spectrum SPF 50, reapplied every two hours outdoors
On sunscreen, properly
If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: a quarter teaspoon for the face and neck is the dose at which clinical SPF claims are tested. Most of us apply a third of that. The single biggest upgrade you can make to your summer routine is generosity with sunscreen — and choosing a formula elegant enough that you'll actually reach for it. Our editors' current favourite is this featherlight broad-spectrum SPF, which layers under makeup without pilling and never leaves a white cast.
Sunscreen is the closest thing skincare has to a time machine.
Hydration, inside and out
Heat, salt water and air-conditioning are quietly dehydrating. A hyaluronic acid mist kept in the fridge, a glass of water on the bedside table, and an electrolyte sachet on long travel days will do more for your skin than any new serum. We keep this hydrating mist within arm's reach at the desk, in the beach bag, and on the flight — a two-second reset that instantly cools and plumps the skin.
The evening: after-sun, always
Even a day mostly spent indoors leaves skin warmer and thirstier than usual. Cleanse twice — once to remove SPF, once to clean the skin — then apply a calming, barrier-supporting cream. If you have caught colour, swap your retinol for a panthenol or centella serum until skin is calm again. This soothing barrier serum is the one we keep on the bedside table all summer — it takes the heat out of sun-exposed skin overnight.
Travel-friendly editing
Decant the essentials into 30 ml glass bottles. A cleanser, an antioxidant serum, a light moisturiser, an SPF and a soothing balm will see you through almost any trip. Resist the urge to bring the whole vanity.
The aim of a summer routine is not to add more — it is to remove what no longer suits the season. Strip back, protect well, and let the natural glow of well-cared-for skin do the rest.
