If you have ever been told to put your favourite “watery” moisturiser away the moment it gets cold, you are not alone. The idea that a cream with water in it can freeze on your face and damage your skin still pops up every winter, and it sounds scary enough that many women switch products just in case.
But your skin, and basic physics, tells a different story. Here, we will gently unpack what really happens when you apply a water-based cream in cold weather.
We will cover what to look for in a cream when the temperature drops, how to choose a winter cream or moisturiser for your skin type, whether a cream that contains water is safe to use when it is cold, and what the difference is between a water-based and an oil-based moisturiser.
When the temperature outside really starts to fall, and we are eagerly waiting for the first proper snow, it is worth taking a quick look at your favourite moisturiser and asking yourself whether it is still the right choice for winter.
Cold weather, especially frost and a sharp, chilly wind, can do a lot to your skin. Add to that lower humidity outside and dry air from heating indoors, and you have got a bit of a “disaster combo” for your skin.
The constant switching between cold, dry air outside and warm, dry air inside is genuinely hard work for your skin. If you do not support it properly, it will not take long before it lets you know.
This can be from dry, tight feeling, sensitivity, redness, or rough patches, very often simply because the skin is dehydrated.
How to choose the right cream or moisturiser for winter
In winter, your moisturiser really needs to:
- Contain a humectant – an ingredient that attracts water from the air or from deeper layers of the skin. On the ingredient list, look for hyaluronic acid or glycerine.
- Contain amino acids, e.g. peptides, that help hold water in the skin.
- Contain fatty acids that support, strengthen and protect the skin (including from infections). Fatty acids also help the skin stay hydrated by forming a light film on the surface that slows down water loss from within. On the label, look for ceramides or cold-pressed oils such as rosehip, grapeseed, sunflower, olive and similar.
For dry and irritated skin, ingredients like lanolin, squalane and shea butter are very helpful in winter alongside everything above.
- For sensitive skin, richer creams with an extra dose of glycerine work really well in winter – they hydrate and at the same time support the skin barrier.
- Combination skin usually benefits from a cream containing niacinamide.
- Oily skin will be grateful for a moisturiser that, in addition to hydrating, protecting and strengthening ingredients, also contains green tea extract.
Is a moisturiser (cream) that contains water safe in winter?
My answer is yes, it is. Even though I have read more than once that “when it’s freezing, every drop of water on your face turns to ice”. It does not. It cannot.
I’m not talking about extreme situations where frost forms on the face from your own moist breath.
Your body and your skin are at around 37 °C, and even in very cold weather, from what I have seen, skin temperature does not drop below about 26.5 °C.
That means the water in your moisturiser very quickly adapts to your body temperature, and it simply does not have a chance to freeze on your skin.
So if you follow a few simple rules, you can absolutely use water-based moisturisers, even lighter gels and lotions, in winter without worrying.
What about gels and lotions in winter?
If gel textures and lotions (popular moisturisers especially for oily and combination skin) are your favourites, you do not need to give them up in winter.
Ideally, they should contain:
- hyaluronic acid (for hydration),
- ceramides (to strengthen and protect the skin and reduce water loss),
- or niacinamide (for protection and barrier support),
- Plus antioxidants.
Gels and lotions contain more water than classic creams and moisturisers. That means the water in them can evaporate faster in dry air, so the time your skin stays comfortably hydrated may be shorter.
That is why it is important to check whether your gel or lotion also contains ingredients that help the skin “lock in” moisture and support the protective barrier.
If it does not, you can always add a light layer of something more nourishing on top, for example, a few drops of facial oil.
Do you really need to switch your cream in winter?
Every skin is different, and so is every lifestyle and job. Some women spend most of the day in heated offices or at home, while others are outside a lot. That is what your cream should reflect.
If you want to protect your skin from cold and frost by strengthening its natural barrier, you can swap your regular moisturiser for a richer cream or choose a more nourishing, oil-based moisturiser.
Personally, I do not usually change my moisturiser in winter in “normal” conditions. But when it is really cold, or when I know I will be outside for longer, I apply my usual moisturiser and then add a few drops of a cold-pressed oil on top (I love rosehip oil), or an oil with vitamin E.
That way, I keep the hydration and give the skin an extra protective coat.
How to tell if your moisturiser is water-based or oil-based
Water-based moisturiser
A water-based moisturiser contains humectants and emollients, and also some oil to slow down water evaporation from the skin.
If you want to limit shine and prefer a product with less oil, look for labels like “oil-free” or “water-based moisturiser”.
You will recognise a water-based product by looking at the ingredient list (INCI). Water (aqua) or a flower water / hydrosol is listed first.
The amount of water in the formula affects the texture:
- Creams – less water, richer texture.
- Lotions – more water than creams, lighter texture (often in a pump bottle).
- Gels – the highest water content, the lightest texture.
So, from richest to lightest: cream → lotion → gel.
Oil-based moisturiser
You will spot an oil-based product easily as an oil is first in the ingredient list. Common examples include jojoba, calendula, almond or apricot kernel oil.
Oil-based moisturisers usually contain, besides oils:
- ceramides,
- Centella asiatica (cica),
- lanolin, paraffin,
- and sometimes mineral oils. I personally keep an eye on these and prefer to avoid them,
- plus antioxidants.
Some antioxidants (like classic vitamin C) are usually water-soluble, so they are modified into forms that can dissolve in oil. And yes, some oil-based moisturisers can also contain a little water.
Oil-based creams have a thicker, richer consistency. They are not usually the first choice for oily skin even though some oils are actually great for it.
For example, jojoba oil helps regulate sebum production, hydrates, and does not leave a heavy, greasy film on the surface.
This type of moisturiser is often chosen by women with dry skin, or skin that’s very sensitive to cold, but in the right formula, oil-based creams can work for almost every skin type.
So which type should you choose?
The main thing to look at is the condition of your skin. If your skin is dehydrated, it’s lacking water.
Dehydrated skin often produces more sebum to compensate for the lack of water. That is why you can end up with “shiny but still tight and thirsty” skin. It behaves dry, even though it’s oily. Dehydrated skin needs hydration first of all (water and humectants).
Dry skin, not just temporarily dehydrated, is missing lipids – protective oils. The skin simply does not produce enough sebum to protect itself and minimise water loss. Dry skin needs more nourishing, oily protective ingredients.
Water-based moisturiser is suitable for every skin type, but the one that needs it most is dehydrated skin.
Oil-based moisturiser can also be suitable for all skin types, depending on which oils it contains. But it is especially helpful for very dry skin and skin with a damaged barrier (cracks, rough patches, flaking).
Oil-based creams often contain vitamin A, beta-carotene and, of course, fatty acids that have an anti-ageing effect, protect the skin, and give it a healthier glow.
You can also choose your moisturiser according to your makeup and primer. If your makeup or primer is water-based, it usually sits better on a water-based cream. If it is oil-based, it will generally behave better on an oil-based moisturiser.
In short, it often works best when your moisturiser and your makeup have the same type of base.
And finally, do not forget SPF even in winter
Even in winter, do not forget UV protection either as a separate product or as part of a moisturiser that already contains SPF. UV rays do not take a winter break, and your future self will be very grateful you remembered.
