Winter layering: the best balms to protect the skin barrier in cold weather

The art of winter layering is not only for cashmere sweaters and oversized outerwear; but also skincare products.

In cold weather, the combination of biting winds, single-digit temperatures and low humidity weakens the skin’s protective moisture barrier, making it prone to dryness, irritation and redness. (Seeking refuge inside offers little help, as heating in homes and offices, plus hot water, is a further drain on skin hydration).

Aside from relocating to warmer climes, slathering thick and nourishing moisturisers, enveloping creams and occlusive balms on both face and body is the only way to circumvent the above. Here are some of the best, courtesy of Avène, Hermès, Omorovicza and more.

Winter layering: the best skin balms for face and body

Le Labo

Fragrance house Le Labo’s multi-purpose balm is a plant-based formula designed to comfort and soften the skin. Delicately scented with a blend of bergamot, lavender, violet, and tonka bean, the balm can be applied to dry cheeks, hands, feet and elbows. Pretty much anywhere on the face and body besides the eyes and lips, in fact. Ingredients include castor seed oil, sunflower seed wax, coconut oil and various botanical butters such as shea, mango and kokum.

Le Labo Multi-Purpose Balm, £20, lelabo.com

Avène

French skincare legacy brand Avène, which was founded in 1990 but has a history dating back to 1736, is renowned for harnessing thermal spring water for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. Case in point: it’s Cicalfate+ cream. Thick but neither cloying not greasy, it forms a protective film over the skin, working as both a moisturiser and an occlusive for ‘slugging’. Unscented and suitable for anyone and everyone, Cicalfate+ also contains sucralfate (a healing agent), alongside antibacterial zinc and copper sulfates.

Avène Cicalfate+ cream, £9.50, johnbellcroyden.co.uk

Omorovicza

Omorovicza’s skincare lineup features Hungarian thermal water at its core via a patented and mineral-rich healing concentrate. The brand’s Perfecting Lip Balm can be used as an overnight lip mask, throughout the day, or under or over lipstick to provide a slightly glossy sheen. Shea butter, ceramides, peptides and ‘hyaluronic spheres’ deeply moisturise, while eucalyptus soothes and subtly plumps.

Omorovicza Perfecting Lip Balm, £36, omorovicza.com

Deep-conditioning, nutrient-rich (and a pleasing shade of pale lilac), RéVive’s Rescue Balm Overnight Mask is a new moisture-boosting treatment designed to repair a compromised skin barrier during rest. With peptides and amino acids, the mask combats transepidermal water loss thanks to ingredients such as shea butter, aloe leaf juice and extracts of shitake and turkey tail mushrooms. It can be applied on its own or as the last step in a nighttime skincare regime, a few times a week or as needed.

RéVive’s Rescue Balm Overnight Mask, £180, reviveskincare.com

Dior

Contained in an ergonomically pleasing and compact squeezy bottle, embellished with the Dior couture logomania motif, this multifunctional balm is silky smooth and lightweight, and absorbed rapidly wherever it is applied. Don’t let this description fool you, however: it packs a punch when it comes to hydration, with shea butter, glycerin, and squalene for optimum skin nourishment.

Dior Beauty Le Baume multi-use balm, £50, selfridges.com

Hermès

‘As artisans, we are dedicated to the beauty of useful objects. Beauty contributes to this enchantment,’ said Pierre Dumas, artistic director of Hermès, when the house launched its beauty line in 2020. Naturally, the Rouge Hermès Lip Care Balm is one of the best there is. With a clear and matte texture, concentrated with beeswax and candelilla wax, the white and gold tube designed by Pierre Hardy is refillable, in keeping with the entire lip product range.

Hermès Beauty, Rouge Hermès Lip Care Balm, £62, net-a-porter.com

Olio E Osso

Olio E Osso’s brand founder Paola LaMorticella concocted the formula for its signature range of balms with one thing in mind: gentle simplicity. The result is a balm stick containing as few natural ingredients as possible, ensuring no irritation to delicate skin. Alongside the clear variation above, there are also tinted versions, providing a dewy flush of colour on cheeks and temples when required.

Olio E Osso No. 1 balm in clear, £27, niche-beauty.com

Tata Harper

All of Tata Harper's products are made on the brand's 1,200-acre organic farm in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. It suggests that this balm, in its signature green packaging, is used as a body mask for 15-20 minutes as part of a pre-bathing ritual. And, when returning home from a day in the bracing cold, what could be more enticing than slathering your skin with the moisturising butters and firming antioxidants contained in this balm, before sinking into a steaming bath?

Tata Harper Redefining Body Balm, £122, net-a-porter.com

Kjaer Weis

The Beautiful Eye Balm by Danish beauty brand Kjaer Weis, made with organic ingredients such as light yam, sweet almond oil and rosehip seed oil, can be used as a nourishing skincare product or as a primer for concealer, too. (All of the Kjaer Weis packaging was designed by Marc Atlan, who has also worked on beauty visuals and products for the likes of YSL, Prada and Comme Des Garçons).

Kjaer Weis The Beautiful Eye Balm, £67, kjaerweis.com