Published: October 15, 2025
Now that summer is well and truly over, you may have noticed that the sun-kissed glow you were sporting all season has started to fade, with dryness, discoloration, and dullness taking its place. These changes can be partly blamed on the weather – as the seasons shift from summer to fall, the skin has to suddenly deal with cooler temperatures, drier air, and a variety of other less-than-perfect conditions. At this time of the year, it will also be struggling with the aftermath of the seasonal damage it faced over the summer.
The good news? With a few tweaks to your skincare routine, you’ll be able to restore that summer-worthy glow and keep your skin looking luminescent throughout the colder months. Read on as CBGärdN shares the summer-to-fall skincare tips you need to know.
Go Easy When Cleansing
One of the biggest skin changes that occurs as summer turns to fall is a decline in sebum production. Sebaceous glands are stimulated by warmth and humidity, and as these drop, so does the amount of sebum that’s secreted by these glands. Sweat production slows down as well, meaning that, overall, there’s much less grease and grime on your skin.
As a result, the powerful cleanser that you were using in the summer months to tackle all of that extra oil and sweat will no longer be needed. Continue using it, and you could end up damaging your skin. As the weather turns cooler, your skin will need its sebum reserves to keep itself conditioned and protected. Strip away too much of this and you’ll end up with dry and damaged skin.
What should you be using instead? A gentle cleanser that hydrates and moisturizes while it cleanses, instead of drying the skin out. The CB Facial Cleanser, which contains coconut-derived cleansing agents and barrier-loving botanical extracts, would be perfect for a fall skincare routine. By all means, on the fall days that feel more like summer, stick with your summertime cleanser. However, on the days when the weather feels more autumnal, a gentler cleanser is a must.
Layer in a Hydrating Serum
It’s not just the air that turns drier in the fall – your skin does as well. This is partly due to the decline in sebum production, which we explained above. Without as much sebum coating your skin, moisture is able to evaporate away much faster. This is exacerbated by the lack of humidity in the air. The drier the air around you is, the more moisture will be pulled out of your skin.
If you want to keep your skin looking soft and dewy throughout this seasonal transition, you’ll need to give it some extra hydration to compensate for the increased moisture loss. A hydrating serum is one of the best ways to do this. Even if your summer skincare routine already contains a hydrating serum, layering in an extra one will help to give your skin cells access to the extra moisture that they’ll start to need at this time of the year.
If you’re in the market for a new hydrating serum, we have a few to choose from at CBGärdN. The CB Replenishing Serum is always a popular choice. With a blend of humectants, which are ingredients that have moisture-binding properties, it quickly draws moisture to the skin to leave it looking plumper and fuller.
The String Lift Sculpting System is also exceptionally hydrating. You’ll find six different forms of hyaluronic acid in this skincare system. It also contains other humectants, including peptides, collagen, and oat extract, all of which are perfect for a fall skincare routine.
Start Transitioning to a Richer Moisturizer
Ramping up the hydrating power of your fall skincare routine is the first step in combating the increased moisture loss that occurs at this time of the year. However, unless you also seal that moisture into your skin, it’s only going to evaporate away along with your skin’s existing moisture reserves.
This is why richer moisturizers are always recommended once temperatures start to drop. The richer your face cream, the thicker the seal it will form over your skin’s surface. The thicker that seal is, the better it will be at keeping moisture locked in.
Again, on the fall days that feel quite summery, you may want to stick with your lighter summer moisturizer. However, on cooler and drier days, go for a richer formula, such as the CB Bio-Restorative Creme. With a blend of plant oils and butters, it will keep your skin feeling quenched for hours while giving it a soft and silky finish.
Target Your Summer Skin Woes
Even if you gave your skin the very best of care over the summer months, there’s a good chance that it still experienced some environmental damage. It’s near-impossible to completely avoid this, especially when UV rays are at their strongest during the summer.
If you ignore any new skin concerns, they’ll only get worse. This is why a big part of your fall skincare routine should be aimed at targeting any visible damage that developed over the summer.
Fine lines and dark spots are particularly common post-summer skin concerns. Fortunately, there are certain ingredients out there that are great for smoothing and evening out the complexion. You’ll find several of them in our CB Göld Collection – a set that consists of three standout products. From licorice root and green tea leaf extracts to peptides, vitamin C, and grape stem cells, all of these ingredients are great for reducing the appearance of the visible skin concerns that often arise over the summer.
Keep Going With the SPF
While certain aspects of your fall skincare routine should differ from your summertime version, SPF is something that shouldn’t change. This is a mistake that many people make. Once the weather turns colder and the sun doesn’t feel quite so warm, they end up neglectful about sun protection.
Unfortunately, the sun’s UV rays are just as damaging in the fall as they are in the summer. Your skin is just as susceptible to developing the fine lines, dark spots, roughness, and skin cancer that UV rays cause. This means that SPF should be just as integral in your fall skincare routine as it is in your summer regimen.
One way to make sun protection a little easier is with an SPF moisturizer, like the CB Multi-Active Moisturizer With SPF 30. This formula can be applied in the morning, instead of your usual day cream. It will then keep your skin feeling protected for the next couple of hours. Each time you reapply the cream, not only will you be topping up your SPF, but you’ll also be giving your complexion a boost from the hydrating ingredients and antioxidants in this formula.
Exfoliate With Acids
Exfoliation is important throughout the year. It ensures that dead skin cells don’t build up on your skin and in your pores. Although your skin naturally exfoliates itself, its ability to do so declines with age. This becomes more noticeable in the fall and winter, when the dry air exacerbates the look of those flaky cells. Regularly exfoliating will keep your skin looking smooth and bright.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that your skin barrier weakens in colder weather. It’s more prone to damage, and certain exfoliants can cause just that. Physical exfoliators, like face scrubs, tend to be the harshest way to exfoliate.
To ensure that you’re exfoliating safely in the cooler months, incorporate a chemical exfoliant into your fall skincare routine. If you’re new to chemically exfoliating, start off with a gentle acid, like lactic acid. As your skin grows accustomed to being exfoliated with an acid, you could consider switching to a more powerful AHA, like glycolic acid.
Introduce a Moisturizing Face Mask to Your Weekly Routine
As we’ve mentioned, dehydration and dryness are two of the biggest skin problems that people experience in the fall and winter. Some of the tips that we’ve shared above will help you to prevent this, but an extra step to take would be to introduce a moisturizing face mask to your weekly fall skincare routine. With masks able to provide such an intense moisture boost, they don’t need to be used daily.
The CB BioLeaf Hydrating Facial & Eye Mask would be a great addition to a fall skincare routine. It’s filled with hydrating ingredients, and also feels incredibly soothing when applied to the skin. The CB BioLeaf Hydrating Neck, Chest & Hand Masks offer a similar experience, but with a formula that’s adapted for the unique needs of the skin on the neck, chest, and hands.
If you’re not a fan of sheet masks, give the CB Midnight Melting Mask a try. It’s a super-hydrating leave-on mask, meaning that you can apply it as part of your evening routine and don’t need to worry about rinsing it off after. It’s loaded with powerful antioxidants too, making it useful for tackling the appearance of summer skin damage.
Take Things Slowly
By this point, we’ve mentioned a few different ways in which you should be transitioning your skincare routine from summer to fall. While each point may be very valid, it’s important not to implement all of those tips at once! As we’ve discussed, your skin barrier will start weakening as temperatures drop. Overwhelming it with several new products all at the same time is the last thing that you should be doing.
Instead, take it slowly when making any changes to your skincare routine. Always wait a couple of weeks in between each new product that you add in, and give each product at least a few months to work before you decide to swap it with something else.
Perfecting Your Fall Skincare Routine
Seasonal transitions can be tough on your skin, which is exactly why you need to adapt your skincare routine as the seasons change. By ensuring that your routine is tailored to your skin’s evolving needs, you’ll be able to keep your complexion fresh and healthy throughout the year.
Click here to enhance your fall skincare routine with more bestselling products from CBGärdN.