Ultimate Monsoon Skincare Routine For All Skin Types

The key here is to remember that despite the humidity doing its thing, you have to hydrate your skin. That is because, contrary to popular belief, dry skin can act up even during the humid season, especially if you’re using too many exfoliants or over-cleansing. The only difference would be to pick products that provide hydration without the heaviness. So your routine would include products that deeply hydrates, strengthens the skin barrier and keeps the falkiness and dullness at bay without being too greasy or thick.

This dermatologist-trusted cleanser is ideal for dry or sensitive skin and has a pH of 5.5. The foam is too gentle and doesn’t strip the skin of its natural oils. Infused with ontaline C40 and panthenol it deep cleans your skin and claims to remove blackheads and whiteheads with regular use. It’s mild with a soap-free recipe, so it doesn’t irritate or over-cleanse and is good to use even if you’re dealing with a compromised skin barrier or are using actives like retinol.

User Rating: 4.5/5

We love the LANEIGE Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cleansing Foam and this toner is no exception. It hydrates like a lightweight essence. It’s packed with micro-sized hyaluronic acid that steeps in quickly and deeply moisturises your skin. It provides an instant plump and smells luxe while hydrating your skin and strengthening your skin barrier. Since it doesn’t pill, you can layer it perfectly with the rest of your skincare products. Most users have found this product to be a game changer despite being a little bit of a pricey end.

User Rating: 4.5/5

Building up on our key to using hydrating products that are lightweight, this Innisfree Green Tea Hyaluronic Acid Seed Serum is perfect for monsoon layering. Packed with beauty green tea, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and niacinamide, the serum aces in providing extreme hydration without clogging your pores. It gets easily absorbed into the skin without feeling greasy. We love how green tea’s antioxidant properties help fight dullness and protect against environmental damage too.

User Rating: 4.5/5

We’re sure you already know about the beauty and properties of this one and if not, then we hope you come out of the rock you’re living under. An absolute cult-fave moisturiser, this has a gel-cream texture. Key ingredients like aloe bio-ferment and activated aloe water keep your skin hydrated for hours and give your skin a subtle glow and a dewy-but-not-oily finish. What’s more? The blend of Vitamin C and E helps to provide antioxidant protection against daily dehydrators. 

User Rating: 4.5/5

Dr. Sheth’s products are loved by the LBB crew as they focus on creating dermatologist-formulated skincare products specifically for Indian skin. Most of their products are packed with the power of nature and science like this Haldi & Hyaluronic Acid Sunscreen. Haldi acts as an anti-inflammatory ingredient here while hyaluronic acid aids in providing hydration and plumping the skin. It’s SPA 50 PA++++, fragrance-free, and sits beautifully under makeup without pilling.

User Rating: 4.4/5

Pro-Tip: Dr. Sheths Sunscreen Review: We Tried All The Variants & Here's Our Verdict

Monsoon is an absolute nightmare for oily skin folks and we know that. It’s the peak breakout season with sweat, humidity, and pollution clogging our pores and triggering inflammation. What’s even worse is how mindful one has to be in picking products as they need to be gentle, balancing, and non-comedogenic. The following oily skin routine in monsoon focuses on just that while also ensuring breakouts are calmed, oil production is controlled and the skin barrier is strengthened without drying it.

Start with this K-beauty classic that is great for oily skin. I have been using it for over 2 years now and cannot stop recommending it to others. The cleanser is packed with salicylic acid that gently exfoliates the skin, helps unclog pores, and prevents acne. The best part is that despite being an acid-based cleanser it doesn’t dry you out. You can use it once or twice daily depending on how sensitive your skin is and regular use can prevent whiteheads too.

User Rating: 4.5/5

This toner is a multitasking wonder and no one can deny that. With ingredients like niacinamide, rice water, and oat extract, it controls oil, brightens skin, and soothes inflammation. The consistency is watery but hydrating enough to layer more products that gets absorbed easily into the skin. It can help calm acne redness and refine pores without feeling too sticky (sign us up).

User Rating: 4.4/5

One look at my skincare shelf and you would think it’s Foxtale’s storage unit. Obsessed with this brand and its formulas to create skincare for Indian skin, I have tried all their products, and my favourite is this 5% Niacinamide Serum that has a satin-matte finish. The texture is like any other serum but is lightweight and not greasy at all. It quickly absorbs into the skin too! If you hate sticky serums or heavy layering, this one’s perfect. The formula is fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, so you know it’s safe and appropriate for monsoons.

User Rating: 4.3/5

This one is an OG gel moisturiser that is perfect for the monsoon. It contains hyaluronic acid boosted with electrolytes that provide just the right amount of hydration without adding any extra shine. Expect plumpy, non-greasy, and hydrated skin. Gently formulated to be used every day, it is dermatologist-tested, allergy-tested, and non-comedogenic. The texture is ultra-light and gives your skin a soft matte look without compromising on moisture.

User Review: 4.5/5

While there are many sunscreens that claim to be apt for oily skin folks, we have found not all of them to be right. Wishcare’s Niacinamide Oil Balance Fluid Sunscreen has SPF 50 PA++++ with niacinamide, and zinc. It has an extra light fluid texture that settles into a matte finish. With a water-based formula, it controls oil for hours even if you’re sweating or stepping out. Users have claimed that it has no white cast and blends very easily.

User Review: 4.4/5

Combination skin in the monsoon is no joke. It’s the toughest guessing game one can play trying to analyse what your skin needs. One part of your face could be drowning in oil (usually the T-zone) and the other part could be flaky or normal or one part could be hyper dry while the rest…you know the drill. Add to that sweating, humidity, and occasional breakout and it turns out to be a recipe for disaster. That’s why having a set skincare routine where everything is balanced — hydration without grease and balancing oil production — is extremely essential. 

Pro-tip: Dermatologist Shares Effective Skincare Routine For Combination Skin

Your search for a combination skin-friendly face cleanser can end with this one. This facewash blends alpha arbutin, niacinamide, and kojic acid to give you radiant and clear skin. It claims to reduce dark spots and pigmentation as well, but what we love is how users have said they have seen visible differences in 3 to 6 weeks of regular use. It’s gentle with a non-greasy and non-drying formula and can be used every day. 

User Rating: 4.3/5

This K-beauty toner does exactly what it says — adds a burst of hydration making your skin supple and prepping it for following layers. It contains phyto-oligo that thoroughly moisturises the skin and wheat amino acids help reduce inflammation. We love how quick absorbent this product is and how it balances skin pH levels. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free and a little expensive but worth every penny.

User Rating: 4.5/5

With the amount of bottles I have emptied of this one, I can actually declare it as one of the best serums out there. It has 1.5% hyaluronic acid that provides intense hydration without being sticky or greasy. The consistency is very watery-gel and the lightweight formula works really well on humid days. It helps plump skin, smooth texture, and boosts skin elasticity. 

User Rating: 4.4/5

If it’s CeraVe, we just know it's good. This gel-cream helps to rebalance skin moisture by leaving it neither too dry nor oily. Specifically designed for combination skin folks, it’s packed with three essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and oil-absorbing technology. We love how all CeraVe products are non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and super gentle on the skin. 

User Rating: 4.4/5

Pro-Tip: 8 Moisturisers For Combination Skin That Won't Make Your Skin Greasy

For combination skin folks, it’s never that simple to pick a sunscreen as it hugely depends on what your skin needs daily. However, we have found one sunscreen that appears to work equally well on days when your skin needs hydration as it does when your skin may be too oily. Aqualogica Radiance+ Dewy Lightweight Sunscreen is water-based and has SPF 50+ PA+++. There’s watermelon, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid in it that hydrate your skin deeply. Users also love that it’s lightweight and non-sticky.

User Rating: 4.4/5

Sensitive skin folks have some rough days during monsoon. Imagine experiencing sudden redness, inflammation, or itchy patches because the weather Gods decided they want to bless with humidity and constant shifts in temperature. If you’ve sensitive skin, we already feel sorry for the hell and back route you’ve to take to find the right products for you. But to make things simpler for you, we have found the perfect routine. The goal here is to calm, soothe, and strengthen your skin barrier. 

UK’s No. 1 skincare brand came to India and, boy, was it loved. Simple face wash has a fan following that even our Instagram algorithm agrees with and for all good reasons. Formulated especially to be ‘kind’ to sensitive skin, it’s made with zero perfume, colour, or harsh chemicals. With ingredients like pro-vitamin B, vitamin E, and triple purified water, it hydrates, soothes, and cleanses skin without disturbing its pH. 

User Rating: 4.5/5

We love Beauty of Joseon’s sunscreen and have been eying this toner, aka essence water too. It has 80% ginseng root water and berry extracts that not only hydrate the skin but also have antioxidant properties. Users have found it to be very light on the skin and praised how quickly it gets absorbed. It also has niacinamide to control sebum secretion and oil production. 

User Rating: 4.5/5

Hyphen is one celebrity brand that we can get behind despite it having its fair share of hits and misses. This 10% Power Peptide Cocktail Serum is one-of-a-kind with a potent 2% copper peptide. It’s known to hydrate and plump skin (which your skin will need in this weather) while also increasing collagen production. Lightweight, fragrance-free, and non-sticky — ideal for the monsoons.

User Rating: 4.2/5

I don’t know about you, but I got to know about d’you after Alia Bhatt couldn’t stop praising it. And it looks like she had a good reason to do it. Once viral, this In My Defence moisturiser is thick enough to protect your skin yet light enough to be non-sticky. The best part is that it contains 20x more ceramides to reinforce your skin barrier and repair any damage over-cleansing or environmental aggressors may have caused. Although this one's a bit expensive, the brand claims that you don’t need to use anything else in your skincare other than this. 

User Rating: 4.4/5

As the name suggests this wonder tune from Re’equil has no harsh, drama-causing filters like oxybenzone or octinoxate, so your skin won’t get irritated. It’s super lightweight, non-greasy, and leaves zero white cast — all properties of a good sunscreen. The formula does include physical and chemical filters but these are known to be less irritating.

User Rating: 4.4/5

Pro-Tip: Chemical Or Physical Sunscreen: All You Need To Know And Products To Shop