Budget-Friendly Serums for Winter in India
- Kavya Goswami
- Jan 27
- 5 min read
We all love the winter season, the cosy outfits, hot cocoa, and all the good food. But winter temperature drop and dry air can be a bit stressful for skin, making your skin flaky and rough. It happens due to moisture-loss in the environment.
It's time to break the winter dry skin cycle with skincare products that contain actives that are much needed by your skin in this dry season. Tune in to find out what the top skincare ingredients are needed by your skin and products that you can buy in India, that also fits under your budget.
How Winter Affects Your Skin?
Let's break down what winter actually does to your skin:
Moisture Evaporation
The air in winter is naturally drier. Cold air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air. When you step outside, the dry air triggers a process called Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). TEWL means when water evaporates off your skin into the atmosphere, which results in loss of skin's elasticity and makes it tight and itchy
Barrier Breakdown
Your skin has a natural protective layer called the acid mantle or lipid barrier, made of oils (sebum) and fats. In winter, low temperatures cause your blood vessels to constrict (vasoconstriction) to keep your core warm. This reduces blood flow to the skin, meaning fewer nutrients and less oil production. It leads your skin to develop microscopic cracks. This makes it easier for irritants to get in and for hydration to get out.
Skin Appearance
Skin starts to appear red and flaky because we constantly change in the surrounding environment from cold outside to indoor heating, which causes capillaries to expand and contract rapidly.
Slowed Cell Turnover
Your skin usually regenerates itself every 28 days or so. However, in winter, the lack of moisture slows down this process, leading to a slower shedding cell cycle and hence dead cells pile up of surface and make your skin look duller.
Why Skincare Routine Should be Different in the Winter Season?
Adapting your skincare for winter isn't just about "pampering," it's a tactical shift to manage a completely different biological environment. If you use the same routine in July and January, you're essentially wearing a t-shirt in a snowstorm; your skin isn't equipped for the change.
In winter, your skin's natural lipid production slows down; hence, our goal is to give our body the oils it's failing to produce on its own.
What's the main task to do in winter?
Shift from lightweight, water-based lotions to emollients and occlusives (like ceramides and fatty acids) that physically 'plug' the gaps in your skin barrier to prevent moisture from escaping.
If the damage is already done, and your skin does appear red and flaky, then what you need to target is the inflammation which you can do by prioritizing soothing skincare actives like centella asiatica, green tea, colloidal oatmeal, and panthenol in your winter skincare routine.
Do you know that even dry winter skin can lead to more acne?
This is called 'rebound' breakouts, which happen when your skin is dehydrated; it can overcompensate by producing 'low-quality' thick sebum. This sebum combines with the buildup of dead skin cells and collects within your pores, which becomes a perfect breeding ground for breakouts.
To break this cycle, what you need is a routine with gentle chemical exfoliants like PHAs, Lactic Acid, and Mandelic Acid that helps clear that winter debris without the irritation of a physical scrub.
Targeted Skincare Ingredients for Winter Season
Top Skincare ingredients for winter skincare routine:
Humectants
Glycerin
Panthenol
Occlusives and Emollients
Ceramides
Squalane
Shea Butter
Anti-Inflammatories
Colloidal Oatmeal
Niacinamide
Centella Asiatica
Green Tea
Rice Water
Hyaluronic Acid Paradox
You must be thinking, why haven't I added Hyaluronic Acid in the Humectants section of the ingredient list. That's because our environment is already dry during winter, because of which our skin loses its water content. In this case, what Hyaluronic Acid does is it starts to pull our water from the deeper layers of your skin, and hence leaves it even drier.
Check out our full winter skincare guide to discover all these winter essential skincare actives in our budget-friendly serums guide.
Top Budget-Friendly Serums for Winter Skincare in India
Every skincare product that you can add to your winter skincare wishlist:
Deconstruct Clearing Serum is a good serum for combination skin if you want to treat any form of hyperpigmentation in skin. It has appropriate concentration of Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) and Aplha Arbutin in it.
Skincare Actives:
Niacinamide
Alpha Arbutin
Dictyopteris Membranance
Glycerin
Minimalist 10% Vitamin C Face Serum contains tyrosinase-inhibiting skincare actives for treating hyperpigmentation including:
Skincare Actives:
Centella Asiatica
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Gluconolactone
Glycerin
Acetyl Glucosamine
Sodium Hyaluronate
The Derma Co 5% Niacinamide Serum contains tyrosinase-inhibiting skincare actives for treating hyperpigmentation including:
Skincare Actives:
Niacinamide
Alpha Arbutin
Zinc PCA
Betaine
Conscious Chemist Pigmentation Corrector Serum contains tyrosinase-inhibiting skincare actives for treating hyperpigmentation including:
Skincare Actives:
Niacinamide
Tranexamic Acid
Alpha Arbutin
Apart from these 3 there are a few more good ingredients but at less that 1% including, Zinc PCA, Rice Extract, Saccharomuces Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment, Allantoin and Panthenol (Vitamin B5).
The Formula RX Vitamin C Brightening Face Serum contains tyrosinase-inhibiting skincare actives for treating hyperpigmentation including:
Skincare Actives:
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Glycerin
Arbutin
N-Acetylglucosamine
Within Beauty Acne Clearing Serum this is a very mild serum you can use this if you have sensitive skin and an inflamed skin barrier. This serums helps to improve skin barrier and mildly act on controlling oil.
Skincare Actives:
Glycerin
Hydroxyethyl Urea (derivative of Urea, skin moisturizing element)
Zinc PCA (anti-acne)
Hyaluronic Acid
Ceramide
Cholesterol
Gree Tea
Minimalist 5% Niacinamide Serum is a good, non-sticky soothing serum for acne-prone skin and it's suitable to use in your winter skincare routine.
Skincare Actives:
Bifida Ferment Lystate
Oat Extract
Niacinamide
Sodium Hyaluronate
Quench 96% Snail Mucin Serum is another good serum with Snail Mucin as the key skincare ingredient, which helps to improve skin moisturization.
Skincare Actives:
Snail Secretion Filtrate
It also contains other skincare actives like Sodium Hyaluronate, Niacinamide, Betaine, Allantoin, Panthenol, and Centella Asiatica. But these are at very low concentration.
Within Barrier Restore Soothing Serum is a beginner-friendly serum for skin, that not only helps in barrier repair but also helps in reducing skin-inflammation.
Skincare Actives:
Glycerin
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Niacinamide
Ceramide NP, AP, EOP
Cholesterol
Phytosphingosine
Green Tea Extract
Aloe Vera Juice
Allantoin
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is the famous Korean Beauty Essence that has been in talks for years, and it's actually worth the hype, and it's recommended to use in your winter skincare routine. It can be a bit sticky on the skin, so if you have oily skin use it wisely, don't overdo it.
Skincare Actives:
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Betaine
Panthenol (but at a very low concentration)
Winter doesn't mean you are allowed to let your skin go and be lazy with your skincare routine. It's about understanding your skin's need and using skincare products that will align better with winter environment. Opt a skincare regime that will calm and improve your skin everyday without any side effects.
Check out these top budget-friendly serums today and power up your winter skincare routine.
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