With the holiday season approaching it means two big things: amazing sales and your skin going through some pretty drastic changes! As it gets colder, unfortunately our skin gets drier and that can cause some issues. For instance, when our skin is dehydrated, fine lines and wrinkles are more apparent, and in response to this lack of moisture, your skin may overproduce oil leading to more breakouts. Thankfully, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best skincare to tackle these issues all from brands that support the LGBTQ+ community year round!
First up is Peace Out Skincare, a brand well known for their gentle and targeted acne solutions. What you may not know is they are an LGBTQ+ founded and owned brand that can be shopped both online and in Sephora. They have partnered with The Trevor Project which provides mental health care to LGBTQ+ youth across the country. My personal favorite from Peace Out is their Acne Serum. Not only is it going to fight acne with 2% salicylic acid, but it’s hydrating and gentle to keep your moisture barrier strong and hydrated as it gets colder! Further it prevents and diminishes the appearance of any scarring or dark spots that may occur after. This is because it contains niacinamide and more importantly 3-0 Ethyl Ascorbic Acid. This is a stabilized form of vitamin C with the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin giving you an even and glowing complexion from within! Because it’s sold at Sephora you can grab it at a discount during their annual November sale!
Perhaps one of the most popular brands amongst gay men is Kiehl’s, best known for their gentle and dry skin friendly moisturizers. They have stand-alone locations all across the country (including Provincetown in case you forgot to pack sunscreen on your way to Boy Beach). Not only do they support the Ali Forney Center year round, but they are experts on keeping your skin happy in the cold! As a matter of fact you can even have an in-person or virtual complementary skincare advice session on how to care for your skin in the winter from a Kiehl’s skincare expert! While many people think you only need sunscreen in the summer this isn’t true, and a good one for the winter can be hard to find which is why I love one of their newest products known as the Kiehl’s Auto Tone Discoloration and UV Solution. Not only is this a fantastic SPF 30 sunscreen but it contains an ingredient only found in Kiehl’s products known as Melasyl. This chemical was developed by L’Oreal laboratories and is the next big thing when it comes to diminishing the appearance of dark spots resulting from things such as sun damage or blemishes. Further, it contains Shea Butter and Glycerin to leave the skin feeling hydrated without the greasy appearance you might get with other sunscreens.
Arguably the most identifiable and iconic brand for the last few years is Glow Recipe. This brand is more than just gorgeous packaging vying for a space on your vanity, each glass bottle contains powerful yet gentle formulas designed for hydrating and solving practically every skin concern you could think of. Unlike many brands, their support of our community doesn’t end on July 1st. With every purchase consumers have the ability to choose a charity of their choice where a portion of the sale will go to. This includes the It Gets Better Project where donations go to support LGBTQ+ youth activists. One thing you can be sure of with Glow Recipe besides getting some serious skin hydration is their sales. They consistently have holiday sales and special deals including free full size products every winter. My personal favorite is their Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum! This serum is one of the best for calming and healing inflamed, irritated or dehydrated skin. It contains avocado extract and butter to smooth and moisturize, five skin identical ceramides to help your skin naturally heal its barrier, allantoin a scientifically proven skin protectant, and rice milk a K-beauty inspired ingredient to calm the skin and ease things like redness we all can get in the cold!
These are just my favorites from the brands, but all of their products are undeniably good and there are so many options from each it would take too long to list. There are tons of options from each that can keep your skin calm, hydrated, and blemish free this winter and that will be available for great deals during the holiday season! While there are countless companies with great skincare and Black Friday bargains it just felt right to highlight some brands that go the extra mile and have our backs’ all year round!
