The Best Cooling Beauty Products to Keep Cool This Summer
Chill out.
Rowan Lynam
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With the summer heat around the corner, skin care and beauty products are meeting the moment and bringing you the latest in cooling technology. Get a rush of cool to beat the heat when you’re cleansing, prepping for time in the sun and even when you’re applying makeup!
Giving your skin a chill pill does more for you than just help you power through a hot day, though. Ice and cooling therapies are known to fight inflammation and reduce puffiness. But did you know it can also help minimize the appearance of pores and can even enhance product absorption? That means incorporating a simple ice roller has serious benefits. The flood of cold also constricts blood vessels, which dilate quickly back to their normal state. That process releases a flood of blood and oxygen to your skin for a clear glow.
And if you’ve ever thought about purchasing a skin-care fridge, you’ve already heard about the benefits of cold skin care. Depending on your product and its formula, cold storage can enhance the impact and bring you a calming, refreshing feeling on contact. But not every cooling product needs to be in cold storage to cool down your skin.
Thanks to innovative formulas and tried-and-true botanicals, formulators can create a gust of cold across your skin with no temperature reduction necessary. And with the days getting longer and the temperature rising, you’re sure to see a snowfall of cooling beauty products in the next few months.
We’ll be looping you in all spring and summer long with the best launches designed to beat the heat, and the first round has some serious stunners. From viral sensations to reusable self-care, these are the cooling products we can’t get enough of, arriving just in time for the start of beach season.
Featured Experts
Kendra Kolb Butler is the founder of Alpyn Beauty Wildcrafted Actives
Annie Gonzalez, MD is a board certified dermatologist in Miami
Corey Hartman, MD is a board certified dermatologist in Birmingham, AL
Philip B. is a hair care master and founder of Philip B. Hair Care
Diamond Hannah is the director of product marketing at Sol de Janeiro
Cooling Skin Care: Cold Creams and New Dreams
Founder of Alpyn Beauty Wildcrafted Actives, Kendra Kolb Butler, explains that skin care with a cooling effect was on her list of dream products from the start. “I watched my mom use cold cream growing up (specifically Noxzema) and marveled at how well it took her makeup off and how soft and smooth her skin looked when she was done,” Butler explains. “I really wanted to recreate that product but my way.”
Interestingly, botanicals are a common way to achieve this effect safely. Plant-derived menthol can come from peppermint, which triggers our nerves the same way cold does. Rosemary leaf is also found to have a cooling effect. Other formulas rely on the fresh feeling of seawater to impart that cool sensation.
The Benefits of Cold
Aside from just a nice feeling, we know that more intense cooling, like ice, can be beneficial for the skin. We love ice rolling for its ability to de-puff, for example. Using ice is definitely catching on among younger TikTok skin-care influencers, too.
“Ice rollers stimulate the lymphatic system and massage the face to get rid of puffiness and toxins, stimulate blood flow and reduce muscle tension,” explains Miami dermatologist Annie Gonzalez, MD.
But outside of straight-up ice, cold skin care actually has its benefits. That’s why so many people recommend a skin-care fridge, as cooled skin care helps with de-puffing and improves blood circulation.
“Some people keep their skin-care products in the fridge because they enjoy the way that cool products feel when they are applied and appreciate the calming effects that accompany cooler temperatures,” says Birmingham, AL dermatologist Corey Hartman, MD. “Think about how ice packs are applied to the areas that are treated with injectables and lasers post-procedure. It’s the same concept. The cooling effect helps to reduce inflammation and puffiness.”
What it is: An AHA-powered body cleanser that smooths, minimizes oil and cools on contact.
How it Works: Naturium uses a nature-identical menthyl lactate, a common ester of menthol and lactic acid, to create their on-contact cooling effect. Derived from menthol, but less likely to cause irritation than pure menthol, without sacrificing the chilling effect is has on our skin. Meanwhile, lactate helps increase skin cell turnover and eliminate dead skin for an overall smoother look.
The mild cool feeling leaves skin feeling refreshed, while the mandelic acid formula deeply cleanses skin and lowers skin’s pH for a long-lasting clean.
What it is: A gently clarifying shampoo that invigorates, cleanses and volumizes.
How it Works: “I use pure peppermint oil in my formulas to create a cool, invigorating sensation that awakens both the scalp and the senses,” explains haircare master Philip B. “The tingly-fresh feeling is like AC for your scalp. It’s the perfect way to start your morning and a wonderful way to wash the day away.”
What it is: A hydrating cream cleanser packed with antioxidants and nourishing botanicals.
How it Works: The key to cooling in this formula is the crisp cucumber extract, which contain antioxidants like flavonoids and tannins that calm and soothe skin. Just like you love to put cucumber on your eyes at the spa, the extract creates a chilling effect that has to do with its insanely high-water content, which is almost 97 percent water.
This formula is best for dry to combination skin and is a perfect way to wake up your face first thing in the morning.
What it is: A matcha-infused serum designed to de-puff and smooth the delicate under eye.
How it Works: Uji Matcha, the gold standard of Japanese powdered green tea and produced only in the Uji region of Kyoto, is the main ingredient in this formula. But this serum’s on-contact cooling effect is a result of rosemary leaf extract. Easy on delicate skin, uji matcha and bakuchi work to soothe, smooth and hydrate the undereye in order to reduce dullness and dark circles.
Rosemary leaves have anti-inflammatory properties and has been used traditionally in calming irritation.
What it is: A spray sunscreen packed with skin-loving electrolytes and designed to retain moisture all day long.
How it Works: “When we’re out in the sun for extended periods of time, not only does our skin begin to feel hot, but the sun’s rays also gradually dehydrate the skin and deplete its supply of natural oils,” explains Diamond Hannah, director of product marketing at Sol de Janeiro. “That is why after a long day at the beach your skin feels dry, tight, and uncomfortable. The coconut water in the formula restores the skin’s hydration levels reducing the dry, tight feeling of the skin and the cooling effect cues this process to the consumer. So, to keep the skin’s water content at its optimal level, re-application is necessary.”
The cooling effect is created on contact thanks to coconut water, but the refreshing feeling isn’t the only benefit. It’s also full of electrolytes that pull water into the deeper layers of the skin for maximum hydration.
What it is: A jelly-tint that delivers hydrating color to your lips and cheeks.
How it Works: Powered by aloe and seawater, this viral jelly tint imparts a refreshing, instantly cooling effect that makes makeup application a spa-like experience. The watercolor-like finish is a semi-sheer wash of pigment that comes in four delicious shades, and the formula is designed to glide on smooth with zero mess. The hydrating and soothing ingredients refresh skin on application and help maintain the effortlessly blended look while keeping skin clear and pores unclogged.
What it is: A family-owned, wild-harvested cold cream designed to mimic the vintage cold creams of the past, this juneberry formula is made for smoothing and softening.
How it Works: “Cold cream is an emulsion of oil in a water molecule,” Butler explains. “When you apply it to the skin, that water evaporates and the skin gets a very cooling, sensorial effect. It’s really, really good at smoothing and softening skin; it is just the best at removing makeup. We use eucalyptus in this particular formula to enhance that effect.”
What it is: A first-of-its-kind reusable and water-activated undereye patch that are always ready to deliver a burst of cool.
How it Works: MISSION HydroActive technology is a no-fridge necessary cooling technology that stays up to 30°F below body temperature. Water-activated and machine washable, Cooling Clouds last up to 3x longer than reusable silicone patches and are perfect to use after your serums to lock in moisture.
Best used right after eye cream to enhance the impacts of your skin care, these Cooling Clouds are the best way to round out your nightly skin-care routine. The cooling sensation is initiated when wet and wrung out, meaning all it takes is a quick rinse before you feel the instantly cooling effect. It even comes with a cute carrying case.
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