You cannot ignore seasonal skincare in Australia given how hard the climate is on you. What has you covered in a Melbourne winter will not stand up to a humid Brisbane summer or a gale in the Red Centre over the weekend. To put it plainly: have a basic routine you can run with all year and make the necessary changes to your exfoliation, cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen for the wind, the heat, the indoor heating and your time outdoors.
Simon Redcliffe would tell you there is no point in having a 12-step array of products on the bathroom shelf as though the chemist had a fit. Have a routine you will put some effort into that will protect and cleanse without making you greasy enough to cook a sausage or leaving your face raw. In this country consistency is more important than any complexity.
Why Seasons Change Skin
People are caught out by the fact that Australia is no uniform place. One can be put out by muggy sweat in Sydney, the UV and salt of the Surf Coast, and dry heater air in Canberra in the course of a year. So the idea of an all-encompassing men’s skincare plan for the Australian climate is flawed. With beard-friendly skin routines between the wind, the UV, the shaving and beard growth, your skin will react differently to water and oil.
What Most Men Get Wrong
Then there is the habit of slapping on the same heavy cream come January and July and being surprised the skin is clogged in one season and flaky in the other. Or forgoing broad-spectrum sunscreen on account of the stickiness and later shelling out for something costly to put right the damage.
According to Cancer Council Australia sun safety guidance, UV can damage skin in as little as 15 minutes on some Australian summer days. You do not have to be prostrate on the beach like a lizard on a warm stone for it to be relevant; you are exposed when you are at a job site, driving, putting in a lawn or having a coffee in Fitzroy.
Build A Solid Base
Get the fundamentals in order before you set about a summer or winter regimen you can tolerate. It is like putting good tyres on a car, not very exciting but it makes everything else function. Simon Redcliffe found that out after an early shift at the café and too much washing, only to find his cheeks tight at smoko. The base should be something you can do even if you are not fully awake.
Morning And Night
A morning of gentle cleansing (or a lukewarm rinse for the sensitive types) followed by your moisturiser and a broad-spectrum sunscreen. When night comes, put in the work to get the pollution, beard oil and sunscreen off and then moisturise.
- AM: a gentle wash, SPF 30 50 broad-spectrum, moisturiser
- PM: cleanse, treat and moisturise
That is the kind of answer most are looking for. There may be room for alteration if you are an outdoor worker or shave every day but the framework does not change.
No Shine This Summer
The UV in an Australian summer is no joke and neither is the sweat and salt. Active men will find their pores clogging and breakouts starting if they are out and about. Your skincare needs to be of a lighter touch.
Swap Out The Heavy Stuff
Leave the winter cream where it is if it is as unctuous as wall paste in December. An oil-free gel or a non-comedogenic lotion and a hydrating cleanser will do. Any man with oily skin in Australia will appreciate that a rich formula has the face feeling like a sardine tin by midday. Look for niacinamide or hyaluronic acid. Acne sufferers would do well to put substance before packaging.
Sport, Salt, Sweat
After a cycle, a run or a day in the surf, do not let the salt and sweat dry on you. And resist the urge to go to town with a grainy face wash, which is where most err. Skin can be left in a state of being shiny and reactive, to say the least.
When it comes to a day at the beach or an excursion on a bush track, there is no call for a full spa carry-on. What is called for is some discipline with reapplying your sunscreen and a good hat and shade breaks while you are out. In the evening a proper cleanse will do. You want practical SPF for men Australia.
Shoulder Months Made Easy
There is something of a quirk to autumn and spring in the way of skincare. It may be cool and dry one morning and by the next you are sweating through your shirt on the tram platform. Simon Redcliffe would tell you this is when routine drift sets in for men; they either cling to their winter products or make a hasty switch to an ultra-light summer formula and get irritated for it.
Make Your Adjustments Gradually
The sensible thing is to alter texture before you overhaul the routine. Put down the heavy moisturiser and put in a lighter one, see if the cleanser needs to change, then consider exfoliation. And if the skin is in balance, so be it.
It is an opportune time to exfoliate twice a week where your skin will stand for it, to counter the dullness from shaving and sunscreen build-up. But go overboard and under the office lights you will have redness and flaking to show for it.
Put An End To Winter Dryness
You will not find much snow and scarves in an Australian winter but it is enough to desiccate the skin. Between the wind, hot showers and the razor, the face can be tight and flaky even in milder climes. A winter regimen for men should be about repairing the barrier, which is a matter of common sense regarding water temperature and hydration and not stripping the skin.
Barrier Support Of The Richer Variety
Ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin and other soothing agents are what you want in a cream or lotion. CeraVe is the usual recommendation for ceramides, La Roche-Posay and Kiehl’s have their share of barrier options too. For those who like local labels, many an Australian will be found at Chemist Warehouse or a grooming specialist with Hunter Lab, Mr Jones Skincare or Charles & Lee in hand.
Do not think there is a single tube that is the best men’s moisturiser in Australia. Oily skin in winter might do fine with a light product provided it is used with regularity, whereas drier skin calls for something more substantial.
What Winter Is Like In Reality
A number of men are under the impression that winter means less moisture and sunscreen. In fact the heaters and UV on a clear day, particularly at altitude or off reflective surfaces, will dehydrate you. Then there are the harsh acids and retinoids. Without some direction they are hard on a freshly shaved or sensitive face in winter. If the skin is in no mood for it, put the actives aside and mend the barrier.
Tending To The Beard
A beard has a way of concealing trouble. There will be ingrown hairs, trapped oil and dry flakes, particularly in the heat or if one is in the habit of washing the beard and nothing else. As Simon Redcliffe will have it, you have to treat the skin as well as the beard, they are not the same.
Skin Under The Beard
Work the cleanser into the skin, not just over the hair. With a thick beard you want to get the moisturiser or a light product down to the jaw and chin where the flakes congregate. Fragranced oils are to be shunned if you are prone to breakouts. You may shop at Beard & Blade for your tools and care but the principle is universal: keep the skin beneath clean and hydrated.
Shave With Some Sense
If you are sporting stubble in some spots and a partial beard in others, shaving skincare is a question of friction. Do it after the shower, have a slick product to hand and do not hack at the same patch as though sanding a weatherboard fence. Should you be plagued with ingrowns a mild chemical exfoliant once or twice a week is of use, but applying it to already irritable skin right after a shave is a mistake that will rouse you quicker than a tray of flat whites hitting the floor.
Match Products To Skin
Do not put much stock in marketing that is directed at “men”, your skin type is of greater consequence. A lot of what is put on sale as a masculine product is nothing more than a standard skincare with an overpowering fragrance, hardly the best for sensitive skin.
The real issue is not if the bottle is black and has a serious air about it. It is whether the formula will work for oily, dry, reactive or combination skin under Australian conditions.
A straightforward guide to skin type
| Skin Type | Main Issue | Texture of choice | Ingredients to have |
| Oily | Congestion, shine | Light gel or fluid | Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, hydrators that are non-comedogenic |
| Dry | Flaking, tightness | Cream or a good lotion | Glycerin, ceramides, hyaluronic acid |
| Combination | T-zone oil, dry cheeks | A light lotion | Lipids for the barrier, humectants in balance |
| Sensitive | Redness, stinging | Lotion or cream, kept simple | Ceramides, no fragrance |
Oily skin in Australia calls for a routine with a lighter moisturiser, some sunscreen and a mild cleanser, not something as abrasive as a scrub if one is to be without shine by mid-morning. When the skin is prone to stinging, pare it back and go for the likes of CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, or a plain NIVEA from the pharmacy.
Sunscreen: the part you cannot do without
This applies in every season, even when it is overcast. Many men put it aside because they do not like the feel but there is no need to go back to the ghostly, greasy products of yore; today’s formulas are far more agreeable.
In Australia UV protection is a daily concern for those with an outdoor lifestyle, not reserved for the beach. You can be driving, doing tradie work, fishing off a tinnie or walking Arthur the greyhound in the drizzle (or telling yourself it is not) and it all counts.
Choose The Right SPF
An SPF 30 or 50 broad-spectrum is what to look for. Put in hours in the sun and the SPF 50 is the wiser option provided it is comfortable enough to apply in proper measure. Reapply after a swim or towelling off, or every two hours outside. Good intentions tend to falter there but it is of more value than three serums of expense that see little use.
Daily Wear In Real Life
For the commuter, have a tube at home and one in the car or work bag, though do not let them cook in the heat. The shelves at Chemist Warehouse are where one will find Australian shoppers making their comparisons between the premium facial offerings and the more affordable everyday ones from La Roche-Posay, NIVEA or the Cancer Council Australia.
Know What To Buy
There is no call for the most ornate label. One wants sensible ingredients and a texture to put up with. Too often people are lured by a flashy acid toner and neglect the basics of a good cleanser and moisturiser.
Ingredients That Pull Their Weight
What does the job for most is a hydrating cleanser, a moisturiser with its ceramides and a daily sunscreen. Oily complexions should be looking at non-comedogenic gels; the dry or sensitive sort should eschew fragrance and put support behind the barrier. Then there are brands such as La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, NIVEA, Hunter Lab, Mr Jones Skincare, Kiehl’s, and Charles & Lee. Whether it is the right one comes down to budget and beard habits, and if you want something to get through summer or something with more substance for winter.
- Cleanser that does not make the skin squeaky
- Moisturiser for the season
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen for daily wear
- An exfoliant used with discretion
- Shaving or beard product to address a problem
Questions we get asked
They are the same ones, generally after a bloke has overdone it with a scrub or made too many purchases.
4-2-4 Rule?
It is a method of cleansing with oil for four minutes, then the cleanser for two and rinsing for four. Most men in Australia would be better served with a proper gentle cleanse, particularly if you shave.
The best routine for a guy?
One he will see to each day. Morning brings the cleanse, the moisturiser and the sunscreen, evening the first two. Make any adjustments for the weather.
Is five steps enough?
Cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen, an exfoliant twice a week and whatever is called for in the way of shaving or beard care. That will do for most without the bathroom becoming a laboratory.
Beard owners and moisturiser?
Certainly. Underneath the beard the skin can be as congested and irritated as anywhere else. Get the moisturiser to the skin and clean up after a dusty day or salt water.
Keep It Simple Year-Round
Simon Redcliffe would have it that a man’s seasonal routine in Australia is only going to be effective if it is realistic. A good cleanser and the right amount of sunscreen will serve you better than a shelf of half-empty bottles. Your face is in the Australian climate not a brochure so practicality will win out over fancy.
