How to Adapt Your Regimen For Spring

As skin transitions from cold, dry winter air to the more humid conditions of spring, it needs to be supported in new ways. Seasonal changes can lead to dehydration, imbalances, or sensitivities from allergens and increased moisture in the air. Making small adjustments to your regimen can help your skin navigate the transition.


Let’s explore how to refresh your base layers for spring using formulations that hydrate, soothe, and support the skin barrier.

March 1, 2026

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Types of Product Conflicts

Why Should You Refresh Skincare for Spring?

As seasons change, the support your skin needs does too. During the cold, dim days of winter, your skin is more prone to dryness and requires extra hydration. Spring brings brighter days, more humid air, and a sudden increase in pollen. These environmental changes can trigger skin congestion, irritation, and other sensitivities.

Moving to lighter, more breathable skincare products can help your skin maintain comfort, clarity, and balance. Even a small regimen reset can make a difference in keeping your skin hydrated and soothed throughout the season.

How to Avoid The Ordinary Product Conflicts

Tips for a Smooth Seasonal Transition.

Making changes to your regimen is all about intention and patience. Introducing multiple new products or harsh ingredients can throw your skin off balance.

Here’s how you can make adjustments that support your skin, instead of shocking it.

  • Gradually replace heavier creams with lighter serums or gel-based moisturizers. Start by using the lighter moisturizer in the morning and the heavier cream at night, alternating until switching fully to the lighter option.

  • Consider products that hydrate and support the skin barrier to help reduce irritation from pollen and humidity.

  • Keep exfoliation gentle as your skin recovers from the dry winter months. Avoid harsh physical exfoliants, like gritty scrubs. Using a chemical exfoliant once or twice a week can help shed dead skin cells and target winter dullness. Over time, you can exfoliate daily if your skin tolerates it well. Our recommendation: Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner.

  • Stay consistent with SPF as days get longer and sunnier. UV radiation is harmful all year long, even in rainy spring weather.


Always **patch test **to ensure your skin is compatible with new products before fully incorporating them into your routine.

Commonly Asked Questions About Skincare Ingredient Conflicts

Since your skin is transitioning from dry conditions to increased humidity, it’s best to use hydrating serums that also support your skin barrier. This will help maintain balance during environmental changes, while reducing dryness. Serums like Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (With Ceramides) are an effective option.

You could also consider an essence, like Multi-Active Delivery Essence, to hydrate, support the skin barrier, and prime for skincare penetration all at once.

Sometimes, too many products can make skin more irritated. Consider removing a few steps from your regimen during allergy season and focus on gentle, calming ingredients.

For example, Soothing & Barrier Support Serum helps calm discomfort and reduce the look of redness, all while repairing the skin barrier. 100% Fermented Rose Hip Oil is an ingredient that helps prevent signs of irritation, including visible redness that can contribute to premature signs of skin aging. And Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA is a gentle surface hydrator that supports the skin barrier as it works to protect you from external allergens.

Exfoliating more as you transition into spring can help shed the dead skin cells that have accumulated over winter. It can also help clear pores and promote cell turnover, which is important as your skin becomes more exposed to humidity and sweat.

However, it’s a good idea to start off slow. Introduce a gentle chemical exfoliant, like Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner, once or twice a week as your skin adjusts to the new season. Stop if your skin starts feeling dry or irritated.

Cold, dry air, indoor heating, and harsh weather can strip away essential moisture and lipids from your skin, damaging the skin barrier. That’s why barrier repair is especially important in the spring.

The Ordinary has powerful barrier repair skincare for all three steps of your regimen.

The return of humidity can cause your skin to produce more oil, which can lead to clogged pores and signs of congestion. Formulations that target excess oil can help.

Serums like Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% and Balancing & Clarifying Serum are formulated to reduce excess oil and the look of pores. If your skin is prone to breakouts, these formulations can help smooth uneven texture and promote clearer-looking skin as seasons change.

Combine The Ordinary Products Effectively

Our Recommended Spring Base Layers.

The core products in your spring regimen should focus on three areas: transitioning into lighter formulations, prioritizing hydration, and strengthening the skin barrier after a winter of harsh environmental conditions.

Here are the products our lab recommends, and where they fit in your regimen.

Prep: Squalane Cleanser

This oil-free cleansing balm removes dirt, makeup, and impurities while supporting the skin’s moisture barrier. It’s made with plant-derived squalane, a molecule that helps prevent water loss. Including this moisturizing agent in your regimen leaves your skin feeling soft, smooth, and hydrated throughout the spring months.

After Cleansing: Multi-Active Delivery Essence

This lightweight essence contains a specific combination of four active technologies, which deeply hydrate to increase the penetration of skincare ingredients applied later on in your regimen. It instantly nourishes the skin and strengthens the skin barrier after one application, for luminous and softer-feeling skin all day.

Treat: Soothing & Barrier Support Serum

This multi-active solution is specifically formulated to address damaged skin barrier concerns, which are common by the end of the winter season. It helps strengthen the skin barrier within 2 hours*, providing an immediate 86%** boost in hydration to soothe discomfort and visibly reduce signs of irritation-induced redness. This is especially helpful during allergy season, when the skin can be extra sensitive to external triggers.

*Repairs and strengthens the skin barrier in 2 hours.

**Provides an immediate 86% boost in skin hydration

Seal: Rice Lipids + Ectoin Microemulsion

This fluid-format moisturizer delivers 24-hour* soothing hydration for dry and dehydrated skin. It contains a microfluidized blend of oil and water-based ingredients—rice lipids, jojoba oil, ectoin, and Natural Moisturizing Factors—for intense hydration with a non-greasy finish and a barely there feel. It also helps to repair the skin barrier in just one use**, making it an effective moisturizer to replace your heavy winter cream and still provide the support needed for spring conditions.

*Clinical testing on 20 people, using the product once.

**Clinical testing on 31 people, using the product once.

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Consider This Your Spring Refresh.

Spring cleaning should apply to your skincare routine too. As you step into a new season, take stock of your skincare goals and the ingredients needed to meet them. Consider how the environment is changing and what that might mean for your unique skin.

By updating your regimen to include our recommended base layers, you can help your skin adapt to spring with comfort and resilience. For more personalized support, use our Regimen Builder to get custom product recommendations based on your unique skin type and concerns.