Beauty
What is the best skincare routine for Dubai's climate?
Dubai's heat and air conditioning create dehydrated oily skin, so go light and hydrating, not rich and stripping. Use a gentle cleanser, vitamin C or niacinamide, a hyaluronic acid gel moisturiser and broad spectrum SPF 50, reapplied through the day.
Skincare that worked perfectly back home often falls apart in Dubai. The intense sun, the dry desert air outside, the dust, and the constant air conditioning indoors all work against your skin at once, and the rich creams that felt lovely in a cold climate suddenly clog your pores. After years of adjusting my own routine here, and a lot of advice from dermatologists in the city, this is what actually works.
How does Dubai's climate affect your skin?
Two things happen together. The sun and heat are intense year round, and moving between that heat and freezing air conditioning strips moisture from your skin. The result is something skin doctors here see constantly, dehydrated oily skin, where your skin overproduces oil to make up for the water it has lost. So you end up shiny and tight at the same time. The fix is to add hydration, not to scrub the oil away with harsh products, which only makes it worse.
What should your morning routine be?
- Gentle cleanser, a mild, non-stripping wash to remove overnight oil.
- Vitamin C or niacinamide serum, to fight sun damage and pollution and brighten over time.
- Lightweight hydration, a hyaluronic acid serum or a gel moisturiser that draws moisture from the humid air and locks it in.
- Sunscreen, broad spectrum SPF 50 or higher, every single morning, the most important step of all.
What about at night?
In the evening, double cleanse if you have worn sunscreen and makeup, then rehydrate. A few nights a week you can add an active, a gentle retinol for renewal or a mild exfoliating acid to keep pores clear, but go slowly and never pile actives on top of each other. Finish with a moisturiser suited to how your skin feels that night, lighter in peak summer, slightly richer in the cooler months.
How should you handle sunscreen through the day?
One morning application is not enough if you are outdoors. Reapply every two to three hours of sun exposure. The easiest way to do this over makeup is an SPF powder or a setting spray with sun protection, which you can dust or mist on without wrecking your face. Do not forget your neck, ears and the backs of your hands.
Should you adjust for your skin type?
- Oily or combination: gel textures, niacinamide, and a fluid sunscreen.
- Dry: add ceramides and a richer night cream, but keep daytime light.
- Sensitive: fewer actives, fragrance-free formulas, and patch test anything new, since heat can make skin more reactive.
One more local quirk: Dubai's water is hard, which can leave skin feeling tight and dry. A gentle, sulfate-free cleanser helps, and some people notice a real difference with a shower filter.
What about professional help?
For most people a hydrating facial roughly once a month gives the skin a reset from all the environmental stress, lining up with the natural cell turnover cycle of about a month. If you have a specific concern like stubborn pigmentation, see a dermatologist rather than guessing.
More from Aastha's beauty world: explore here.
