Range of ZO Skin Health travel skincare products

Your skin’s needs change throughout the year, so while you don’t need a completely new routine this summer, a few small changes can make a big difference.


You have UV rays to contend with as you soak up the sun, swimming pools filled with skin-drying chlorine, and, of course, you sweat more, which can trigger excess oil production, leading to blackheads and blemishes.

To help you out, we’ve put together a simple summer skincare guide for prepping your skin, caring for your dermis mid-venture, and restoring optimal skin health once you return home. So that you have confidence in your complexion and can enjoy your holiday to the full.

Read on for our summer skincare tips to stop the sun’s glow from dulling yours – from the essentials we live by to the subtle tweaks you can make to nurture your skin this summer and beyond.

Summer skincare, does it matter?

Alongside SPF all day, every day, healthy summer skin needs hydration. Even though you sweat more and produce more oil in the warmer months, environmental dehydrators such as sun exposure, humid weather and air conditioning can all contribute to moisture loss and wreak havoc on your skin.

How to prep your skin for holiday

It can be enticing to let your usual habits slip on holiday, but it’s much easier to stay on track if you have a firmly established routine. And the same applies for skincare.

In the weeks leading up to your holiday, be consistent with a skincare regime that works for you and leaves your skin feeling and looking brighter. It’ll soon become a ritual and one that you’ll look forward to at the start / end of each day.

Hopefully you’ll feel so replenished afterwards that you’ll never be tempted to skip it – even if you’ve had a no-make-up beach trip or you’re feeling particularly sleepy after a day in the sun. Exfoliating regularly will help you remove dead skin cells that build up and cause irritation and blemishes, so it’s a great habit to develop. Although always remember to be extra gentle when scrubbing sensitive areas like your eyes and mouth.

Exfoliating every other day or twice a week if you are more sensitive, leading up to your holiday is a simple addition to your skincare routine, and it’s highly effective for preparation. By removing dead and dry cells, you’ll allow your healthy skin to absorb all the goodness from your chosen products. You’ll also be left with supple skin that’s ready to soak up hydration, antioxidants and vitamins before being exposed to the sun.

To exfoliate your face, you can use a face scrub such as ZO Exfoliating Polish or their dynamic Complexion Renewal Pads, which are bursting with ingredients that aid the replenishment of cells, leaving your skin radiant. They’re also easy to use and even easier to pack away in your holiday bag.

Your skin will undoubtedly feel the effects of going on holiday, even if you follow your skincare routine morning and night. The combination of travelling, missing out on sleep, and exposing yourself to new environments can dehydrate your skin quickly. One way to minimise this is to pay extra attention to your skin’s hydration in the days, and, weeks leading up to your holiday. Make sure to integrate hydrating treatments into your regime, as well as SPF, to keep your skin silky soft.

Our HydraFacial is designed to deeply nourish your complexion by infusing a blend of specialist serums into your skin to replenish moisture and restore a healthy balance for plumper, supple, more youthful skin throughout your vacation, even in hot and dry climates.

Whether you’re dealing with acne, uneven skin tone, fine lines or dullness, treatments can be adjusted to provide gentle exfoliation and extractions or supplementary treatments like LED light therapy can be added on.

Holiday skincare and wellbeing tips

Don’t let all that prep work go to waste – make sure you continue to look after your skin throughout your holiday. The best way to do that? Don’t skip the sunscreen! Instead, invest in professional sun protection such as ZO’s Daily Sheer Broad Spectrum, HydroPeptide Tinted Solar Defense, Heliocare 360° Oil Free Gel or Obagi Matte Sun Shield, which are all available to buy in our clinic.

For more advice, take a look at our guide to choosing + applying the best SPF skincare products. Cleansing your skin is always an important step, particularly when you’re on holiday. You’re likely to have residue from sun cream, chlorine and sweat on your face after a day on the beach or by the pool, so removing this before you sleep is key.

If you apply after-sun lotion throughout the night, you will also want to free your skin from this first thing in the morning with the help of a gentle cleanser like ZO’s Balancing Cleansing Emulsion.

Alongside carefully formulated holiday skincare, staying hydrated will keep your skin glowing from the inside out. This is a nice and simple tip for looking radiant around the clock, but it’s often overlooked.

Make sure to stay hydrated throughout the day to prevent your skin from becoming dull and tired and you could also consider packing a product like ZO’s Hydrating Crème, which we stock in travel size and has an exclusive antioxidant complex of encapsulated Vitamins A, C, and E. Delivering 12 hours of protection against free radical damage from environmental aggressors.## Post-holiday skincare to beat the blues You might have the holiday blues, but your complexion doesn’t need to. Here are our tips for helping your skin settle back into another new environment.

  1. We’ve mentioned that you should apply SPF every day, but it’s particularly important to keep up the habit when your skin has been exposed to strong UV. It is likely to be sensitive at this stage, so keep topping up your SPF regularily to protect it against further sun damage as it restores itself.

  2. Overexposure to the sun can speed up the decline of collagen – the protein that’s responsible for keeping your skin feeling full of life. After a holiday, it’s a good idea to introduce a product that promotes a youthful glow. ZO have formulated Brightalive to achieve just that, making it a wonderful addition to any pre, mid or post-holiday skincare routine. Simply work two pumps into your face and neck in the morning and evening to enjoy its brightening effects and help combat any sun damage.

  3. Continuing to exfoliate will help to remove dead cells and keep your skin lovely and soft, but be careful as you do so. The last thing you want is to irritate any sunburn, insect bites or sensitive areas after a holiday. Once you’ve exfoliated gently, make sure to lather up with a lightweight, fast-absorbing hydrator.

What skincare to take on holiday

As a minimum, we recommend stocking your suitcase with the following holiday skincare essentials:

  1. A cleanser that you can use morning and night to clear away anything that could clog your pores.

  2. Toner to wipe across your face after cleansing and catch any lingering products that may remain.

  3. A gentle exfoliating scrub to help remove dead skin cells at the end of every day.

  4. A light-weight serum or a subtle hydrator to support your skin’s moisture retention.

  5. A scientifically-proven SPF that is suitable for your face and body.

If you’re unsure of what skincare to take with you on holiday, then this is a good list to get you started. Combined, these products will help cleanse, hydrate and protect against the usual suspects – sunshine, chlorine and sweat.

Post-holiday skincare to beat the blues

You might have the holiday blues, but your complexion doesn’t need to. Here are our tips for helping your skin settle back into another new environment.

We’ve mentioned that you should apply SPF every day, but it’s particularly important to keep up the habit when your skin has been exposed to strong UV. It is likely to be sensitive at this stage, so keep topping up your SPF regularily to protect it against further sun damage as it restores itself.

Overexposure to the sun can speed up the decline of collagen – the protein that’s responsible for keeping your skin feeling full of life. After a holiday, it’s a good idea to introduce a product that promotes a youthful glow. ZO have formulated Brightalive to achieve just that, making it a wonderful addition to any pre, mid or post-holiday skincare routine. Simply work two pumps into your face and neck in the morning and evening to enjoy its brightening effects and help combat any sun damage.

Continuing to exfoliate will help to remove dead cells and keep your skin lovely and soft, but be careful as you do so. The last thing you want is to irritate any sunburn, insect bites or sensitive areas after a holiday. Once you’ve exfoliated gently, make sure to lather up with a lightweight, fast-absorbing hydrator.

Treating pigmentation and sun damage

Lumecca is an intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment that can help to diminish the results of years in the sun. The Lumecca device sends beams of light into your skin tissue, which breaks up the discoloured areas of your face by constricting veins close to the surface.

Age spots, freckles and other discolouration’s succumb to the multiple wavelengths used to deliver energy into your pigment-producing cells. These cells then absorb this energy as heat, which destroys them.

Illuminate your skin from within using Dermalux® LED Phototherapy, a pioneering non-invasive treatment powered by the science of natural light. This award-winning treatment delivers a radiant, rejuvenated, and refined skin texture, tackling concerns like pigmentation and sun damage.

A post-holiday skin peel could be exactly what your complexion needs to bounce back strong after a week or two of luxury, relaxation and indulgence.

In this case, the Obagi Blue Radiance Peel is certainly recommended, as it dramatically enhances the appearance of the skin and improves its overall health. This medical-grade peel is perfect for refreshing skin that needs a slight boost, and it does this by treating sunspots, fine lines and wrinkles, as well as hyperpigmentation.

You should never get a chemical peel if your skin is sun-exposed or sunburned. So, if you just came back from a tropical vacation or had a sunny beach weekend, it is best to wait until your skin has recovered before booking. Not sure if your skin is ready? Our skincare therapists can help you determine this.

If you’re concerned by sun damage or would simply like to know more about your skin health, the Obagi OBSERV 520x is an advanced skin analysis system which works to effectively inform our specialists about your skin.

The OBSERV 520x provides an accurate diagnosis of skin conditions at both the epidermal and dermal layer and there are 10 different observation modes which we use to completely analyse your skin health at all levels.

This in-depth review of the skin allows both you and our team to be informed about your skin health and be aware of any irregularities that may be present. Following this, any necessary treatments can be recommended and discussed.

Book a consultation with one of our skincare experts to find out which treatments are best for you and receive a complimentary OBSERV 520x skin scan to help us understand the cause of your concerns.

Consultations cost £50 and can be redeemed against any of our recommended skincare products and procedures.