10 Beauty and Wellness Essentials That Keep Summer Heat and Sweat in Check

During summer, beauty routines tend to feel more instinctive than prescriptive, and prioritizing wellness seems a tad less urgent when your days are filled with sunshine and extra vitamin D. So the products I reach for this time of year have to earn their place—they must be versatile and effortless, and work hard all day. They also have to be indulgent enough to make everyday rituals a little more luxurious. When days are longer and the temperatures climb, I find myself trading my typical elaborate routines for a few thoughtful essentials.

Summer also has a way of exposing the weak links in my routine. Suddenly, my go-to moisturizer feels too heavy. A fragrance that fades the second I step outside isn’t worth packing for a weekend away, and anything with too many steps gets left behind too. I need formulas that can stand up to humid afternoons, and scents that bloom beautifully on warm skin.

Ahead, ten beauty and wellness essentials that may become your tried-and-trues for summers to come.

Diffar is one of my favorite brands new to the U.S.; the label’s multi balm is the new hero in my purse. It melts softly with body heat and blends seamlessness into the hair and skin. Light and easy to spread, it has natural hold, tames any frizz, and gives my hair and skin effortless shine without ever feeling heavy. Moisturizing my hands and elbows with the balm this summer transports me to a different place, with notes of osmanthus, geranium, and vetiver lingering on my skin.

I can finally stop carrying around sketchy-looking wet wipes in my purse, and replace them with The Body Wipe from the beloved brand Nécessaire. If you’ve ever felt like you needed a full-body cleanse with no shower or sink in sight, this one’s for you. It’s fresh, it’s soft, and lightly scented with herbal notes of eucalyptus, Siberian fir, lavender, and ginger. This was a much-needed upgrade for my purse essentials, and now I feel honored to offer one to my friends post-beach or pre-drinks.

I get lazy with my skincare in the summer because my skin is less dry and I’m sweating everything off anyway. But Lazy’s Double Duty has changed my tune—their serum and moisturizer duo is an overachiever: a silkening red camellia product paired with a hydrating squalane moisturizer keeps the most important part of my routine effortless. So I can stay lazy all summer long!

Frizz has not caught up to me this summer because of Briogeo’s Miracle Mist, even during long days in the sun, or many dips in pools and lakes. The weightless mist is perfect for this time of year and every hair type—my hair isn’t weighed down by a thick and creamy formula, but I’m still reaping the full benefits of a leave-in conditioner. It’s small enough to keep in my bag, so I even use it for touch-ups throughout the day to re-set my curls.

The Proper Sunscreen is the first mineral SPF that I’ve tried that’s actually doing something for your skin. It’s got a stacked ingredient list: oolong tea, niacinamide, squalane, peptides, the list goes on. This subtly tinted sunscreen leaves the most gorgeous scent and is still hypoallergenic. With more shades going through rigorous formulating and testing, this one is sure to be a fan favorite.

If we care about what’s on the outside, we need to also take care of what’s inside. I’ve always found ingestible beauty products to be hit-or-miss—whether it’s taste, texture, or issues incorporating it into my schedule, it’s always been a struggle. Enter: this Irish Sea Moss. Take one packet daily by squeezing it directly into your mouth, any time of day. Summertime is already so dehydrating regardless of where you live, so having a supplement that boosts my hydration, enhances skin elasticity, and makes me glow is a hit.

I’m already looking shimmery in the summer heat, so why not lean into that glow? Rhode’s Highlight Milk is already a fan favorite: this hybrid luminizer enhances bare skin with a shimmery, naturally luminous finish. Made with the brand’s signature Glazing Milk formula, it delivers proven hydration, soothing skincare benefits, and a soft, pearly shimmer that lends radiance to my skin (on purpose).

I’ve realized after many years of trying to find my signature scent that regular perfume does not stay on my skin for hours in the blistering summer heat—the only thing that does is a perfume oil. Jouissance’s En Plein Air Roll-On Perfume Oil is the perfect portable scent: slim and light, with a scent that settles and softens with the warmth of your skin. It’s bright and fresh, with notes of bergamot, lemon, and grapefruit, paired with white flowers, rain, and musk. If I’m going to sweat while wearing a perfume, it better be this one.

If you’re not exfoliating, especially in the summertime, what are you even doing? While most scrubs—like those with walnut shells, salt, and jagged silica—tear the surface of the skin, Isla’s Snow Scrub won’t, so you’re getting a skin reset, not a sanding. Since I’m trying to secure my summer tan, this scrub has been my most important skincare step in making sure I am renewing my skin. This solid cream transforms into a silky lather, then into a cooling rinse, perfect for relaxation at the end of a hot day.

In the summertime, I don’t want a ‘crème riche’ even ten feet away from me: I need something light that will absorb into my skin quickly, and retain moisture before I venture out into the hot, dry world. Bio-Oil’s lotion does just that, and has tons of skin-loving ingredients like rosehip oil, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins A, E, and F. It’s lighter than any lotion I’ve ever tried, but has two times the amount of oil.