Aggressive, irritating and dehydrating: that's what winter looks like to your skin! Cold and wind leave the skin red and irritated, while indoor heaters extract moisture from the air and from the skin. Even a roaring fire can dry your skin, as the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) notes.

Fortunately, there are several ways to combat the causes of dry skin all season long. Read on for 4 simple, biologist-approved tips for resilient winter-skin:

1. Hydrate yourself and humidify rooms

When temperatures drop, drinking less water than in summer seems quite logical, but that's a common error that risks modifying your skin's appearance, and not for the better. Cold outside means lower humidity inside because heaters deplete humidity, which means you should keep your water intake up, cold or hot, even in the form of herbal teas for example, which the skin will use like a humidifier. One good idea is hibiscus, which hydrates while providing antioxidants.

2. Eat vegetables, berries and nuts

In summer, eating salads and fruit is easy and logical. We recommend you keep up the good habit in winter: vegetables and berries are a terrific source of antioxidants and vitamins; fibers help to preserve your microflora balance, and nuts are an essential source of omega 3 to help preserve good skin quality. Following a Mediterranean diet even in winter enhances the skin's resilience against visible signs of sensitivity such as redness, scaling and pimples.

3. Use very soft and natural tissues to blow your nose

Be careful: tissues marketed as “soft” or “aloe vera-based” are not necessarily the softest. In fact, they can be saturated in chemicals like bleaching agents to achieve their white and puffy appearance, yet those chemist agents can be very aggressive to the skin. Select tissues with low chemical content or, even better, ones made of 100% organic cotton.

4. Select biomimetic skin care

The skin's outermost layer is made up of a combination of lipids, dead cells and good microorganisms. Because winter brings drastic changes in humidity and temperature, it creates perfect conditions for dry skin, also known as xerosis, which partially disrupts the skin barrier. Moisturizers that contain skin barrier biomimetic formulas - triglycerides, cholesterols-like ingredients and fatty acids - help the skin barrier to function properly, relieving dryness and less irritation. Inspired by the most recent dermatological discoveries, most of RIVOLI skin care is specially formulated with Multi Lamellar Structure technology (MLSRivoli®) which relies on biomimetism of the top skin layer to help keep the skin barrier resilient in winter weather, while protecting its precious microbiome.

5. Use a treating spray all day long

To ensure perfect humidity levels of the skin while on the go or even in an overheated office, it is important to use treatment spray that focuses on boosting skin's hydration level, all day long.

L’Eau de Jour by RIVOLI is formulated with hydrating ingredients such as glycerin, Tamarind seed extract. The cherry on the cake: its great anti-aging properties thanks to additional intelligent anti-aging ingredients promote the skin's natural production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid to regain skin firmness and smoothness. It also acts as an invisible shield protecting skin from oxidation induced by UV’s and Ozone.

Article editor: Gwendoline Baruchet, skin biologist.