My mountain skincare routine

At more than 1,100 metres above sea level, in Megève, the skin plays in a different league from the city. The cold nips, the wind sweeps across your face on the lifts, the dry winter air draws moisture from the skin, and the snow reflects a light that doubles your sun exposure. The result: after two days of skiing, skin feels tight, cheeks turn red, lips crack and the complexion loses its glow.

It is precisely for these conditions that we formulate our skincare, here at the Ferme de Beauté. Here is the mountain skincare routine we genuinely follow, the one used by women who live and ski at altitude, from waking to bedtime, area by area.

1. Why skin needs a mountain-specific routine

At altitude, three aggressors combine and weaken the skin barrier far faster than in the lowlands.

• Cold and wind slow microcirculation and weaken the hydrolipidic film, the thin protective layer that keeps water in the skin.
• Dry air, outdoors and in heated interiors alike, speeds up water loss. The skin dehydrates, feels tight, then peels.
• UV rays increase by around 10% every 1,000 metres, and snow reflects up to 80% of the radiation. You burn faster, even on overcast days.

The consequence is simple: a lowland routine is no longer enough. You need to boost hydration, nourish more, and above all never leave skin exposed without protection. The good news: a few well-chosen steps are all it takes.

2. Cleansing, morning and evening

Everything starts with clean skin: in the morning to begin on a fresh base, in the evening to remove sunscreen and the day's dust. At altitude, harsh cleansers are off the list. The skin is already weakened by the cold; it craves gentleness.

Our pick for this step: the Lait des Alpages with Edelweiss and Arnica. This softening cleansing milk removes impurities without ever leaving the skin tight, and leaves it supple and comfortable. Combination skin looking for a fresher finish may prefer the Micellar Flower Foam, which revives the complexion's radiance while respecting the skin barrier.

3. In the morning, build a barrier of comfort

In the morning, the aim is not to layer ten products, but to create a layer of comfort that will hold up against the cold all day long.

After cleansing, apply a technical base layer: the Lift4810 Concentrated Serum, with lingonberry cryo-extracts and hyaluronic acid, which wraps the skin in an invisible tightening film and smooths away tiredness from the moment you wake.

Next, apply a protective cream to the face. Our pick for this step: the Edelweiss N°1 Cream. Formulated around edelweiss (Leontopodium Alpinum), the high-mountain flower that survives extreme cold and UV, it leaves a velvety finish that protects against environmental aggressors without any greasiness under makeup.

4. On bitterly cold days, reinforce exposed areas

When the thermometer plummets and the wind blows across the ridges, the Edelweiss Cream deserves back-up. Target the most exposed areas, the cheeks and nose, the ones that redden and peel after a day on the slopes.

Our pick for this step: the Cold Cream. Rich and enveloping, it leaves a protective film that insulates the skin from the biting cold and limits tightness. A hazelnut-sized amount is enough, in a thin layer, just before heading out.

5. Sun protection, the non-negotiable reflex at altitude

It is the step most often forgotten in winter, and yet the most decisive. In the mountains, UV rays increase by around 10% every 1,000 metres, and snow reflects up to 80% of the radiation. So you catch the sun twice, directly and reflected off the snowpack, even under a hazy sky.

Just before heading out, over your cream, apply a high-protection sunscreen to the whole face. Don't forget your ears or the area around your sunglasses or goggles, the spots that reflected light reaches first.

6. The eye contour, the most delicate area

The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the face. The cold marks it quickly, the wind makes the eyes water, and the fatigue of long days outdoors settles there. It deserves its own dedicated step, morning and evening.

In the morning, decongest. The Fresh Eye Contour Gel, with Mont-Blanc glacier water, refreshes tired eyes and smooths the features with a burst of coolness. In the evening, nourish and protect with the richer Eye Contour Care, which shields this delicate area from harsh weather and dehydration. After too short a night, the Flower-Infused Eye Patches refresh tired eyes in a few minutes.

7. During the day on the slopes, protect continuously

On the slopes, the most exposed area, and the quickest to suffer, is the lips. Thin and with no sebaceous glands, they have no natural defence against cold and wind. It is almost always where discomfort begins.

The reflex: keep a balm in your jacket pocket and reapply it on every chairlift. A ten-second gesture that spares you chapped lips in the evening.

We always slip the Bons Baisers de Megève Lip Balm into our pocket. With beeswax and Alpine honey, it soothes, repairs and nourishes the lips in a single stroke. On bright sunny days, remember to protect your lips from UV too, as they burn so quickly in the glare.

8. In the evening, rehydrate after skiing

This is the most important moment of the day. After skiing, the skin needs to be cleared of sunscreen residue and pollution, then given back the water lost in the open air.

Remove makeup gently, then tone with the Eau d'Herbes with Lemon Balm & Mint, which refreshes and remineralises the skin like a mountain breeze. On windy evenings, treat yourself to the Biocellulose Hydration & Radiance Mask, our newest launch: a second skin soaked in a thirst-quenching edelweiss serum that quenches the skin in 15 minutes.

The Ferme de Beauté's tip: after the mask, don't rinse. Massage the excess serum in lightly, then seal it in straight away with your night cream: the water stays locked in and the skin repairs itself all night while you recover from your day.

9. At night, nourish in depth

Then seal everything in with a rich, nourishing night cream. After a day outdoors, dry skin needs more than simple hydration: it needs to be replenished. Our pick for this step: the Nutrialpes Cream. Its generous texture envelops skin that is dry and sensitised by the cold, and rebuilds its protective film while you sleep. Mature skin may prefer the Rich Anti-Aging Cream.

On areas that still feel tight, around the nostrils and on the cheekbones, a few drops of Maca Root Elixir provide targeted nourishment. This 100% natural oil deeply nourishes the skin most parched by altitude.

10. Hard-working areas: SOS repair

Despite all your care, a peeling cheek, heavy legs or an irritated patch can sometimes appear after a big day's skiing. Then you need something stronger.

Our pick for this step: the Baume des Montagnes SOS Arnica. Its arnica-rich formula helps relax, soothe and comfort hard-working areas, on the face and body alike. Apply it locally in the evening, or massage it into the legs after exercise.

11. Hands: don't forget them

Hands are put to the test by damp gloves, cold and frequent washing. They redden, dry out and crack at the knuckles. They deserve their own repairing care, by the basin and in your bag.

Our pick for this step: the Secret des Alpes Hand Cream. Non-greasy, it repairs damaged skin and absorbs quickly, without a sticky finish to get in the way when you pull your gloves back on.

12. The body, after your evening shower

The body pays the price of altitude too, especially the legs and back, tense from exertion and dried out by the warm chalet air. Moisturise straight after the shower, on still-warm skin, when it absorbs best.

Our pick for this step: the Comme la Neige Body Cream, with Arctic berries and malachite, whose melting texture wraps the skin in a veil of comfort. Those who love a massage ritual will opt for the Beauty Oil, nourishing for the body and for hair roughed up by a woolly hat.

13. Once or twice a week, the extra step

Once or twice a week, give your skin a longer moment of repair. It is the step that makes all the difference during a mountain stay, when the skin builds up fatigue day after day.

Start with a very gentle scrub to remove the dead cells that dull the complexion, without ever aggravating skin already sensitised by the cold. The Flocons de Céréales Scrub exfoliates gently and leaves the complexion fresh and smooth.

Then, before an evening out, awaken your radiance: a touch of Precious Radiance Treatment with Tourmaline on the cheekbones, and the skin reveals its mountain glow, a fresh, naturally luminous complexion.

14. The complete routine, product by product

Here is the complete routine, summed up step by step, for skin that lives and skis at altitude.

• Cleanse, morning and evening: the Lait des Alpages, or the Micellar Flower Foam for a fresh finish.
• Morning, prepare and protect: the Lift4810 Concentrated Serum, then the Edelweiss N°1 Cream, reinforced with the Cold Cream on bitterly cold days.
• The eyes: the Fresh Eye Contour Gel in the morning, the Eye Contour Care in the evening.
• On the slopes: the Bons Baisers de Megève Lip Balm, reapplied on every lift.
• Evening, rehydrate: the Eau d'Herbes, plus the Biocellulose Mask on windy evenings.
• Night, nourish in depth: the Nutrialpes Cream, with a few drops of Maca Root Elixir on areas that feel tight.
• Repair hard-working areas: the Baume des Montagnes SOS Arnica, on the face and body alike.
• Hands and body: the Secret des Alpes Hand Cream and the Comme la Neige Body Cream.
• Once a week, the extra step: the Flocons de Céréales Scrub, then a touch of Precious Radiance Treatment with Tourmaline before an evening out.

A mountain routine is nothing complicated: above all, it takes consistency and skincare designed for these very specific conditions. That is what we have been doing from Megève, season after season.