Winter skin can be such a delicate little flower.

From tightness, dryness and dullness to occasional breakouts, if you want to sidestep all manner of annoying issues, it’s the season to become evangelical about serums.

Think of them as the small but mighty underlayers that do the real work while you’re busy drinking tea and wearing cosy jumpers. These are a few of our current favourites: unfussy, clever, and the sort of formulas that make skin look brighter, calmer and more alive, even when everything outside is grey and hostile.

Fierce protection and a glass-skin glow 

The winter chill can do a number on your skin but we’ve emerged into 2026 unscathed thanks to this Yon Ka’s deliciously soothing and protecting new oil-in-serum.

On shelves this month, Serum Omega delivers a powerful nutritional infusion to the skin thanks to its high concentration of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, known for their anti-inflammatory properties. These essential lipids help support elasticity and reinforce the skin’s lipid reserves, delivering deep, lasting nourishment to even the driest skin types. Smooth it on morning and evening (it soaks right in and smells divine) for nourishment, comfort and a glass skin glow.

Yon-Ka Serum Omega is €88 from these stockists. 

A bargain hydrator that goes the distance 

We’re quietly obsessed with this sort of thing: a very affordable serum that just gets on with it. NIVEA’s Luminous630 Skin Glow Instant Glow Serum is pleasingly unfussy, sinks in fast, and gives that “oh, you look well” sheen rather than anything shouty.

It tackles pigmentation with their clever Thiamidol, smooths things out with niacinamide, and hydrates nicely thanks to aloe — so skin looks calmer, brighter and more even within days. It’s the kind of bargain you end up recommending to friends.

NIVEA’s Luminous630 Skin Glow Instant Glow Serum 30ml RSP €19.99 at Boots and Dunnes.

A new way to layer on Vitamin C 

Trinny London’s Naked Ambition is the sort of serum that makes you feel quietly smug every time you use it: light, elegant, and doing quite a lot behind the scenes. The slow-release vitamin C gives a steady, believable brightness (none of that frantic tingle), while the clever azelaic exosome delivery system calms redness and evens things out so skin just looks… better behaved.

It layers beautifully, doesn’t pill, and after a couple of weeks you notice that your face looks clearer, calmer and more radiant — the sort of glow that makes you skip foundation and feel very pleased with yourself.

Trinny London Naked Ambition Vit C with Azelaic Exosome + Vitamin C Serum €84 at Brown Thomas.