Ultimate Guide to Runner's Skincare Routine

Laura Stonehouse
Apr 30
6 min read

Protect, Repair and Recover Your Skin

As a runner, you know that your body isn’t the only thing that needs attention after a long run—your skin does, too. Whether you’re running under the sun, braving the cold and wind, or pushing through tough conditions, your skin takes a beating. Sweat, UV exposure, windburn, and environmental pollutants all have an impact. Invest in the right skincare routine, and you can repair, hydrate, and protect your skin pre and post-run to keep it looking healthy, calm and glowing.

Here's your Ultimate Guide to essential products for a Runner's skincare routine and why each one is crucial for recovery.

1. Cleansing Complex: Gently Purify Your Skin

Why It’s Important for Runners:

After a long run, your skin is coated with sweat, dirt, and salt, which can clog pores and lead to breakouts if left untreated. You need a cleanser that effectively removes impurities without stripping your skin of essential moisture.

How It Helps Your Skin: Is Clinical Cleansing Complex is a gentle yet powerful cleanser that helps to remove oil, impurities, and sweat while maintaining your skin’s natural moisture balance. It’s packed with a blend of salicylic acid and botanical extracts that not only cleanse but also help minimize the appearance of pores and prevent acne breakouts. This makes it ideal for active individuals, especially those prone to post-exercise breakouts.

Benefits for Runners: Removes sweat, dirt, and bacteria without over-drying and preps your skin for the rest of your skincare routine.

Pro Tip: Cleanse your face as soon as you finish your run to remove sweat and bacteria before they have a chance to irritate or clog your pores.

2. Hydra-Cool: Instant Cooling and Hydration

Why It’s Important for Runners:

When you’re running, especially in hot or humid weather, your skin can become overheated and dehydrated. If left untreated, this can cause redness, tightness, and irritation. Hydra-Cool is perfect for cooling and rehydrating your skin post-run, particularly if you’ve been exposed to high temperatures or sun.

How It Helps Your Skin: Is Clinical Hydra-Cool is a soothing, hydrating gel that contains aloe vera, menthol, and hyaluronic acid to provide instant relief from heat, calm irritation, and rehydrate the skin. It has a cooling effect that refreshes the skin, helping to reduce redness and inflammation caused by sweating or sun exposure. Hydra-Cool is also rich in antioxidants, which protect against free radical damage and support skin healing.

Benefits for Runners: Provides instant hydration and a cooling effect to soothe inflamed or overheated skin, making it an essential part of your post-run routine.

Pro Tip: Apply Hydra-Cool immediately after cleansing to help reduce redness and inflammation. Its cooling and soothing properties will also help calm any irritation from the sun or wind.

3. Sheald Recovery Balm: Soothing and Restoring Skin

Why It’s Important for Runners:

When you're running, especially in harsh conditions like wind, sun, or extreme cold, your skin is exposed to environmental stressors that can cause irritation, dryness, and inflammation. This is where Is Clinical Sheald Recovery Balm comes in.

How It Helps Your Skin: This rich, healing balm is formulated with vitamin E, shea butter, and chamomile extract to soothe, calm, and repair skin that’s been exposed to the elements. Whether you have chapped skin from the wind, irritation from sweat, or redness from sun exposure, Sheald Recovery Balm offers instant relief and restores your skin’s natural barrier.

Benefits for Runners: It helps reduce inflammation, promotes healing, and keeps skin soft and hydrated, especially after runs in extreme conditions.

Pro Tip: Apply a generous layer of Sheald Recovery Balm post-run or use before a run to keep it hydrated, particularly if you've been outside for extended periods in the sun or wind. It will lock in moisture and help with skin repair. This is a must have for runners or people who spend long periods of time outdoors because it will really help to restore your skin, it can be used on the face and the body because it accelerates healing for dry skin, wounds, scrapes or cuts.

4. iS Clinical SPF 50: Ultimate Sun Protection

Why It’s Important for Runners:

Sun exposure is one of the most damaging factors to your skin, especially for runners who are often outside for long stretches of time. UV radiation causes premature aging, dark spots, and increases the risk of skin cancer. No skincare routine is complete without an effective broad-spectrum SPF.

Broad-spectrum refers to the ability of a sunscreen to protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. These are the two types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun that can cause harm to your skin, and they have different effects:

UVA Rays: These rays penetrate deeply into the skin and are primarily responsible for skin aging (wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of elasticity) and DNA damage that can lead to skin cancer. UVA rays are present throughout the year and even on cloudy days can pass through windows.
UVB Rays: These rays affect the surface of the skin and are the main cause of sunburn. UVB rays are more intense in the summer and at higher altitudes, but they also contribute to the development of skin cancer.

Eclipse SPF 50

A broad-spectrum sunscreen means that it offers protection against both of these types of rays, which is important for preventing sunburn, premature aging, and reducing the risk of skin cancer. Always look for the "broad-spectrum" label when choosing sunscreen to ensure you're getting the best possible protection.

How It Helps Your Skin: The iS Clinical SPF 50 is a lightweight, broad-spectrum sunscreen that not only protects against both UVA and UVB rays but also nourishes the skin with antioxidants like vitamin C. This formula absorbs quickly, leaving your skin feeling matte and non-greasy—perfect for pre and post-run skin that needs protection without the shine.

Benefits for Runners: With its high SPF protection, it shields the skin from harmful UV rays, preventing sunburn and redness, premature aging, and skin damage.

Pro Tip: Apply sunscreen as the last step in your morning skincare routine, and reapply every two hours if you’re running outside for an extended period. Don't leave home without it!

5. Pro-Heal Serum: Powerful Antioxidant Protection

Why It’s Important for Runners:

After a run, your skin is often inflamed due to the physical exertion, environmental exposure, and oxidative stress caused by UV radiation. That’s where a potent antioxidant serum comes in.

How It Helps Your Skin: Pro-Heal Serum by iS Clinical is packed with powerful vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A to combat the free radicals produced by oxidative stress. These antioxidants help to repair sun damage, reduce redness, and calm inflammation in the skin. It also stimulates collagen production, helping to keep your skin firm and youthful.

Benefits for Runners: This serum helps to repair skin damage from UV exposure and exercise while also boosting the skin's natural defense against environmental stress. Applied before sunscreen it can support the skin against UV rays.

Pro Tip: Use this serum after cleansing and before moisturizing to give your skin the antioxidant boost it needs for recovery. A little goes a long way with this serum so use a couple of drops only.

6. Reparative Moisture Emulsion: Hydrate and Strengthen

Why It’s Important for Runners:

Running can dehydrate your skin, especially if you’re sweating heavily or running in hot, dry conditions. This can lead to tight, flaky skin and a weakened skin barrier, which can cause irritation and sensitivity.

How It Helps Your Skin: Reparative Moisture Emulsion is a lightweight yet deeply hydrating moisturizer that strengthens the skin’s natural barrier and helps lock in moisture. Its formula contains hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, peptides to promote skin regeneration, and vitamin B5 to calm and repair the skin. This emulsion also helps to maintain the skin's elasticity, making it an essential part of any post-run skincare routine.

Benefits for Runners: It rehydrates your skin after a workout, strengthens the skin’s barrier, and helps reduce any tightness or dryness caused by sweat and environmental exposure.

Pro Tip: Apply a generous layer of Reparative Moisture Emulsion after your Pro-Heal Serum to lock in hydration and keep your skin smooth and plump throughout the day.

Putting It All Together: The Ultimate Runner’s Skincare Routine

After a run, your skin needs help to recover: cleanse, treat, hydrate, and protect to ensure that your skin stays healthy and glowing. Here’s how to get the best results:

AM and PM: 2 minute Cleanse with Cleansing Complex to remove sweat, dirt, and impurities.
AM and PM: Apply Pro-Heal Serum for antioxidant protection and to reduce inflammation.
AM and PM: Soothing hydration: Apply Hydra-Cool to cool and rehydrate your skin, especially if you’ve been out in the sun or heat.
AM and PM: Soothe and heal with Sheald Recovery Balm if your skin feels irritated or inflamed.
AM and PM: Hydrate and protect your skin with Reparative Moisture Emulsion to restore moisture and strengthen the skin barrier.
Daytime: Finish with iS Clinical SPF 50 to shield your skin from harmful UV rays and prevent further sun damage.

Ultimate Skin Recovery

Whether you’re dealing with sunburn, windburn, dehydration, or oxidative damage, this runner's routine has the essential ingredients to support your skin's recovery and maintain its natural glow so you can train for the next race, take to the trails and run, knowing your skin will stay protected and keep beautifully healthy.

Get in touch to book a complimentary trial of the Ultimate Runner's Skincare Routine: laura@queenbeebeautiful.com