The summer beauty essentials for glowing skin, healthy hair, and radiant body care

When temperatures rise, the season asks for a skincare routine that delivers luminous glow, make-up that brings out a natural sun-flushed complexion, and a handful of luxurious body and hair indulgences that are designed for summer.

Skin 

1. Hydrated Gaze 

Heat and fatigue tend to settle around the eyes, making a well-hydrated under-eye essential in summer. Chanel's Hydra Beauty Micro Creme Yeux comes to the rescue with a lightweight formula that acts as a moisturiser, hydrating and leaving the sensitive area fresh and rested. 

Price: ₹6,550

2. Skin Reset 

Clay masks remain a constant in skincare, long favoured for their ability to clarify and rebalance. The Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask builds on this with the addition of BHA, helping to unclog pores and gently exfoliate dead skin cells. While particularly suited to oil- prone skin, it can be used in moderation across skin types. 

Price: ₹1,100

3. Cooling effect 

While eight hours of sleep remains aspirational, a cooling eye mask recreates its effects instantly. Pixi’s AntioxifEYE Eye Mask Goggles are shaped to sit securely across the full eye contour, ensuring consistent coverage. The hydrogel base cools and hydrates, helping to reduce puffiness and leaving the skin refreshed. 

Price: ₹900

4. Modern Shield 

As skincare falls back on proven basics, French pharmacy formulas are returning to the forefront. La Roche- Posay’s Anthelios UVMune 400 sunscreen, a cult favourite, is designed with the patented high-performance sunscreen filter system, Mexoplex, that provides broad-spectrum coverage against UVA and UVB rays. Its lightweight texture and sweat-resistant formula make it reliable for the summer. 

Price: ₹1,400

Makeup 

1. Lasting base 

 

A well-prepped base sets the tone, with primer doing the heavy lifting. Enter e.l.f. Power Grip Primer, a gel-based formula that hydrates and smooths the skin while holding makeup better. Its clear finish works across all skin tones. 

Price: ₹1,300

2. Hybrid sheen 

Beauty that doubles up as skincare is where most routines are headed now, and the Born This Way Super Glow Highlighter by Too Faced fits right in. The lightweight formula hydrates and melts into the skin. Worn alone or mixed with foundation, it lifts the complexion without ever feeling heavy. 

Price: ₹3,200

3. Set, not stiff 

 

Locking everything in shouldn’t feel like adding another layer. Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray settles as a fine, dewy mist that keeps everything in place for hours, leaving skin fresh without any trace of stickiness. 

Price: ₹4,500

4. Second skin 

Lean into lightweight formulas that even out the skin without masking it. A favourite among beauty insiders, Armani Luminous Silk Perfect Natural Glow Foundation offers medium, buildable coverage with a comforting finish and skin-like glow. 

Price: ₹5,600

5. Blush hour 

A soft flush is all you need. Kylie Cosmetics Pressed Blush Powder blends effortlessly into the skin, giving buildable colour with a matte finish that wears well through the day and layers easily with a stick blush for a longer-lasting flush. 

Price: ₹1,790

Hair 

1. Cuticle care 

As haircare borrows from skincare’s playbook, moisture retention and repair are the new standard. Olaplex Rich Hydration Mask locks in moisture to strengthen the strands, seals the cuticle to reduce breakage, and leaves the hair easier to manage. 

Price: ₹4,200

2. Easy waves

For curls sitting flat at the roots yet dry through the ends, a lightweight leave-in serum brings back a soft, beach- worn texture. Fix My Curls’ Milky Leave-In Serum smoothens frizz without heaviness, enhancing natural wave with softness and shine. 

Price: ₹640

3. Gloss finish 

Not every oil will weigh you down in summer. Case in point being Balmain Hair Argan Moisturizing Elixir that helps restore moisture while maintaining movement. The brand’s couture fragrance lingers lightly through the day. 

Price: ₹5,500

4. The prep step 

If summer styling routines are damaging your hair through constant heat, use the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment as your go-to prep step. With its built-in heat protection, it helps strengthen weakened strands while you style. It also boosts visible shine from the first use. 

Price: ₹2,000

5. Bond care 

Go for a pH-balanced, protection-first cleansing to help restore the hair’s natural barrier against frequent washing. The K18 Damage Shield Protective Shampoo and Conditioner duo is infused with K18-peptide that helps reduce cuticle swelling during wash, and strengthens the fibre with regular use. 

Price: ₹6,800

Body 

1. Whisper of scent 

Nothing says summer quite like a burst of florals on skin. The Dewberry Body Yogurt is a lightweight gel-cream that sinks in instantly—even on damp skin—delivering long hours of moisture. Infused with a fruity-floral scent of dewberry, jasmine, and soft musk, it leaves the skin feeling fresh through the day. 

Price: ₹1,295 for 200ml

2. Clean Girl Summer 

Think of those showers that feel like a reset button on a hot day. Aesop’s Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser captures the essence of geranium leaf extracts that gently cleanse and leave behind a crisp, green freshness. 

Price: ₹7,400 approx.

3. Dry fix 

Swap your post-shower lotion for something to counter the dryness summer heat leaves behind. L’Occitane Shea Butter Hands & Body Extra-Gentle Lotion is a lightweight formula that absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy layer. 

Price: ₹3,200

4. Floral Drift 

Fruity florals define fragrances tailored for warmer days. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Eau de Toilette opens with grapefruit, raspberry, and pear, followed by violet, wild rose, and jasmine petals. It settles into musk, plum, and cedarwood, leaving a fresh, skin-close scent. 

Price: ₹6,995 for 250ml

5. Buff it up

When the skin feels dull or textured, a good body scrub makes all the difference. Foxtale Foaming Exfoliating Body Polish smells heavenly while it works through lactic acid, dead sea salt, and perlite to gently buff away dead skin. The texture is playful and goopy, leaving the skin smooth and clean—ready for bare arms and pretty sundresses. 

Price: ₹599

This article originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar India's April-May 2026 print issue.

Lead image: The brand 

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