Wait A Second: Do You Have "Sauna" Skin? Yep, It's A Thing

Trends ebb and flow, but dewy, aptly hydrated skin will never go out of style—the beauty crowd just has a knack for coming up with different nicknames. Think glass skin, dolphin skin, glazed donut skin…'and now, sauna skin? 

Simply put, it refers to how your skin would look after a sauna session: supple and refreshed, with a sheen of sweat. It was the makeup inspiration at the Collina Strada fall/winter 2024 show during New York Fashion Week, as models sported dewy, high-gloss finishes that made them appear intentionally sweaty.

If your sauna sesh comes with a side of redness and flushing as opposed to juicy shine, well, same. To be absolutely clear, my ruddy complexion post-sweat does not resemble the glass-skinned models sauntering down the runway. 

But redness is not necessarily a bad thing! It's a normal body mechanism in response to heat. "One of the homeostasis mechanisms used by the body when body temperature increases is to carry more blood to the surface of the skin so that heat loss from the skin increases," board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., once shared with mbg. "This entails peripheral vasodilation—or widening of the small blood vessels found in the skin so that more blood is carried through them. This can cause a red, flushed face, particularly noticeable in fairer skin types." 

Have you ever seen a complexion that looks seriously lit from within? To achieve this radiance, it helps to start, you know, within. I'm not saying that drinking water is the No. 1 secret to glowing skin (though it is important to reach your daily quota), but there are plenty of supplements formulated with ingredients to keep your skin hydrated. One of our favorites is hyaluronic acid. 

You may already use a hyaluronic acid serum—and good on you!—but you might want to double down by taking it orally too. Oral forms of HA, you see, have been shown to support skin hydration and appearance. In fact, one study found that people who took 120 milligrams of hyaluronic acid a day for eight to 12 weeks experienced better skin aging2 (fewer wrinkles and more supple skin) compared with those who took a placebo. 

Humectants are literally water magnets, board-certified dermatologist Ava Shamban, M.D., founder of SKINFIVE, tells us. "They work to help pull moisture from the air into the upper layer of your skin to keep the skin cells hydrated, plump with a firmness and bounce." Sounds like the sauna skin ideal, doesn't it? 

To really emulate the post-sauna sweat, I like to dab a barrier balm on the high points of my face. That way, I can replicate all the dewy shine, sans flushing. 

You might be wondering: Why use a barrier balm and not a standard highlighter? To which I say: You totally could use makeup, but highlighters tend to include some shimmer particles that often read sparkly instead of sweaty. 

"Sauna skin" is really just another way to describe a dewy, refreshed, glowing visage—with or without an actual sauna. Of all the buzzy beauty trends out there (some of which are questionable), this is a look we can get behind, so long as you know your limits when it comes to sauna bathing.