Fasting Skin is basically how your complexion can behave during intermittent fasting or during periods such as Ramadan. Because your hydration levels, nutrient intake, and sleep schedule shift in these periods, skin can turn dry, dull, or more reactive.
Surprisingly, this phase requires very few heavy, layering products and instead favors lightweight moisture that is focused on helping bring your skin back to its natural balance. With that tight, dull feeling and weird texture? It's easy to think your fasting skin needs a heavy dose of natural face cream in Abu Dhabi. But during Ramadan, piling on skincare products can actually make things worse, leaving you with clogged pores and irritated skin that's still dry and dehydrated.
The truth is, fasting changes your skin's needs. What it really wants during this period is a smarter approach: the right products, applied at the right time, and the confidence to hold back.
To understand why over-moisturizing is a trap, it’s important to look at what fasting does to your skin and why your usual skincare routine might be failing you.
Fasting Skin: What's Really Going on During Ramadan
When you fast during Ramadan, you might notice these changes to your skin pretty quickly:
- Less oil. Fasting can lower your oil production, which means less natural moisture. Studies on intermittent fasting show reduced activity in the sebaceous glands leading to dropping levels of insulin and IGF-1. This means, less sebum production, and less oil means not only less natural moisture retention, but also less occlusion because your skin breathes differently.
- Changed Barrier Function: Research published in 2024 show that continued calory restriction increases trans epidermal water loss aka TEWL because the skin has to adjust to new condition. Therefore, your skin barrier might lose water faster as it adjusts to this new fasting routine. Ingredients also absorb more quickly into your skin.
- Cortisol Hormone Variation. Sleep time and sleep schedule changes during Ramadan. This can raise stress hormone levels, making your skin more sensitive and easily irritated. Meaning that products that you were using just fine could suddenly start to irritate.
- Dehydration. Even if you drink plenty of water at the evening hydration window, Fasting can still leave you a bit dehydrated as total body water content is reduced. This can make your skin cells shrink slightly, making you get that tight feeling, leading you to think you need more creams and moisturizers. Our article on Ramadan Hydration gives you a better understanding the concept of evening hydration window better
These quick changes to your skin create a sort of contradiction. Your skin loses water faster but also absorbs products more easily. Thick, heavy facial creams can trap bacteria, sweat and waste against your skin as it tries to detox itself through the fast.
Why Too Much Moisturizer Can Hurt Your Fasting Skin
Layering on thick creams and moisturizers during Ramadan can cause these skin problems:
- Lazy Skin Barrier. When you often add moisture to your skin, your skin cells may make less of their natural moisturizing factor. This means the skin barrier can forget how to stay hydrated. It can become fully dependent on heavy moisturizing products.
- Clogged pores. We already mention above the reduced sebum production in fasting skin. Less oil flow means pores don't clear as easily. Using heavy creams can create the perfect conditions for skincare issues during Ramadan, when what you need is skin detoxing.
- Messed-up autophagy process. Fasting helps to initiate a cellular cleanup process known as autophagy. This process to your skin helps clean out junk. Heavy creams can get in the way of this process, trapping dead cells and waste that should be expelled from skin.
- Inflammation. Many rich moisturizers have perfumes, preservatives, essential oils and other ingredients that can get deep inside your fasting skin and irritate it or trigger skin sensitivity.
So, what is the solution? Don't ditch the moisturizer completely. Just make sure to keep it simple and minimal during fasting so the product can work with your skin, not against it.
The Simple Ramadan Skincare Strategy
Step 1: Gentle Cleansing
This is non-negotiable because Fasting skin gets dirty in a different way. Use a gentle cleanser in your morning and evening skincare routines. Make sure the cleanser is a non-foaming cleanser that is pH balanced and won't strip your skin.
Step 2: Hydrate First
We are talking about hydration not moisturization. If you are wondering about hydration vs. moisturization. Hydration means we focus on getting water into your skin while moisturization means coating skin with oil. For Fasting skin, which is typically dehydrated, we focus on hydration. Use a hyaluronic acid serum on damp skin. This guide about dehydrated skin in Dubai goes into detail on how you can take care of dehydrated skin.
Step 3: Targeted treatment Serum if you need to.
If you have specific skin problems, use one serum product to target them:
- Vitamin C for antioxidant protection
- Niacinamide for your skin barrier support
- Bakuchiol for gentle skin renewing and smoothening
Step 4: One good moisturizer is enough.
Pick one daily moisturizer that:
- Is a lightweight with a gel-cream texture, not a heavy balm
- Has ingredients to help your skin barrier like ceramides or cholesterol
- Must be fragrance free with no essential oils
- Non comedogenic
Apply this daily care moisturizer to seal in hydration.
Step 5: Protect your skin every morning.
Wear mineral sunscreen every day come rain on sunshine. Fasting skin is more sensitive to the sun because of the fluctuations of cortisol hormone during fasting. SPF with Zinc oxide is a great choice for skin when fasting.
What Your Skin Really Wants During Ramadan
Your fasting skin is craving:
- Humectants and Water-based hydration. Ingredients like, panthenol, glycerin, urea and hyaluronic acid pull water into your skin without leaving a heavy coating.
- Barrier Repair. Products with ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol and other ingredients that help your skin protect itself.
- Calming ingredients. Fasting can cause a bit of stress on your system, leading to mild inflammation. Look for ingredients that offer anti-inflammatory properties like green tea extract and licorice root extract to help calm and soothe inflammation.
- Internal Hydration. No daily cream or hydrating serum can make up for not drinking enough water. Be sure to drink plenty of water during non-fasting hours. And find more hydration tips in our companion article skincare strategies for Ramadan.
What About the Petroleum Jelly Trend?
Applying petroleum jelly to your face is a popular slugging trend. It can help nourish skin during slugging. But whether it works for fasting skin depends on your skin type. It also depends on your fasting phase.
During Ramadan, petroleum jelly is good if:
- You have very dry skin or are in a dry place with air conditioning
- Your dry skin is not acne prone skin
- You are applying it as a sealant after hydrating your skin
Petroleum Jelly is not so good if:
- You have oily skin, combination skin or acne prone skin
- It is the first week of Ramadan because of the autophagy process
- You are in a humid place
Remember petroleum jelly is a sealant, not a moisturizer. For the best sealing results, use this organic rose yeast face cream with petroleum jelly.
Ingredients to Avoid for Fasting Skin.
During Ramadan, your skin barrier is more sensitive as its absorption is increased, so be careful with:
- Artificial perfumes and essential oils as they can cause further skin sensitivity
- Strong acids like glycolic acid, salicylic acid and lactic acid as they may over exfoliate your already sensitive skin barrier.
- Heavy plant butters like Shea butter and cocoa butter as they may feel nourishing but may end up clogging your pores as sebum flow is reduced.
- Products with Alcohol as they may cause further dehydration
- Silicones, especially when in high quantities as they may cause fake smoothness while trapping dirt and debris in skin instead of working with the fasting skin detoxification
Your Basic Ramadan Skincare Routine
Morning Skincare Routine:
- Splash skin with water or cleanse gently
- Use a Hydrating toner
- Apply a Vitamin C. This is optional
- Your Lightweight daily moisturizer
- Don’t forget Sunscreen
Evening Skincare Routine:
- Oil cleanse. This is part of the double cleansing method and its great for removing makeup or sunscreen that you wear during the day.
- Gentle cleanse
- Hydrating toner
- Treatment Serum depending on your needs. Use niacinamide or bakuchiol, on alternate nights)
- Lightweight moisturizer
Once a week, you can do one gentle exfoliation with an enzyme powder, not a scrub. You can also use one hydrating mask if desired.
That's it. Six products are all you need. For both your morning skincare routine and nighttime skincare routine during Ramadan.
Adjust This Routine Week by Week
Your skin changes as Ramadan goes on:
Week 1: Skin Barrier Adjusts. Skin might feel tight. Focus on gentle cleansing and hydration. Don’t introduce new active ingredients.
Week 2: Skin starts to stabilize. Breakouts might happen. Because of the fasting skin detox Stick to your simple routine. Don’t use harsh treatments.
Week 3: Skin is adapting. Skin should be getting used to fasting. It’s now more balanced. You can add one gentle product like niacinamide if you want.
Week 4: Getting ready for Eid. Keep your skincare routine simple to avoid skin problems before Eid celebrations.
When to Bend the Rules
Sometimes things happen, and you may need extra help with your skin. In this situation, you might need to pause your minimalist skincare routine:
- If you see severe dehydration lines: Add a facial oil like jojoba oil or squalane at night.
- Wind or sun exposure: Especially after being outdoors. Use a thicker barrier cream temporarily.
- Skin problems like Eczema or Dermatitis: See a dermatologist for medical grade skin barrier repair.
Conclusion: Fasting Skin? Think Minimalist Skincare
Ramadan is about learning to restrain yourself in so many different areas of your life. This includes skincare. keeping things simple and minimal is the way to great skincare in Ramadan.
The goal isn't perfect skin. It's to keep your skin happy so you can focus on other things. Every product you skip is one less thing to worry about. Your skin knows how to take care of itself, so trust it.
When you feel the impulse to add just another layer of cream, take a break. Drink water instead. Get some sleep. These internal factors matter more than any fancy product, any fermented skincare for sensitive skin or any trending ingredient.
Want help picking a moisturizer? Read our face cream decoded article that offers affordable picks that actually work.
FAQs: Your Fasting Skin Questions Answered
How soon after eating or Iftar should I do my skincare?
There's no exact time, but here's a good idea: Don't rush to the bathroom right after eating. It's best to do your skincare during your evening hydration time. Here's how:
Break your fast. Eat and drink slowly. Give your body a minute.
Wait about 30 to 45 minutes. Let your body digest and start absorbing the water and nutrients. Your skin will start to hydrate from the inside out.
Do your skincare routine. This is a great time because your skin cells are filling with water now. When you apply hydrating serums and a light moisturizer, you help lock in moisture overnight.
Can I use face masks while fasting?
Yes, but pick the right kind of face mask. Hydrating masks or soothing masks are great, but you should avoid heavy sleep masks or strong clay masks. A hydrating sheet mask or gel mask with hyaluronic acid or aloe vera can soothe your skin. It can also add hydration. Be careful with clay masks as your skin is already making less oil, a strong clay mask could dry out your skin too much, making it feel tight. Also instead of face scrubs or heavy clays, stick to enzyme powders for gentle exfoliation.
Should I stop using retinol during Ramadan?
You don't have to stop completely, but you should use it less often and make sure to dilute it. When you're fasting, your skin barrier is more sensitive and absorb ingredients more easily. This means that when you use the same retinol during Ramadan, it can sink deeper into your skin. It may feel stronger and can cause irritation, redness, and peeling. If you normally use retinol every night, try using it twice a week. Always apply it over a moisturizer to slow down how quickly it gets absorbed. If you have sensitive skin or it's your first week of fasting, it's best to stop using retinol until your skin gets used to the change.
Can fasting really cause breakouts?
Yes, it can, but it's usually not from dirt. Breakouts during Ramadan often happen for a couple of reasons.
First, there's a detox period where your body pushes things to the surface as it gets used to fasting.
Second, breakouts can happen because your products aren't right for your skin anymore. Because your skin is making less oil, a heavy cream that worked great before might now be too much, trapping dead skin cells and bacteria.
If you're getting breakouts check if your moisturizer feels heavy and think about switching to a lighter gel-cream or a specialized oil-control moisturizer.
Why is my skin so dry during Ramadan even when I drink water at night?
This is a common issue during Ramadan, and here's why: Even if you're drinking plenty of water at night, your body's water balance still changes because your cells are on a different schedule. More importantly, dry skin isn't just about water; it's about your skin's barrier. Studies show that when you change how many calories you eat, it can increase water loss from your skin. Your skin barrier is like a fence. When you're fasting, the gaps in that fence widen a bit, letting water escape more easily. So, even if you're hydrating, that hydration is leaving your skin faster than normal. The answer isn't just more water but sealing in that water with a light moisturizer that repairs your barrier. Look for ingredients like ceramides or cholesterol and apply it right after your hydrating serum.
Why does my skin look dull and grey while fasting?
That lack of glow usually comes from slower cell turnover and less oil production. When you're fasting, your body makes less insulin, which tells your skin glands to produce less oil. While this is good if you have acne, that oil also gives healthy skin its natural shine. Also, your cells are busy with a cleanup process, which can slow down the shedding of dead skin cells on the surface. This buildup of cells makes your skin look dull. Use a gentle enzyme mask once a week and focus on products with humectants like glycerin, to bring back your skin's brightness by hydrating those surface cells.